Their debut album, Almost Killed Me , sounds like the E Street Band after they slipped into the gutter, Thin Lizzy if they got fat and American, and a hundred other bands from Southside Johnny to the early-'70s Kinks that liked to party, but did it with the occasional tear-filled eyes and desperate hearts. Like the best of these classic rock staples, the Hold Steady can flat out rock. Kubler can rip off a fret-searing solo with bullfighter style, which he does quite frequently, and the rhythm section has enough muscle power to stop a speeding locomotive.
On top of this vintage rock chassis, the band drop Finn 's vocals and vision. Without him, the music is straightforward enough to appeal to the AOR masses and backstreet fanatics; with him they are far too weird and wild. His pop culture name-drops, knowing references to obscure musicians like Andre Cymone , real-sounding tales of the streets, and flights of knuckle-busting anger are far out in left field, and his bracing, eye-bulging delivery of said lyrics pushes it even further over the top.
It's a high-wire balancing act of sorts, and it would be easy for the band to topple over into boring mainstream rock cliches or veer into embarrassing drunken poetry territory but it never happens, not even once. The group plays with intense energy at all times, propping Finn up and giving his words the dramatic backdrop they deserve.
Finn holds up his end of the bargain by being hilarious and oddly touching as he rambles, coughs, and shouts his way through what sounds like a lifetime of journal entries, inside jokes, and record store soliloquies. Tracks like "The Swish" and "Knuckles" are endlessly quotable, the story songs don't wear out after repeated listens, and at times, the words and music combine in such a thrilling manner that the Hold Steady feel like the best, most alive band in the world.
It's a brilliant debut, and the sense that Finn and friends viewed Almost Killed Me as a renewed lease on musical life is tangible throughout. The last-chance desperation and burning desire bleed out through the grooves and it's impossible not to get swept up in the flood right along with them.
AllMusic relies heavily on JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to use the site fully. Blues Classical Country. Electronic Folk International. Jazz Latin New Age. Aggressive Bittersweet Druggy. Boasting all the seething, pent-up fervor of someone who's been talk-singing for nearly a decade, Finn expertly shoots his lyrical barbs like little arrows, knocking down and dismantling everything from recreational drugs and the tech boom to bartenders and jukebox codes, all in a familiar, half-smirking growl.
Without explicitly finger-pointing to disaffected Brooklynites, or pissing in his own backyard Finn and Kubler relocated to Brooklyn in , Finn inadvertently derides the kids in plastic bracelets and yellow leather armbands, swinging their arms to fleeting retro jams; obviously, it would be just as easy if not more so to counterattack Finn and friends for equally absurd purist-posturing, but The Hold Steady are just so unbearably good at what they do-- and listeners are all inevitably persuaded that the only reasonable thing to do is throw your hair around and chug.
But Finn's glib repetitions can be ridiculously fun, given the preposterous amount of genuinely clever bits streaming out of his mouth. And, like any good bar buddy, Finn always buys your next drink. Same Kooks Lord Im Discouraged Your Little Hoodrat Friend Southtown Girls Citrus First Night Girls Like Status They got the deluxe dvd treatment like thrice, so you should really buy it.
Theres tons of pictures etc in the lyric sheet too and 5 extra download tracks. It captures the excitement and high spirits of both the band and their fans in the days surrounding the release of their third full-length, Boys ands Girls in America, and ensuing world tour in The minute documentary begins with The Hold Steadys first ever London performances with never-before-seen live footage, back stage interviews with the band members, fan commentary and the original, raw audio.
Cameras follow the band as they return to the US for a date tour that culminates on screen with an especially poignant performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The booklet features personal photos and the bands memories of the tour. CD contains a link to download an additional 5 bonus tracks. New Album "HEaven is whenever" anyone?? The Sweet Part of the City Soft in the Center The Weekenders The Smidge Rock Problems We Can Get Together Hurricane J Barely Breathing Our Whole Lives Slanch - I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace.
Soft In The Center Released: Jan 18, The Sweet Part of the City Live Barely Breathing Live We Can Get Together Live The Weekenders Live Separate Vacations Live Chips Ahoy Live Both Crosses Live The album was recorded in Austin, Texas during the summer of and captures the raw excitement of Finn's songs, most of which were captured in no more than three takes Track List
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