The Hold Steady built a pretty devoted following with their first two albums, Almost Killed Me (2004) and Separation Sunday (2005). Though based in NYC, Craig Finn based the songs on his experiences living in the Twin Cities in the 90s, as a member of Lifter Puller. Like Bruce Springsteen’s cast of characters on a semi-fictional Jersey shore, Finn does some myth building with fucked up, tempestuous, drunk, larger-than life characters that make multiple appearances, particularly Charlemagne and Holly. The band is great, a sort of mix of Thin Lizzy power riffing and Guided By Voices garage rock. But Finn’s choice to mostly talk and shout made it tough going for more than a few songs at a time.
Problem solved. On Boys & Girls In America, Finn sings, at least some of the time. He sounds a bit like Bob Mould, and the occasional melody in the vocals makes a world of difference with some great shouty-harmonizing from the band. The band has stepped it up a notch too, with catchier hooks and a more sweeping, epic sound that really blows up Finn’s poetic vision to widescreen proportions. The album starts out quoting Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, with a stirring piano line. This is The Hold Steady’s Born To Run. I wonder how many artists have done their version of a Born to Run? Generally with the ambition comes some interesting approaches.
My five year stint in the Twin Cities predates Finn’s by a few years, but he definitely captures the flavor. It comes out October 3.
