The Hold Steady-- Boys and Girls in America

[Josh]

Yipee! One of my favorite rock bands working today, The Hold Steady, is set to release their third album, Boys and Girls in America, on October 3. Billboard has the tracklisting, the story behind the album's title, and more.

[starhawk]

Sweeeeet.  I loved Seperation Sunday.  I'm highly anticipating this new one.

[Josh]

Separation Sunday has become one of my all-time favorite rock albums, and this new one is probably #2 on my most-anticipated list for this year-- right behind Dylan.

Almost Killed Me, their debut, is also quite good, starhawk; if you haven't heard it, you should. In fact, a lot of critics still think that album is better than Separation Sunday, though I disagree.

[Josh]

 

I've listened to it once, and wow-- this is a very, very different Hold Steady. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very divisive recording; many of the band's long-time fans will hate it, while others will love it, and it's sure to win them a host of new fans.

This is a much more mature, sophisticated recording than their first two albums-- in fact, there are times when these songs almost feel more like pop songs than rock songs. My jaw dropped to the ground during the first song-- it sounds like it belongs on the shelf beside Coldplay's "Clocks" and U2's "City of Blinding Lights" rather than any previous Hold Steady songs. The piano features much, much more prominently into all of these songs, making them feel a bit more polished and dynamic than anything the band has done before.

And that's not the only surprise-- Craig Finn's on-record persona and performance style have also been revamped. Comparatively, he seems much more subdued here, actually SINGING more than barking and yelling; his voice is still scratchy, of course, but he no longer sounds like he's half-drunk and ranting at a bar somewhere. His lyrics are still filled with strange imagery, rambling stories, weird non-sequiters, and quirky humor, but here it feels more like Tom Waits-style storytelling than anything else.

So, is this a step backward or a step forward for the band? Well, my first impression is that I don't like it as much as Separation Sunday, and yet my respect for this band has only grown. They're trying new things and pushing themselves in strange new directions. Sure, I miss the raw, raucous energy of their first two albums, but this is a fine record in its own right-- a bold statement from an important band, a first-rate rock album, and further proof that The Hold Steady is this generation's REM.

Now, off to listen again.

[Silvah]

Now I'm very interested. While I don't own Separation Sunday, everything I heard from it I enjoyed, so I'll have to pick up both of these albums. And Craig Finn sings? I have a hard time imagining that...

[Josh]

Craig Finn's voice is still scratchy on this record, but his performance style is completely different. He sounds almost subdued-- at least compared to Separation Sunday-- but he's got an easy-going kind of charisma; like Bono, the guy just exudes coolness without ever seeming like he's trying. It's a big part of the band's transformation from garage rock to arena rock.

[Josh]

Pitchfork presents a free MP3 download of the dynamite first single, "Chips Ahoy!" They also give us a preview of their take on the album, calling it "outstanding" and a sure-thing for their year-end list.

[Josh]

I was thrilled to see this record blurbed in Newsweek's recent "Fall Arts Preview." The article calls it a "magnum opus."

And I'm just going to keep harping on this one until I make fans of you all. This record is blowing me away with every listen, and, at this point, I'd say it's one of my two or three favorite releases of the year, easy. Nobody makes rock albums like this anymore-- it's reckless, maniacally energetic, smart, sophisticated, complex, visionary, funny, moving, and profound all at once. It just might be their best yet.

[starhawk]

I've only heard "Chips Ahoy!" so far, from the link Pitchfork provided.
I loved it.  This record is going to be so much fun.  I can't wait.

[Josh]

This is my favorite album of the year.

Don't get me wrong-- I still love the Springsteen disc. It's the best folk album, the best gospel album, the best protest album, and the best party album of the year.

But Boys and Girls in America thrills and excites me like very few albums ever have. It makes me want to do cartwheels. It gives me the same visceral glee as Joe Henry's album did three years back, and Nick Cave did in 2004, and Andrew Bird did last year. Perhaps even more than some of those albums. Ever since Separation Sunday, I've been saying that The Hold Steady is this generation's REM, that they're a band destined for greatness. And now, to hear them take such a huge leap forward and confirm everything I've ever hoped they would become... it's a rush. I feel like folks who heard the first U2 or REM albums must have felt-- this is a band that sounds like they're on their way to genuine rock and roll importance, and I've been lucky enough to catch them when they're just starting up.

This sounds every bit like a star-making album-- the kind of record that should make them famous, or at least solidify their place as a cult favorite. It has all the hallmarks of a true blockbuster album. But it's not just a great record for how it finds The Hold Steady expanding and refining their sound-- it's a great record because of the music. Nobody makes rock albums like this anymore, not in 2006; it's addictively energetic, wild and wooly, smart, sophisticated, visionary, complex, primal, profound, surprising, and moving all at once. It's everything a rock album should be.

I doubt many here will quite share my love, but I do think many of you pholks will like them. This is a great place to start out-- it's their most ambitious album yet, but also their most accessible. I believe in this record, and in this band, and can't wait to see where they go from here.

[bloop]

You have to stop this, Josh.  I want to hear this thing so much, but it just isn't available to the rest of us, at least not through any of the avenues I check.   

[Brenden]

Yeah, I'm getting more and more interested but can't find anywhere to hear it, which is frustrating.

Gaaahhhhh!

[Josh]

Heh... sorry! Unfrotunately, you probably won't get to hear it until it releases on October 3rd; Vagrant is really being cautious with this one. I've never seen a CD with such thorough copy protection and watermarking-- it won't play on my PC or even in my CD changer. I can only listen to it in the car. 

If you go to their Web site, though, you can hear the first single, "Chips Ahoy!" as well as the closing song, "Southtown Girls." It's a nice little preview, anyway...

[Brenden]

Listened to Chips Ahoy!, that IS a good song. I will have to check out this album when it comes out.

[bloop con carne]

Heh... sorry! Unfrotunately, you probably won't get to hear it until it releases on October 3rd; Vagrant is really being cautious with this one. I've never seen a CD with such thorough copy protection and watermarking-- it won't play on my PC or even in my CD changer. I can only listen to it in the car. 

I will not be too happy if the release CD is like this.

[Josh]

I will not be too happy if the release CD is like this.

Oh, it won't be. But they sent out the advance CDs... well, pretty far in advance, and they didn't want any leakage. They overcompensated, I think, but hey, I'm gonna buy it on release day anyway, so it's no big deal.

[Josh]

Anyone who wants another taste of the album can check out the band's MySpace page-- not only can you download "Chips Ahoy!" and "Southtown Girls," but they've just added "Stuck Between Stations," which just might be the best song on the record.

[starhawk]

AHH!  I love those new songs on myspace.  Oct. 3rd can't get here soon enough.

[Josh]

[Josh]

Rolling Stone sez Boys and Girls in America is their favorite album of the year. But don't hold that against it-- it actually IS a great record! 

[bloop]

OK, Josh.  You've now officially pushed my expectations for this album to "unattainable".   

[Josh]

OK, Josh.  You've now officially pushed my expectations for this album to "unattainable".   

Heh. Yeah, I imagine some of you will listen to this and wonder what the big deal is. I can't help it, though-- this record is blowing my mind every time I hear it.

[Aaron]

It's a pretty good record, although I've heard some better rock releases this year, IMO.

[danny316]

Rolling Stone sez Boys and Girls in America is their favorite album of the year. But don't hold that against it-- it actually IS a great record! 

Speaking of early and superlative declarations by overrated magazines, how does this compare to the new Jars of Clay?



 

[Josh]

Speaking of early and superlative declarations by overrated magazines, how does this compare to the new Jars of Clay?

Well, calling something the Best Album of the Year is a little different from calling something your Favorite Album of the Year So Far. Not that I'm going to spend much energy defending Rolling Stone; I'm simply excited to see one of my favorite bands getting kudos in major publications.

Oh, and if you really want to know, I haven't heard the new Jars yet. I'd very much like to, and will definitely do so before the year ends. I've heard its's great. I hope it is. I've fairly certain it won't top this one in terms of pure, blistering rock and roll energy, but I don't think that's what Jars was going for on Monsters anyway.

[Aaron]

You can't compare their albums anyways.  Not even similar styles.

[Josh]

So apparently this has leaked? I have no idea how anyone was able to break through the ridiculous security measures on the advance disc, but no matter-- I expect to see this at the top of all your Top Ten lists very soon. 

[bloop]

So apparently this has leaked? I have no idea how anyone was able to break through the ridiculous security measures on the advance disc, but no matter-- I expect to see this at the top of all your Top Ten lists very soon. 

It's not on oink's yet.

[Josh]

It's not on oink's yet.

Well, Wanderer and DGP have both heard it, so it's out there SOMEWHERE. 

[bloops]

oinked.   

[starhawk]

Stream the whole thing.

http://www.vagrant.com/holdsteady_listeningparty/

[AldaForPresident]

After listening to it, I was surprised because it's not what I expected them to sound like really. I enjoyed several of the songs more than I expected to.

[Josh]

Yes. Good. Buy it.

FYI, I just heard from my friend, AMG critic Thom Jurek, and he's just as excited about this album as I am. His review will be up later this weekend, I think.

[AldaForPresident]

Yes. Good. Buy it.

I think I might, whenever I get some extra cash. (No telling when that will be.) The lead singer's voice seems like it could get annoying after a while, though, either that or you really learn to love it.

[Brenden]

After one listen, I like it, though I'm not blown away yet.

[starhawk]

Rolling Stone review ~ http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/11738760/review/11755730/boys_and_girls_in_america

3.5/5 seems kinda low for a record they called their "favorite of the year so far".

[Josh]

Jurek raves.

[Josh]

9.4 from the 'fork.

[Josh]

Here's my review-- one of the toughest I've ever had to write, I think.

[bloop]

For contrast, Cokemachineglow's review is about as negative as I've seen.

Personally, I'm impressed with the album.  I'm not sure it's better than some of the more arty entries I've got near the top, but darned if it isn't as solid a mainstream rock album as I could have hoped, and I think I enjoy it more.  In other words, I'm not sure where to put it, other than somewhere near the top.