Two summers ago, I was listening to The Hold Steady pretty much every day. They seemed exciting, fresh and new despite clearly owing a lot to bands and artists from the past. At some point after their headlining show at Shepherds Bush Empire though, the agenda seemed to change. Last year's 'Stay Positive' album was a huge disappointment, sounding rushed and tired at the same time, the sound of shoulders shrugging and voice asking "will this do?".
This live album was recorded back in October 2007, right at the end of a huge world tour in support of 'Boys and Girls in America' and right at the start of the writing and recording of 'Stay Positive'. My hope was that this would capture the band at their absolute peak, sounding as good as they did when I saw them play in London in July of that year. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this album doesn't come close to capturing the excitement and euphoria of a Hold Steady show in 2007.
Singer Craig Finn sounds jaded and occasionally stumbles over his words. While pitch perfect singing has never been in a factor in THS's appeal, his weak rendition of 'First Night', their most beautiful song, is a real let down. Secondly, the production and sound are awful. Just like 'Stay Positive', the album is mixed far too loud. Having a rock'n'roll, in-your-face sound is one thing, but there is no subtlety whatsoever in the sound, the louder, guitar based songs just sound like a big muddy mess and then, inexplicably, Tad Kubler's solo in 'Lord I'm Discouraged' is virtually inaudible.
It is good to hear a live version of 'Ask Her For Adderall', a song that was omitted from 'Stay Positive' in favour of the clunky 'Constructive Summer'. 'Same Kooks' and 'Barfruit Blues' sound as frenzied and exciting as ever, but overall this is a missed opportunity. I'm sure for all those in attendance in Chicago on the night, this was an amazing gig, but here it just sounds flat and tired.
5.0
['A Positive Rage' is out now on Rough Trade]
Showing posts with label the hold steady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the hold steady. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Hold Steady 'Bonus Tracks'
It is difficult to know why The Hold Steady would want to leave possibly the three best songs recorded for their 'Stay Positive' album to be bonus tracks but that does seem to be what they have done.
The 'Stay Positive' cd comes with 3 bonus tracks ('Ask Her For Adderall', 'Cheyanne Sunrise' and 'Two Handed Handshake'), whilst the vinyl only has '...Adderall'. This is clearly the wrong way round. The 3 tracks on the cd are actually merged into one eleven minute 'track', either to deter people from sharing the files or to make clear the separation between the album and the bonus tracks. Fair enough...the bonus tracks are better.
In many ways the three songs make a perfect EP. 'Ask Her For Adderall' is like 'Stay Positive' or 'Constructive Summer' but with better lyrics (i.e, no mentions here of "being down with it" or "we couldn't have done it if it wasn't for you"), Holly, Gideon and Charlemagne are all mentioned and it is a neat, catchy rock song that could have graced 'Separation Sunday' or 'Boys and Girls in America'. 'Cheyanne Sunrise' is a stunning bar-room ballad about the perils of getting older ("some things get much harder...some other things stay soft") done with style and humour. Finally 'Two Handed Handshake' is a joyful, pop-rock song with Finn dishing out some advice to 'the kids'. It is all done with a lighter touch than most songs on 'Stay Positive' and is far more enjoyable and less overbearing for it. Why they left these three songs off the album is anyone's guess.
The 'Stay Positive' cd comes with 3 bonus tracks ('Ask Her For Adderall', 'Cheyanne Sunrise' and 'Two Handed Handshake'), whilst the vinyl only has '...Adderall'. This is clearly the wrong way round. The 3 tracks on the cd are actually merged into one eleven minute 'track', either to deter people from sharing the files or to make clear the separation between the album and the bonus tracks. Fair enough...the bonus tracks are better.
In many ways the three songs make a perfect EP. 'Ask Her For Adderall' is like 'Stay Positive' or 'Constructive Summer' but with better lyrics (i.e, no mentions here of "being down with it" or "we couldn't have done it if it wasn't for you"), Holly, Gideon and Charlemagne are all mentioned and it is a neat, catchy rock song that could have graced 'Separation Sunday' or 'Boys and Girls in America'. 'Cheyanne Sunrise' is a stunning bar-room ballad about the perils of getting older ("some things get much harder...some other things stay soft") done with style and humour. Finally 'Two Handed Handshake' is a joyful, pop-rock song with Finn dishing out some advice to 'the kids'. It is all done with a lighter touch than most songs on 'Stay Positive' and is far more enjoyable and less overbearing for it. Why they left these three songs off the album is anyone's guess.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
The Hold Steady 'Stay Positive'
The Hold Steady were the toast of TracksandGigs last year, with 'gig of the year' and second best album of the year, in what was, admittedly, nowhere near as good as a year for new records as 2008. The last three Hold Steady albums contained stories largely based on the characters of Gideon, Charlemagne and Holly with scenes and memories from Finn's past thown in as well. It was the literacy as much as the big anthems that made them three great albums. In the last year though, the Hold Steady have become big news and expectation for this album was high, from fans and from a record company who must be expecting a big seller and some radio-friendly singles. In response, they seem to have aimed for something between the conceptual storytelling of 'Separation Sunday' and the feel-good anthems of 'Boys and Girls In America'. The results are hit...and miss.
'Constructive Summer', which starts proceedings, is a big celebratory rocker declaring an agenda for the summer and "(raising) a toast to St Joe Strummer". It alludes to the band's success and to the fact that they are getting older while at the same time identifying with kids who "work at the mill until you die". Aiming to give people something to believe in and enjoy through their music are worthy sentiments and this is a nice opener, which will work well in a similar slot at this Summer's gigs, the sound is rather stodgy though.
From here on, 'Stay Positive' focuses largely on a story involving murder, drugs, drink, religion and death - all the usual Hold Steady themes. The story is told through the voices of several of the protagonists- possibly Holly, Gideon and Charlemagne, they are never named so this is left to the listener's imagination. 'One For The Cutters' , making imaginative use of the harpsichord, is a dense murder ballad based around the story of a girl who goes to college and ends up partying with townies and discovering the differences between them and the college crowd. Great lyrics from Finn here and one of the best and most challenging songs THS have written. Likewise for 'Lord I'm Discouraged' a couple of songs later. The star of this song is surely Holly, who has got herself into yet another bad situation with visitors from the "north side" whose visits "only take five or six minutes". This is a superb, crushing, epic ballad with a guitar solo to die for from Tad Kubler.
Skip forward a few tracks and you have 'Both Crosses', a ballad in the Led Zepellin tradition and a dark tale with religious imagery and yet another murder. Another adventurous, imaginative track. Around all this are some fairly straight-forward rock tracks with a recurring theme revolving around being an ageing rock star. The title track is the worst of these. With lyrics half cobbled together from previous albums and half faintly embarrassing ("we couldn't have done this without you") and a "woah-oh" chorus that is pure Bon Jovi, it all sounds like a contrived, rushed attempt at an anthem. 'Slapped Actress', which is an otherwise interesting song referencing John Cassavettes and looking at the relationship between movies and music, ends with another "woah-oh" singalong part that is so obviously intended to be sung by the audience at a gig. These are examples of the band being influenced by the reaction to their last album and these moments don't sit comfortably with the rest of the record. Far better is 'Joke About Jamaica', a pop-rock number with at least three hooks, a great talkbox solo and bittersweet lyrics that sound like they were written the morning after a 'massive night'.
The CD comes with three bonus tracks and the vinyl with one. This seems the wrong way round to me, but.....'Ask Her For Adderall' is 'Constructive Summer' with better lyrics, 'Cheyenne Sunrise' is excellent, a piano-led bar-room ballad with good singing from Finn and 'Two Handed Handshake' is ok, a catchy enough pop-rock number.
So much of this record is good, challenging material, it is a real pity that it is let down by a couple of songs that seem to have been written with gigs and/or fans in mind...and a line like "most kids give me credit for being down with it", should never have been recorded. There is also a problem with production and mastering, the record is very loud and 'in your face' and subtlety is lost at times. For all the criticisms that I have, there are some great songs on this record and it will keep the momentum going. In fact, judging by pretty much every other review of this record, 'Stay Positive' may take The Hold Steady to previously unchartered commercial territory. Looking forward to the next album already....
8.0
'Constructive Summer', which starts proceedings, is a big celebratory rocker declaring an agenda for the summer and "(raising) a toast to St Joe Strummer". It alludes to the band's success and to the fact that they are getting older while at the same time identifying with kids who "work at the mill until you die". Aiming to give people something to believe in and enjoy through their music are worthy sentiments and this is a nice opener, which will work well in a similar slot at this Summer's gigs, the sound is rather stodgy though.
From here on, 'Stay Positive' focuses largely on a story involving murder, drugs, drink, religion and death - all the usual Hold Steady themes. The story is told through the voices of several of the protagonists- possibly Holly, Gideon and Charlemagne, they are never named so this is left to the listener's imagination. 'One For The Cutters' , making imaginative use of the harpsichord, is a dense murder ballad based around the story of a girl who goes to college and ends up partying with townies and discovering the differences between them and the college crowd. Great lyrics from Finn here and one of the best and most challenging songs THS have written. Likewise for 'Lord I'm Discouraged' a couple of songs later. The star of this song is surely Holly, who has got herself into yet another bad situation with visitors from the "north side" whose visits "only take five or six minutes". This is a superb, crushing, epic ballad with a guitar solo to die for from Tad Kubler.
Skip forward a few tracks and you have 'Both Crosses', a ballad in the Led Zepellin tradition and a dark tale with religious imagery and yet another murder. Another adventurous, imaginative track. Around all this are some fairly straight-forward rock tracks with a recurring theme revolving around being an ageing rock star. The title track is the worst of these. With lyrics half cobbled together from previous albums and half faintly embarrassing ("we couldn't have done this without you") and a "woah-oh" chorus that is pure Bon Jovi, it all sounds like a contrived, rushed attempt at an anthem. 'Slapped Actress', which is an otherwise interesting song referencing John Cassavettes and looking at the relationship between movies and music, ends with another "woah-oh" singalong part that is so obviously intended to be sung by the audience at a gig. These are examples of the band being influenced by the reaction to their last album and these moments don't sit comfortably with the rest of the record. Far better is 'Joke About Jamaica', a pop-rock number with at least three hooks, a great talkbox solo and bittersweet lyrics that sound like they were written the morning after a 'massive night'.
The CD comes with three bonus tracks and the vinyl with one. This seems the wrong way round to me, but.....'Ask Her For Adderall' is 'Constructive Summer' with better lyrics, 'Cheyenne Sunrise' is excellent, a piano-led bar-room ballad with good singing from Finn and 'Two Handed Handshake' is ok, a catchy enough pop-rock number.
So much of this record is good, challenging material, it is a real pity that it is let down by a couple of songs that seem to have been written with gigs and/or fans in mind...and a line like "most kids give me credit for being down with it", should never have been recorded. There is also a problem with production and mastering, the record is very loud and 'in your face' and subtlety is lost at times. For all the criticisms that I have, there are some great songs on this record and it will keep the momentum going. In fact, judging by pretty much every other review of this record, 'Stay Positive' may take The Hold Steady to previously unchartered commercial territory. Looking forward to the next album already....
8.0
Sunday, 15 June 2008
The Hold Steady 'Stay Positive' - early thoughts
I don't normally do this, I usually just keep listening to an album until I'm ready to review it 'properly' but there is a new Hold Steady album and things have to be said!
It may be surprising, given the amount TracksandGigs wrote about THS last year, that there has been nothing on here about 'Stay Positive' until now, since it leaked a fortnight ago. Well, this may be an unfashionable view, but I don't agree with leaks- I don't download them and there are no leaks on this blog. While others have been listening to poor quality pirated copies of the album, I have waited, and today was rewarded as 'Stay Positive' was released on itunes.
Must have listened about 6-7 times so far, but don't yet feel able to write a proper review. More listening and more sinking in required. I am prepared to say though, that it contains two of my all-time favourite Hold Steady songs... 'Lord I'm Discouraged' and 'One For The Cutters', both of which are pretty radical departures from what has gone before.
Full review coming up later this week, but in the meantime, would be interested to hear what other people think. Listening to 'Joke About Jamaica' now are that one is really starting to click.
It may be surprising, given the amount TracksandGigs wrote about THS last year, that there has been nothing on here about 'Stay Positive' until now, since it leaked a fortnight ago. Well, this may be an unfashionable view, but I don't agree with leaks- I don't download them and there are no leaks on this blog. While others have been listening to poor quality pirated copies of the album, I have waited, and today was rewarded as 'Stay Positive' was released on itunes.
Must have listened about 6-7 times so far, but don't yet feel able to write a proper review. More listening and more sinking in required. I am prepared to say though, that it contains two of my all-time favourite Hold Steady songs... 'Lord I'm Discouraged' and 'One For The Cutters', both of which are pretty radical departures from what has gone before.
Full review coming up later this week, but in the meantime, would be interested to hear what other people think. Listening to 'Joke About Jamaica' now are that one is really starting to click.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
The Hold Steady 'Sequestered In Memphis'
Tuesday mornings.
They have one redeeming feature and that is that they are not Monday mornings. On a Tuesday morning I still have four shitty commutes, four days at work and four swims (although that is a good thing) until the weekend.
But! This Tuesday morning is different because it is not every week that the NEW Hold Steady single is released. Yes, The Hold Steady are back! Not that they were away for very long. They have confirmed their status as the hardest working band around by touring pretty much non-stop through 2007 and still finding time to record a new album. 'Stay Positive' is released in July and the first single 'Sequestered In Memphis' is available now on itunes USA and to listen to on the band's MySpace.
Despite rumours that the new album features some experimental musical excursions, the first single anyway is what you would expect....loud guitars, great lyrics, superb keyboard work from Mr Franz Nicolay and a chorus to die for...
"In the barlight
She looked alright
In the daylight
She looked desperate"
You'll be singing it all day. Its a great single. What a band.
Tuesday mornings eh?
They have one redeeming feature and that is that they are not Monday mornings. On a Tuesday morning I still have four shitty commutes, four days at work and four swims (although that is a good thing) until the weekend.
But! This Tuesday morning is different because it is not every week that the NEW Hold Steady single is released. Yes, The Hold Steady are back! Not that they were away for very long. They have confirmed their status as the hardest working band around by touring pretty much non-stop through 2007 and still finding time to record a new album. 'Stay Positive' is released in July and the first single 'Sequestered In Memphis' is available now on itunes USA and to listen to on the band's MySpace.
Despite rumours that the new album features some experimental musical excursions, the first single anyway is what you would expect....loud guitars, great lyrics, superb keyboard work from Mr Franz Nicolay and a chorus to die for...
"In the barlight
She looked alright
In the daylight
She looked desperate"
You'll be singing it all day. Its a great single. What a band.
Tuesday mornings eh?
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
The Hold Steady 'Boys and Girls in America' (special edition)
The first time I listened to 'Boys and Girls in America' I had bought it on the back of a good review and played it once, decided it was "ok but a bit too Americana" and put it on the pile of cds to sell on ebay. Ten months later, my house has three copies of the album, two copies each of 'Separation Sunday' and 'Almost Killed Me' and two t shirts purchased at what I consider to be my favourite gig of all time. How did all this happen?
I have The Guardian's Laura Barton to thank. Reading her 'Hail Hail Rock n Roll' column one Friday, I liked a verse she quoted from a Hold Steady song and decided to revisit the album. I put it on that evening while we were doing the washing up and the rest is you know what.
If you let The Hold Steady into your life, you have to be aware there is a good chance you will fall for them in a big way. This has happened to me. I started to get to know the songs on BaGiA. The anthems made the biggest impression to start with. 'Chips Ahoy' is a fun song about a girl who can predict which horse is going to finish first, it has a great chorus and you will find yourself singing it walking round the house. 'Chillout Tent' is 'Summer Nights' re-written for the 21st Century and 'Party Pit' with it's "Gonna walk around and drink some more" hook may as well have been named 'The Ballad of the Hold Steady'. This is a record you can get to know really quickly.
Its the third Hold Steady album and singer Craig Finn wrote the words so that all the songs would fit under the banner of the Kerouac quote "Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together". His literate storytelling sits on top of some anthems and big ballads in the style of the E Street Band or The Replacements. This is good, old fashioned celebratory rock and there is nothing wrong with that. Finn makes it special. He is a ball of nervous energy, repeating lines from other songs and giving his all to the record, its a wonderful vocal performance.
There are so many highlights, possibly the two standout tracks are 'Stuck Between Stations' a tribute to John Berryman and 'First Night' where Holly, Charlemagne and Gideon (characters from the previous two Hold Steady records) suffer the comedown of the morning after the night before, Franz Nicolay's keyboard sound making this song particularly magical.
I enjoy listening to this record so much, in many ways it is pure escapism. I sing along with every song and there are numerous verses and lines that make me smile every single time. You have to be aware that The Hold Steady will do this to you, you'll start quoting lyrics at people, playing songs to people who have already said they're not keen, you will start to simply refuse to believe that not everyone believes they are the greatest band in the World.
So, if you don't own this album yet, I can't recommend it any more highly. Just be prepared for the possibility that you probably won't want to listen to any other music for the next few months. Then you'll buy the first two albums and find they are equally as good.
If you already own this album, do you need to buy the special edition? My advice is that if you're a Hold Steady fan, you need to get this. The bonus disc is a live acoustic cd and features two previously unavailable songs 'Modesto's Not That Sweet' and 'You've Gotta Dance...', but it also features some stellar recordings of Hold Steady classics. 'First Night' sounds great here and 'Cattle and The Creeping Things' is thrilling.
The only thing left to wonder is where The Hold Steady go from here. The news that they have demoed enough tracks for a new album and are already playing some of these songs live is very welcome indeed. For now we should raise a glass to the album of the year.
9.8
I have The Guardian's Laura Barton to thank. Reading her 'Hail Hail Rock n Roll' column one Friday, I liked a verse she quoted from a Hold Steady song and decided to revisit the album. I put it on that evening while we were doing the washing up and the rest is you know what.
If you let The Hold Steady into your life, you have to be aware there is a good chance you will fall for them in a big way. This has happened to me. I started to get to know the songs on BaGiA. The anthems made the biggest impression to start with. 'Chips Ahoy' is a fun song about a girl who can predict which horse is going to finish first, it has a great chorus and you will find yourself singing it walking round the house. 'Chillout Tent' is 'Summer Nights' re-written for the 21st Century and 'Party Pit' with it's "Gonna walk around and drink some more" hook may as well have been named 'The Ballad of the Hold Steady'. This is a record you can get to know really quickly.
Its the third Hold Steady album and singer Craig Finn wrote the words so that all the songs would fit under the banner of the Kerouac quote "Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together". His literate storytelling sits on top of some anthems and big ballads in the style of the E Street Band or The Replacements. This is good, old fashioned celebratory rock and there is nothing wrong with that. Finn makes it special. He is a ball of nervous energy, repeating lines from other songs and giving his all to the record, its a wonderful vocal performance.
There are so many highlights, possibly the two standout tracks are 'Stuck Between Stations' a tribute to John Berryman and 'First Night' where Holly, Charlemagne and Gideon (characters from the previous two Hold Steady records) suffer the comedown of the morning after the night before, Franz Nicolay's keyboard sound making this song particularly magical.
I enjoy listening to this record so much, in many ways it is pure escapism. I sing along with every song and there are numerous verses and lines that make me smile every single time. You have to be aware that The Hold Steady will do this to you, you'll start quoting lyrics at people, playing songs to people who have already said they're not keen, you will start to simply refuse to believe that not everyone believes they are the greatest band in the World.
So, if you don't own this album yet, I can't recommend it any more highly. Just be prepared for the possibility that you probably won't want to listen to any other music for the next few months. Then you'll buy the first two albums and find they are equally as good.
If you already own this album, do you need to buy the special edition? My advice is that if you're a Hold Steady fan, you need to get this. The bonus disc is a live acoustic cd and features two previously unavailable songs 'Modesto's Not That Sweet' and 'You've Gotta Dance...', but it also features some stellar recordings of Hold Steady classics. 'First Night' sounds great here and 'Cattle and The Creeping Things' is thrilling.
The only thing left to wonder is where The Hold Steady go from here. The news that they have demoed enough tracks for a new album and are already playing some of these songs live is very welcome indeed. For now we should raise a glass to the album of the year.
9.8
Friday, 2 November 2007
a tale of two Dylan covers
I finally invested in 'I'm Not There', the Dylan covers album. Was a bit sceptical because I have yet to hear anyone do a better version of a Dylan song that Dylan himself. However 'I'm Not There' contains tracks from such a dazzling array of artists that it has to be checked out.
Unsurprisingly, after a couple of listens, it appears to be a mixed bag. Rather than attempt to comment on all of the renditions, I thought I would highlight a couple of efforts that show how wildly inconsistent covers albums like this can be.
The Hold Steady's version of 'Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window' is wonderful. Choosing a relatively unknown song from the 'Highway 61 Revisited' era, the song starts quietly with just Craig and Franz Nicolay's keyboards in evidence before turning into a full band stomp with some wonderful guitar and those great cymbal sounds that I love from 'Chips Ahoy'. Just when you think things can't get any better, Craig shows that his habit of taking lines from songs and placing them in other songs isn't just confined to Hold Steady songs, as the coda features a line from 'Positively 4th Street', "You've got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend". It fits perfectly and the song is evidence of a band at the very top of their game, full of confidence.
On the same record Sufjan Stevens takes on 'Ring Them Bells', one of my favourite Dylan songs. It is on 1989's 'Oh Mercy' album and, along with 'Man In The Long Black Coat' which Mark Lanegan does a great version of here, was a sign of Dylan rediscovering his muse. A beautiful, dark, haunting ballad. Here it is an ugly, lazy mess. Starting off quiet with Sufjan singing the words with very little feeling, the last three minutes of the song sound like the soundtrack to a children's party. Musically it sounds like an out-take from the 'Illinois' out-takes album, vocally it sounds like Sufjan is totally disinterested. The whole thing completely loses the feeling and meaning behind the original song and ends up sounded like an unedited jam. Appalling.
I think the difference between these two covers is that one is from the heart and one is from the brain and we all know that music from the heart wins every single time.
Unsurprisingly, after a couple of listens, it appears to be a mixed bag. Rather than attempt to comment on all of the renditions, I thought I would highlight a couple of efforts that show how wildly inconsistent covers albums like this can be.
The Hold Steady's version of 'Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window' is wonderful. Choosing a relatively unknown song from the 'Highway 61 Revisited' era, the song starts quietly with just Craig and Franz Nicolay's keyboards in evidence before turning into a full band stomp with some wonderful guitar and those great cymbal sounds that I love from 'Chips Ahoy'. Just when you think things can't get any better, Craig shows that his habit of taking lines from songs and placing them in other songs isn't just confined to Hold Steady songs, as the coda features a line from 'Positively 4th Street', "You've got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend". It fits perfectly and the song is evidence of a band at the very top of their game, full of confidence.
On the same record Sufjan Stevens takes on 'Ring Them Bells', one of my favourite Dylan songs. It is on 1989's 'Oh Mercy' album and, along with 'Man In The Long Black Coat' which Mark Lanegan does a great version of here, was a sign of Dylan rediscovering his muse. A beautiful, dark, haunting ballad. Here it is an ugly, lazy mess. Starting off quiet with Sufjan singing the words with very little feeling, the last three minutes of the song sound like the soundtrack to a children's party. Musically it sounds like an out-take from the 'Illinois' out-takes album, vocally it sounds like Sufjan is totally disinterested. The whole thing completely loses the feeling and meaning behind the original song and ends up sounded like an unedited jam. Appalling.
I think the difference between these two covers is that one is from the heart and one is from the brain and we all know that music from the heart wins every single time.
Friday, 19 October 2007
Laura Barton, who I think I have yet to disagree with, writes in today's Guardian about how note perfect warbling of the type we hear on X Factor and Mariah and Whitney records rarely actually conveys any emotion at all despite the vocal histrionics. It is all about false emotion and this is what makes X Factor an essentially pointless exercise.
Emotion in music rarely goes hand in hand with note perfect singing. This got me thinking about some of the vocal performances that always stick in my mind but wouldn't get the singer past the audition stage in the X Factor:
If you have never heard Mark Eitzel's 'Songs of Love' album, you are missing something truly special. A recording of a gig at London's Borderline in 1991, when Mark sang some songs accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, the album is pure emotion from start to finish. Listen to him singing 'Western Sky' close to tears and at one point having to stop himself mid-song to compose himself
"Please be happy baby
and please don't cry
Even though the parade has passed us by
you can still see it shining
shining in a Western sky"
Its an incredible performance.
I also love the way Craig Finn sings 'Cattle and the Creeping things', particularly this verse
"she's got a cross around her neck that she ripped off from a schoolgirl in the subway on a visit to the city
she likes how it looks on her chest with three open buttons
she likes the part where one brother kills the other
she has to wonder if the the world ever will recover
because cain and abel seem to still be causing trouble."
I don't know why I love the way he sings this song so much. He sings it the same way he sings all the Hold Steady songs, as kind of a shouty war correspondent reporting from the front line. Its just when I hear him sing that verse, I always want to hear it again straight away.
I also love hearing 'What a Life' by Juliana Hatfield because I really like the way she coughs right at the start of the song.
Anyway, I think Laura is right. There are lots of funny and strange reasons why you might like certain vocals or even just the way someone sings a certain syllable. But they very rarely have anything to do with hearing a pitch perfect singing note. Unless you are Simon Cowell.
Emotion in music rarely goes hand in hand with note perfect singing. This got me thinking about some of the vocal performances that always stick in my mind but wouldn't get the singer past the audition stage in the X Factor:
If you have never heard Mark Eitzel's 'Songs of Love' album, you are missing something truly special. A recording of a gig at London's Borderline in 1991, when Mark sang some songs accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, the album is pure emotion from start to finish. Listen to him singing 'Western Sky' close to tears and at one point having to stop himself mid-song to compose himself
"Please be happy baby
and please don't cry
Even though the parade has passed us by
you can still see it shining
shining in a Western sky"
Its an incredible performance.
I also love the way Craig Finn sings 'Cattle and the Creeping things', particularly this verse
"she's got a cross around her neck that she ripped off from a schoolgirl in the subway on a visit to the city
she likes how it looks on her chest with three open buttons
she likes the part where one brother kills the other
she has to wonder if the the world ever will recover
because cain and abel seem to still be causing trouble."
I don't know why I love the way he sings this song so much. He sings it the same way he sings all the Hold Steady songs, as kind of a shouty war correspondent reporting from the front line. Its just when I hear him sing that verse, I always want to hear it again straight away.
I also love hearing 'What a Life' by Juliana Hatfield because I really like the way she coughs right at the start of the song.
Anyway, I think Laura is right. There are lots of funny and strange reasons why you might like certain vocals or even just the way someone sings a certain syllable. But they very rarely have anything to do with hearing a pitch perfect singing note. Unless you are Simon Cowell.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
"its funny how you remember the summers by the records"
So said Kevin Rowland on 'Reminisce Part 2' and of course he was right.
This Summer (the Summer that never begun) will forever be the Summer when I fell in love with the music of the Hold Steady. 'Boys and Girls in America' will always be the album of this Summer and 2nd July 2007 will forever be remembered for the best gig I have seen so far.
I used to go to lots of gigs but things have changed a bit. I suffer from anxiety and one of the results of this is I worry about sleep. Going to gigs became something that was really difficult to do and I've only been to a few in the last couple of years. Everything was organised perfectly for the Hold Steady gig though- a couple of days off work, we booked a hotel in London quite near to the venue, nothing could go wrong.
And incredibly it didn't.
I had an idea of how amazing it might be to see the band live and I thought I could only be disappointed, it could never quite reach the highs I was imagining. But it was even better. Craig Finn was an unbelievable frontman that night, so full of energy. The songs all sounded great, I sang along as much as I could whilst trying not to draw attention to myself. I got 2 great t shirts. We had a wonderful time and I'll never forget that gig.
Thank you to The Hold Steady. You can't possibly know how much that gig meant to me.
Now I need to have the confidence to have more nights like that.
This Summer (the Summer that never begun) will forever be the Summer when I fell in love with the music of the Hold Steady. 'Boys and Girls in America' will always be the album of this Summer and 2nd July 2007 will forever be remembered for the best gig I have seen so far.
I used to go to lots of gigs but things have changed a bit. I suffer from anxiety and one of the results of this is I worry about sleep. Going to gigs became something that was really difficult to do and I've only been to a few in the last couple of years. Everything was organised perfectly for the Hold Steady gig though- a couple of days off work, we booked a hotel in London quite near to the venue, nothing could go wrong.
And incredibly it didn't.
I had an idea of how amazing it might be to see the band live and I thought I could only be disappointed, it could never quite reach the highs I was imagining. But it was even better. Craig Finn was an unbelievable frontman that night, so full of energy. The songs all sounded great, I sang along as much as I could whilst trying not to draw attention to myself. I got 2 great t shirts. We had a wonderful time and I'll never forget that gig.
Thank you to The Hold Steady. You can't possibly know how much that gig meant to me.
Now I need to have the confidence to have more nights like that.
Thursday, 12 July 2007
The Hold Steady
here is a review I wrote of The Hold Steady at Shepherds Bush Empire. This was published in the reader reviews section of The Independent newspaper.
The Hold Steady at Shepherds Bush Empire – 2nd July 2007
The Hold Steady’s frontman Craig Finn declared from the stage that this was the biggest headlining gig they had ever played but they will certainly have the opportunity to top the billing at larger venues still if they continue to put on shows like this.
The Hold Steady’s third album ‘Boys and Girls in America’ is causing quite a stir on both sides of the Atlantic with its heady mix of literate storytelling and Replacements and E-Street band style anthems and the audience at Shepherds Bush Empire seemed ready for an evening of celebration. Finn set the mood when he arrived on stage and declared “we are the Hold Steady and we are going to have some fun tonight” with a wide grin across his face already.
The anthems arrived immediately. Opener ‘Stuck Between Stations’ sounds like Born to Run era Springsteen, a huge windswept anthem with some humorous lyrics (“she was a really good kisser / and she wasn’t all that strict of a Christian”). It set the tone for the evening and when new single and massive sing-along anthem ‘Chips Ahoy!’ arrived just a few songs later the atmosphere in the Empire was incredible. Finn is a ball of nervous energy, when he isn’t singing he is mouthing the words he has just sung or holding his hands out towards the audience. He is a supremely engaging and energetic front man and it is impossible not to be swept along by his obvious pleasure and excitement at being able to sing these songs to so many people.
The Hold Steady are also extremely accomplished musicians though. Guitarist Tad Kubler put in an extraordinary performance, showing himself to be a highly versatile lead-guitarist and keyboardist Franz Nicolay was as enthusiastic and entertaining as his front man..
It is a testimony to the quality of the band’s music that only three albums into their career they can produce a completely consistent 90 minute set and still leave the audience wanting more. Repeated song requests from the audience were met with a deadpan “yes those are all songs that we wrote” from Finn. They played the whole of ‘Boys and Girls in
After closing the main set with ‘Southtown Girls’ and the incredible ‘How A Resurrection Really Feels’, the encore started gently with a mellow, acoustic ‘Citrus’ before one of the moments of the night as epic ballad ‘First Night’ filled the room. It would have been an ideal closer but after a lengthy ‘thank you’ speech from Finn they finished on a high with ‘Killer Parties’. Finn circled the stage, seemingly wanted to thank each member of the audience individually. He seemed to want the concert to go on forever and the huge ovation he received showed that all those in attendance felt exactly the same way.
5 stars.
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