The Hold Steady

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jdwolf
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The Hold Steady

Post by jdwolf »

Seems to be a lot of fans here...they're on Letterman tonight
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uncle rickey
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Re: The Hold Steady

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beantownbubba
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by beantownbubba »

New album will be $8.99 at Newbury Comics starting tomw, for those in the area. Also, the new New Pornographers can be had for a mere $6.99.
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Iowan
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Iowan »

I was pretty underwhelmed while it was streaming, but now having a proper copy makes all the difference in the world.

Where Stay Positive's stabs at branching out just came off as weird for weird's sake (the harpischord in One For the Cutters anyone?), they seem to be branching out in a lot more natural way with Heaven is Whenever. Really liking it so far.

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Jack Flash
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Jack Flash »

It's grown on me a lot. I'd say it's still probably their weakest album but it's much better than I thought it was at first and I hope it's merely a transitional sound to something new and exciting. I really love The Smidge, for some reason.

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sactochris
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by sactochris »

The Smidge sounds like Husker Du to me. Not that that's bad or anything.
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Iowan
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Iowan »

sactochris wrote:The Smidge sounds like Husker Du to me. Not that that's bad or anything.


I think it sounds like a slightly slicker cousin to The Swish.

uncle rickey
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by uncle rickey »

Hold Steady's on the Colbert Report tonight...

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cortez the killer
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by cortez the killer »

I'm liking HIW more than I thought I would based on the songs that hit the 'net before the album came out. They seem to be a band in transition. "The Weekenders" is fucking brilliant. Unfortunately, it appears as if they are built around a theme. That theme is getting old. Not sure where they go from here. That said, I LOVE Boys & Girls in America and Almost Killed Me.
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uncle rickey
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by uncle rickey »

cortez the killer wrote:They seem to be a band in transition.

Agreed. Some of the songs feel like they'd fit right in on older albums ("Soft in the Center," "The Smidge" and "Rock Problems" for example) where others ("Sweet Part of the City," "The Weekenders" and "We Can Get Together" to name my faves) really show the sonic diversity they'd hinted at in the press run up to the album release. I'm liking the album, not loving it like I've loved THS's others.

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cortez the killer
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by cortez the killer »

uncle rickey wrote:"Sweet Part of the City," "The Weekenders"

With you on these Rickey.
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Tequila Cowboy
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

uncle rickey wrote:
cortez the killer wrote:They seem to be a band in transition.

Agreed. Some of the songs feel like they'd fit right in on older albums ("Soft in the Center," "The Smidge" and "Rock Problems" for example) where others ("Sweet Part of the City," "The Weekenders" and "We Can Get Together" to name my faves) really show the sonic diversity they'd hinted at in the press run up to the album release. I'm liking the album, not loving it like I've loved THS's others.


I'm right there. Like it, don't love it. Although I love the songs on Stay Positive, the production always struck me as too slick, this one seems to go just as far to the other direction. A reaction to that maybe? From a production standpoint it seems flat.
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cortez the killer
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by cortez the killer »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:
uncle rickey wrote:
cortez the killer wrote:They seem to be a band in transition.

Agreed. Some of the songs feel like they'd fit right in on older albums ("Soft in the Center," "The Smidge" and "Rock Problems" for example) where others ("Sweet Part of the City," "The Weekenders" and "We Can Get Together" to name my faves) really show the sonic diversity they'd hinted at in the press run up to the album release. I'm liking the album, not loving it like I've loved THS's others.


I'm right there. Like it, don't love it. Although I love the songs on Stay Positive, the production always struck me as too slick, this one seems to go just as far to the other direction. A reaction to that maybe? From a production standpoint it seems flat.

Production has always been an issue with these guys for me. I've been able to get past it with the first three albums, but the last two have exposed this issue.
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SeanP

Re: The Hold Steady

Post by SeanP »

listen to the new album for the first time today....

only cared for the first song
sweet part of the city (alsum song)
the rest of the album just like all the others.
dont get it! :)

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Cubfan06
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Cubfan06 »

SeanP wrote:listen to the new album for the first time today....

only cared for the first song
sweet part of the city (alsum song)
the rest of the album just like all the others.
dont get it! :)


I'm completely with you. I love Sweet Part of the City as well. The rest of seems like a blatent throwback to some elements of 70's and 80's pop-rock and I just don't think that it works with Craig Finn leading. It's not bad, but so far its a bit dissapointing.

SeanP

Re: The Hold Steady

Post by SeanP »

Cubfan06 wrote:I'm completely with you. I love Sweet Part of the City as well. The rest of seems like a blatent throwback to some elements of 70's and 80's pop-rock and I just don't think that it works with Craig Finn leading. It's not bad, but so far its a bit dissapointing.


by dont get it...
i mean i dont get the whole band :lol: :lol: !
and the whole greatest bar band in america shit!!!

but sweet part of the city is an amazing song...

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Maluca3
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Maluca3 »

SeanP wrote:
by dont get it...
i mean i dont get the whole band :lol: :lol: !
and the whole greatest bar band in america shit!!!

but sweet part of the city is an amazing song...


It took me a long time to get THS but am now completely hooked. They are one of very few bands I would take a ten hour road trip for, in a heartbeat. It has a lot to do with the live show, same as with DBT.
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Cubfan06
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Cubfan06 »

Maluca3 wrote:
SeanP wrote:
by dont get it...
i mean i dont get the whole band :lol: :lol: !
and the whole greatest bar band in america shit!!!

but sweet part of the city is an amazing song...


It took me a long time to get THS but am now completely hooked. They are one of very few bands I would take a ten hour road trip for, in a heartbeat. It has a lot to do with the live show, same as with DBT.


I'll go see them when they're in Chicago or Milwaukee. Almost Killed Me, Seperation Sunday, and Boys and Girls were masterful albums. Stay Positive was a strong album. Unfortunately, this new album lacks the heart and beer-spilling, smoke stained gritiness that were in all of the previous albums. I dislike the overall vocal production and lacks substance lyrically. I think they in some form tried to hit a homerun with this album while straying away from the root of their sound. I'm all for change if it works. I even enjoy Trans. But this album I'm afraid is their weakest and one of the most disappointing albums that I've picked up so far this year. Maybe its because they set the bar so high. I dunno....just don't know if I'll even give it time to grown into appreciating it. Sucks. Makes me wonder what happened to Franz leaving the band. I tell you one thing, that lineup change certainly didn't benefit them on this one.

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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Iowan »

I definitely like it more than Stay Positive. It doesn't blow it's load in the first two songs, only to drag in the middle, but recover towards the back side. I don't really skip any tracks on the album right now. Stay Positive has some incredible songs, but I always skip One For the Cutters and Navy Sheets. We Can Get Together is the only one I'm ever tempted to skip, and I'm always glad I didn't in the end. Not as good as BAGIA, but hey, few albums are.

Personally, I rank THS albums as...
1) Boys and Girls in America
2) Almost Killed Me
3) Separation Sunday
4) Heaven Is Whenever
5) Stay Positive.

I love all of them, too.

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Maluca3
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Maluca3 »

Last month I saw THS two nights in a row at two VERY different venues. The first night I was feeling a little "meh" about the new material. On the second night, in a shitty gritty bar, the new material sounded like the old THS. It's a change, yes, but they still bring the vibe.
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uncle rickey
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by uncle rickey »

I missed this yesterday:

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cortez the killer
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by cortez the killer »

"Heaven Is Whenever" is fucking terrible. Wow!
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Iowan
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Iowan »

cortez the killer wrote:"Heaven Is Whenever" is fucking terrible. Wow!


That was my thought at first.

It's really, really grown on me.
Last edited by Iowan on Mon May 24, 2010 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Jack Flash
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Jack Flash »

I think A Slight Discomfort might be my new favorite Hold Steady song.

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cortez the killer
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by cortez the killer »

Iowan wrote:
cortez the killer wrote:"Heaven Is Whenever" is fucking terrible. Wow!


That was my thought at first.

It's really, really grown on me.

The song, not the album.
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Jeremy
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Jeremy »

Iowan wrote:I definitely like it more than Stay Positive. It doesn't blow it's load in the first two songs, only to drag in the middle, but recover towards the back side. I don't really skip any tracks on the album right now. Stay Positive has some incredible songs, but I always skip One For the Cutters and Navy Sheets. We Can Get Together is the only one I'm ever tempted to skip, and I'm always glad I didn't in the end. Not as good as BAGIA, but hey, few albums are.

Personally, I rank THS albums as...
1) Boys and Girls in America
2) Almost Killed Me
3) Separation Sunday
4) Heaven Is Whenever
5) Stay Positive.

I love all of them, too.


I love that song man. Reminds me of this chick I knew.
Id rank them like this
AKM
SS
SP
BGIA
HW( but it is growing on me, but kind of like DBT's ABAAC, just not in the same league as the previous releases).

I may like LFTR PLLR better than THS now, been listening to them a lot lately.

SeanP

Re: The Hold Steady

Post by SeanP »

cortez the killer wrote:"Heaven Is Whenever" is fucking terrible. Wow!



well i think the whole band is terrible! ;) :lol: :lol: :lol:
i jus cant believe i agree with cortez on sumthin!
thou i do stick to my liking sweet part of the city and thinking that it a killer song but after that what the hell!!!

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cortez the killer
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by cortez the killer »

SeanP wrote: i jus cant believe i agree with cortez on sumthin!

Baby steps. Next on the agenda... cleaning up that bastardized redneck pig latin. ;)
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bovine knievel
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by bovine knievel »

cortez the killer wrote:The song, not the album.


Unless, I missed something, I think the song is titled We Can Get Together.
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Iowan
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Re: The Hold Steady

Post by Iowan »

cortez the killer wrote:
Iowan wrote:
cortez the killer wrote:"Heaven Is Whenever" is fucking terrible. Wow!


That was my thought at first.

It's really, really grown on me.

The song, not the album.


Ah. The song is "We Can Get Together". And it's without doubt the weakest track on the album.

I hated Rock and Roll Problems when it was streaming, but now that I actually have a good copy of the album, and can crank the ever living hell out of it, I love it.

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