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Writer and editor Home > Blogs > Brain Droppings > Archives > 2008 > August > 25 > Entry
New CD from The Hold Steady
Ahoy, kids! The disc du jour:
rock
The Hold Steady
STAY POSITIVE
The kids who are listening to the Hold Steady are probably too young to remember that back in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, a spate of Springsteen-influenced groups spun off from his sudden popularization of the Jersey sound: bar-band energy, retro-rock hooks, long-form lyrical storytelling, gruff vocals and lots of keyboard marked everybody from Bon Jovi to Southside Johnny and the Jukes. Oh yeah, and at least one mention per album of a making out under a boardwalk.
The Hold Steady, from Brooklyn, are working the very same turf long after even Bruce himself has moved onto different sorts of stuff, and they’re doing it without even a trace of the irony one expects from guys this young who play it straight-faced with classic-rock forms these days.
“Stay Positive,” the band’s fourth album since starting up in 2004, has the whole shtick down pat, from the songs about aging mill towns to the organ riffing a la Danny Federici, circa 1978. The gruff voice comes from singer Craig Finn, who unabashedly credits his influences; good for him.
Despite the honesty, though, what is the difference between sincere homage and shameless ripoff? Dunno about you, but I don’t think the aforementioned lack of irony helps. Grade: C+
iPod picks: “Stay Positive,” “Navy Sheets.”
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