The Continuing Study of a Band

The second album from the Hold Steady that I’ll be evaluating is Boys and Girls in America (2006).  This is third full-length album from the band out of Brooklyn.  Here is a reminder of the players in this band.  Craig Finn is the chief singer/songwriter and rhythm guitarist (a very bright songwriter at that).  Tad Kubler is lead guitarist, Galen Polivka is the bassist, Bobby Drake is the drummer, and Franz Nicolay is the multi-instrumentalist (primarily keyboards and also a very talented guy).

Boys and Girls in America builds off of the success the band had with Separation Sunday (of which I have not written).  Once again, Finn tells tales of youthful exuberance while weaving in deeper meanings within this album.  The album was critically praised and was the first to chart in the U.S. on Billboard.

#197 – The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America (Metascore = 85)

As I have mentioned before in my entry on Stay Positive, the Hold Steady have one of the best rock ‘n roll sounds for a modern rock band.  When you hear their record, this doesn’t sound like a typical lo-fi indie band.  Their sound is rich with distorted guitars, chiming pianos, and a steady backbeat.  If you wanted to contrast this, consider the sound of the Strokes on Is This It; on that album the Strokes seemed to deliberately hang onto their indie roots, whereas the Hold Steady’s sound makes it as if they are an arena band trapped in an indie body.

What is also great about the Hold Steady is Finn’s lyrics.  I have found in Hold Steady records versus anyone else’s is his ability to tell and carry a story throughout an album.  This is a trick I believe is gold in the eyes of critics; I think critics are always kinder to songwriters that carry a theme throughout the record.  Granted, the theme needs to be good, but Finn doesn’t seem to have a problem here.

Finn’s stories tend towards youthful exuberance while deeper down the lyrics reveal his Catholic upbringing as well as social issues that just about anyone could learn.  “Stuck Between Stations” sets the table, a reference to On the Road by Jack Kerouac setting up wild partying and crazy nights.  Throughout the album there’s dancing and drinking and “living on the edge”, but there’s also the internal battles of the characters’ actions. “It’s hard to feel holy when you can’t get clean” from “Same Kooks” says this succinctly.  And as I mentioned earlier, Finn carries a theme through the record (the band chants “Boys and Girls in America” in “First Night”), which I find keeps the listener tuned into the story being told.

Stay Positive and Boys and Girls in America received the same score.  Which was better?  Stay Positive, though Boys and Girls is still a great record.  The drag for me is “Chillout Tent”, which I just don’t like, even though Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum guests here.  A couple of other tracks are weaker, too (“First Night”, “Party Pit”).  Overall, though, I really enjoyed this record, and it reaffirms my belief that they way they play is the way rock music should be made.