W
ith pop music being as cyclical as fashionable clothing, it was only a matter of time before the Return of the Rock. It seems that every few months another band is discovering that it can proudly flash the influences that for many years were too passé to acknowledge. As
AC/DC and
G n' R albums were finding there way out from the dark recesses of shoeboxes and portable CD cases, acts like
Andrew W.K.,
The Darkness, and
Jet were bringing balls and swagger back to radio play-lists.
The Hold Steady from Brooklyn, New York is another band whose music harkens back to a simpler yet not so distant time. Lead by Craig Finn and Tad Kubler of Minneapolis indie rock outfit Lifter Puller they've offered up The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me, a riff-intensive album that really delivers. On nearly every track, heavy backbeats lay the foundation for dialed-up guitars that just bleed in all the right places. While Finn's vocal delivery is more spoken than sung there are hooks-a-plenty to scratch that itch and create melodies to keep the songs moving.
This may sound like just another rock band, but The Hold Steady is set apart by Craig Finn's vocal narratives. There's no irony or pretense to what they're doing because of Finn's honest and engaging storytelling. Each song sets a different scene but with a common thread of youth, rock and roll, and social experience. He manages to paint a picture of urban hipsters doing whatever it is they do with a musical backdrop that makes you want to cheer for the characters. "Barfruit Blues" tells the story of a bar band that somehow lost its way and ended up with something entirely wrong. And "Certain Songs," by far the stand out track on this album, describes the people you run into at your favorite hangout and the jukebox number that speaks to each one of them:
born into the only songs that everybody finally sings along. b-1 is for the good girls. it's only the good die young. c-9 is for the making eyes. it's paradise by the dashboard light. d4 is for the lovers. b12 is for the speeders. and the hard drugs are for the bartenders and the kitchen workers and the bartender's friends.
It's imagery like that which makes this album enjoyable. Somewhere between the bombast and posturing of other rock revivalists, The Hold Steady have found a place where a band can bring the rock and still remain poignant. It's comforting to know that a good hook doesn't have to come at a high price.
