The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

The Hold Steady
Stay Positive (2008)
Vagrant

I’ll readily admit that I never really liked these guys before. I was previously given their second album, Separation Sunday, a few years back and I just couldn’t get into it. There wasn’t any mystery as to why; vocalist/guitarist Craig Finn’s voice is a very acquired taste, and it just turned me off. The music was always there, but his voice grated on me so much that it ruined all good will the other players had built up.

On Stay Positive, things are a bit different. Finn has actually learned how to sing a little bit, which helps the songs to no end. There are only a few moments of the snarling punkish Finn vocals of old, and they’re thankfully few and far between. With this improvement, the band became instantly more palatable to me, which I’m thankful for, because this album kicks all kinds of ass.

Stay Positive doesn’t tinker around too much. It doesn’t go down too many different avenues, and it isn’t very subtle. Most of the songs are bludgeoning-ly straightforward and upfront. Awesome riff follows awesome riff, and every song is solid.

There’s nothing shameful about producing a no-frills, straight ahead rock album. Some of the greatest albums in rock history, both universal and personal, are albums like this. At points The Hold Steady invoke the great Led Zeppelin (the riff and outro of “Navy Sheets”), and even mention them in “Joke About Jamaica”. In other moments there is a strong parallel to the Black Crowes. Stay Positive isn’t necessarily changing the world, but when a power rock album as strong as this is put together, it really doesn’t matter too much.

One of the qualities of this album that differentiates it from the other aforementioned bands is the lyrics. Whereas Led Zeppelin, the Black Crowes and other bands sing their tried-and-true “Baby I need you” drug fueled banter, the Hold Steady is a little denser. They sing about relationships, stories, and the passing of time without resorting to clichés. Sometimes Finn’s lyrics can be a bit repetitive (I don’t know how many times I heard the word “bloodshed” on this album), but in general, they work, and once in a while they stand out. Finn sings about downtrodden and down on their luck folks, with a sarcastic edge. Imagine Bruce Springsteen’s vocals if he worked at a record store for a few years and watched nothing but Mystery Science Theater 3000.

At one point, while listening to the opening riff to penultimate track “Slapped Actress”, I realized that the riffs are so good and so catchy on this album that they create a double-edged sword. The riffs and verses are nearly universally great, but the choruses that follow seem boring by comparison. I found this happen in a few songs, where the parts that were supposed to be catchy really weren’t, and vice versa.

I’ve grown to appreciate subtlety, but sometimes there’s nothing like being hit with a wall of sound, and getting everything thrown into your face. It’s simple, but who cares? Stay Positive isn’t covering new ground, but the ground it does cover is covered well. I’m now a believer.

B+

John Lacey