Stay Positive, theres a new Hold Steady album coming out june 2008

So, basically, for about 10 days in June, the internet will buzz about Craig and whether or not it's better or worse than any other Hold Steady album (when, in actuality, it sounds just the same) and then everyone will forget all about it and move on. YAY ROCK MUSIC!

yay,modern culture in general

anyway, the song "stay positive" is more of Craig speaking than Craig singing with hooks (Boys and Girls style)

beer and sweat references ad infinitum commence

dont forget drugs

not many people listened to the hold steady, but those who did went out and wouldn't stfu about them

1 Constructive Summer
2 Sequestered in Memphis
3 One for the Cutters
4 Navy Sheets
5 Lord, I'm Discouraged
6 Yeah Sapphire
7 Both Crosses
8 Stay Positive
9 Magazines
10 Joke About Jamaica
11 Slapped Actress

some of the songs (2,5,10) can be seen live on youtube,
(i have a vague suspicion there will be less poppy hooks on Stay Positive)

some great song titles in there, xpost

no "ask her for ativan"! kind of surprising.

new single, Sequestered in Memphis:

http://hypem.com/track/553246

Craig's voice sounds like he just woke up, but it adds value to the song, which hooks arent so catchy.
beside that, the usuall Hold Steady

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3523/holdsteadystaypositivecps7.jpg

this has leaked, what are your first thoughts?

so excited, dl now.

Gah, can't wait to get home and dl this.

i like it, heard it last night.

That's a much better looking cover than the last one.

I'll hold off I think... As much as I'd love to hear this right now, I think it would be best enjoyed with CD in hand.

history will view Moustachio McBeret as the downfall of this band.

Stay Positive holds up to the expectations.
it's a more "mature" record, songs with somewhat lower tempos than Boys and Girls, more serious and contemplative, and the production is richer.

love it.

I love it too

Yeah, I fuck with this.

not fuck - make love...

I hope the production is better on this. I don't usually care about these things but the CD sounded like shittily encoded 128kbs mp3s

it is better, more sharp,richer, keybords clearer

They've widened their sonic palette a bit on this, haven't they? The harpsichord on One For The Cutters and that big synth on Navy Sheets are both welcome additions.

I'm enjoying this hugely on first listen.

and,except maybe Yeah Sapphire, it keeps the high quaity
xpost

Joke about Jamaica is an obv. highlight (one of many)

Unsurprisingly "Sequestered in Memphis" sounds like a bar band covering '66 era Bobby Dylan

If this is good, it will be the first disc I can think of this year that has serious pre-release hype and that meets and/or exceeds expectations.

it does,surprisignly, exceeds expectations.
only Navy Sheets, and Sapphire doesnt click for me (maybe yet).
the more i listen to it, the more i think it's their best record.
less pop than (the awesome) Boys and Girls,a bit more sophisticated effort here, it adds depth and some gloom to the record.also, it has a larger amount of great songs than B&G.
with all that and with the better,richer production, it might ends up as the best 2008 record.(at least for myself)

It's all about the axe solo on Lord I'm Discouraged.

it's all bout the "Whooo...whooooo... etc..." coda on Slapped actress.

theyre gonna built something this summer.

history will view Moustachio McBeret as the downfall of this band.
-- M@tt He1ges0n, Friday, 23 May 2008 16:32 (4 days ago)

Heh heh... I read some profile piece on the band where they were talking about The Hold Steady appearing on a talk show (Kimmel, maybe?) where one of the other guests was Don Rickles. When they all walked in the green room, Rickles sized them all up and pointed to the keyboardist and said "what, you guys brought your cabbie in?"

Fucking killed me.

(that said, I kind of like the guy... I guess they could probably use him a little more sparingly, but he's fun live...)

Aww, Franz is such a nice guy. I talked to him at Pitchfork two years ago and at Lolla last year, he was super pleasant and kinda goofy both times.

i'm sure he's a good bro.

i dunno, he always kinda rubs me the rong way w/this band though.

listening now. seems better than the last one which i didn't like much.

love the Dillinger 4 reference for the old school on "constructive summer"

other music references: joe strummer, youth of today, 7 seconds, dazed and confused, cocaine blues

...lust for life

okay i'd posted after the first two songs..boy oh boy this album bogs down...all the slower stuff is DIRE and boring as fuck....

: (

craig finn getting singing lessons sucks

Wrong.
Both Crosses is one of the best Hold Steady songs ever and a big hightlight of this album.
One for the Cutters is also quite good.

plus,there are only 3 slow songs in here.
i'd say that the best of this record is the first 2 songs and the last 2 songs (all 4 of them are some of the best Finn wrote), and "Both Crosses" which is spine chilling.

I'm not going to seek out a leak, but Matt, what you said sounds like bad news.

man i dunno what ppl are hearing in this but i've been a fan for years and this just does not grab me whatsoever outside of the first couple tracks.

i agree it's a little different than their previous records, but it's a good (slight) change, and, at any case, it is better than making the same record all over again and again

everything on this record is wonderful except for the synth on navy sheets

i'd say that the best of this record is the first 2 songs and the last 2 songs (all 4 of them are some of the best Finn wrote), and "Both Crosses" which is spine chilling.

-- Zeno, Wednesday, May 28, 2008 6:56 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

i just clicked this thread to post this exactly

"lord i'm discouraged" is kind of a retread musically of "first night" from the last album with a weaker hook, though i can't say i'm dissatisfied with the guitar solo

back in the mid-90s in mpls i used to see craig and his skinny blonde girlfriend at all the entry shows. why is there no shout out to me?

"everything on this record is wonderful except for the synth on navy sheets"

"Everybod's coming on the navy sheets"

is everythink ok craig?

"Sequestered In Memphis" is actually pretty dull, but the rest holds up.

I warn y'all, tho, I may WELL grow bored of this record soon and have to give it a long break before hearing again. It's not the sort of album you keep discovering hidden joys within. And their sound isn't particularly exciting (it's dynamic, but it isn't original or unexpected). The reason I enjoy it is that the songs are well-written. But well-written as they are, they're conventional blues-pop by and large, and once the initial ear-candy effect has worn away, I can easily see myself being all "huh this ain't for me".

BUT

I will never go so far as to actively slag this record off for what it is, because as Mr. Passantino writes in his review, it is a superb attempt to perfect the blues-pop genre. With, yes, good lyrics. Performed with enterprise.

And "Slapped Actress" is super wicked, I'll never grow bored of that one.

And "Lord, I'm Discouraged" has a bit that sounds like Explosions In The Sky. No kidding.

Got 4 songs in today before I had to go back to work. This is some black-humored shit so far. He's really taken the more bitter aspects of his writing up a notch, like upthread where someone posted then last bit of "One For the Cutters." I mean, that's where the song ends.

Curious to hear the rest.

Yeah, this sounds way cool when you haven't heard it for a while. A very immediate album, for better or for worse.

It's not the sort of album you keep discovering hidden joys within.

That may be true musically, but it isn't true lyrically.

Ah well, y'see, I'd be far more interested in the lyrics if I could decipher them all clearly and presently. I know you can find these things online, but I rarely enjoy listening to music while reading lyrics. Might make an exception for this album if I can be bothered. Dude's voice mixed rather low. Maybe I am hearing the lyrics but haven't quite worked out their significance yet. I dunno. They're there but they're not part of my conscious enjoyment of the songs.

The synth on "Navy Sheets" and the talkbox on that other song = UGLEE.

I know you can find these things online, but I rarely enjoy listening to music while reading lyrics. Might make an exception for this album if I can be bothered.

It's worth the bother. I love The Hold Steady, but without C. Finn's brilliant, sly lyrics, this would be a very pedestrian band to me.

Still enjoying this record. "Slapped Actress" is particularly good- I like it when they sound enervated and tired out.

this album might make my top 25, not as good as Boy and Girls In America.

they need a song in an apatow movie trailer. i thought with all the blog/crit hype over the last few years that they might be on the verge of breaking big, but i guess lol internet.

Aaaaaaargh, they've cancelled their whole UK tour, which was due to start tonight:

http://www.nme.com/news/the-hold-steady/40076

That's my Craig Finn interview spiked, then. (A pity - he was a model interviewee.)

The Hold Steady will release a live album and DVD documentary on April 7 through Vagrant Records.

The double-disc A Positive Rage set includes a 53-minute documentary that chronicles the release of The Hold Steady's 2006 Boys And Girls In America album and their subsequent tour in support of it. It features their first performances in London, England and footage shot on tour in North America.

A Positive Rage's second disc is a live album recorded at Chicago's Metro on Oct. 31, 2007. It includes five bonus studio tracks: "Ask Her For Adderall," "Cheyenne Sunrise," "Two Handed Handshake" and the previously unreleased "Spectres" and "40 Bucks."

The package will also include a booklet featuring personal photos and the band's recollections from the tour.

The Hold Steady's most recent album is last year's Stay Positive. The band are still touring in support of it, and the latest rumour is that they'll play television chef Rachel Ray's South By Southwest Music Festival party in Austin, Texas in March.

You can definitely see The Hold Steady here:

Feb. 4 Sydney, Australia @ The Metro Theatre
Feb. 6 Perth, Australia @ Laneway Festival
Feb. 7 Adelaide, Australia @ Laneway Festival
Feb. 8 Sydney, Australia @ Laneway Festival
March 31 Albany, NY @ Valentine's
April 1 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall
April 2 Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College Fine Arts Center
April 3 Urbana, IL @ Illini Courtyard Cafe
April 4 Bloomington, IN @ Jake's Nightclub
April 6 St. Louis, MO @ Gargolye
April 7 Iowa City, IA @ The Picador
April 8 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
April 10 Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
April 11 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Urban Lounge
April 13 Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
April 14 Stateline, NV @ Harrah's Tahoe South Shore Room
April 15 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's
April 17 Indio, CA @ Coachella Festival
May 10 Glasgow, Scotland @ Scottish Exhibition And Conference Centre w/Counting Crows
May 11 Manchester, England @ Manchester Evening News Arena w/Counting Crows
May 13 Birmingham, England @ National Indoor Arena w/Counting Crows
May 14 London, England @ Wembley Arena w/Counting Crows
May 16 Cardiff, Wales @ Cardiff Arena w/Counting Crows
May 18 Bournemouth, England @ Bournemouth International Centre w/Counting Crows
May 19 Nottingham, England @ Royal Centre w/Counting Crows
May 21 London, England @ O2 Academy Brixton w/Counting Crows
May 30 Hunter Mountain, NY @ Mountain Jam

Here are the tracks on A Positive Rage's second disc:

"Intro"
"Stuck Between Stations"
"The Swish"
"Chips Ahoy!"
"Massive Nights"
"Ask Her For Adderall"
"Barfruit Blues"
"Same Kooks"
"You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came With)"
"Lord, I'm Discouraged"
"You Can Make Him Like You"
"Your Little Hoodrat Friend"
"Southtown Girls"
"Citrus"
"First Night"
"Girls Like Status"
"Killer Parties"

So was Stay Positive actually any good? I listened to it once through, nothing stuck, and I put it on the shelf. No desire for more.

I can honestly not remember what these guys sound like. Nope. Nothing there.

So was Stay Positive actually any good? I listened to it once through, nothing stuck, and I put it on the shelf. No desire for more.

― ilxor, Wednesday, February 4, 2009 5:22 AM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark

I liked it approx 10x more than Boys & Girls. Try "Both Crosses," which almost sounds like a Nebraska outtake, or note the awesome riffs that open "Constructive Summer" & "Slapped Actress," or the hammy singalong of "Sequestered in Memphis." "One for the Cutters" is annoying.

Try "Both Crosses," which almost sounds like a Nebraska outtake

This would be reason to avoid it, for me. I need to replay it soon sometime, will give it another shot.

Boys and Girls I would have really liked, by the way, except for the godawful production/mastering.

The Hold Steady will release a live album and DVD documentary on April 7 through Vagrant Records.

The double-disc A Positive Rage set includes a 53-minute documentary that chronicles the release of The Hold Steady's 2006 Boys And Girls In America album and their subsequent tour in support of it. It features their first performances in London, England and footage shot on tour in North America.

^^^^I was filmed during an interview segment for this. I'll give 1/25 that my contributions, and explaining to Craig Finn what Wetherspoons is, were cut out

i am down w/the tracklist on that live album; it will be tempting to pick up because i've never managed to see them play.

i ended up liking this a lot more in the long run than what i said upthread.

I can honestly not remember what these guys sound like. Nope. Nothing there.

ENVYING U SO HARD RITE NOW

still dig this

I just pulled this out again for the first time since it came out. There are only about 4 songs I like. "Lord, I'm Discouraged" absolutely kills.

I love this album.

i can't not hear counting crows.

They're touring together now! I think I read that they're playing some shows with Dave Matthews Band, too.

A Positive Rage is a forthcoming live album and documentary double-disc set by the Brooklyn-based rock band The Hold Steady. It is due to be released on April 7, 2009 by Vagrant Records.

CD track listing

1. "Intro"
2. "Stuck Between Stations"
3. "The Swish"
4. "Chips Ahoy!"
5. "Massive Nights"
6. "Ask Her for Adderall"
7. "Barfruit Blues"
8. "Same Kooks"
9. "You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came With)"
10. "Lord, I'm Discouraged"
11. "You Can Make Him Like You"
12. "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"
13. "Southtown Girls"
14. "Citrus"
15. "First Night"
16. "Girls Like Status"
17. "Killer Parties"

the CD will feature a live set performed on Halloween 2007 at the Metro Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, made up of songs from the band's albums Almost Killed Me (2004), Separation Sunday (2005), and Boys and Girls in America (2006). The CD will also include three bonus tracks: "Ask Her for Adderall", "Cheyenne Sunrise" and "Two Handed Handshake", which were released on a limited edition of 2008's Stay Positive, as well as "Spectres" and "40 Bucks", both of which are previously unreleased...

love this record, will check out that live record when i can get my hands on it

Nerd complaint of the I-can't-believe-I-don't-have-better-shit-to-worry-about variety: The "bonus tracks" situation with this thing is a serious disappointment. You sign up, via enhanced CD, to the Vagrant email list, then they send you a link for a .zip file. You're given a folder with 5 .mp3s, three of which have no real metadata (no artist/title/album/artwork/anything), while the other 2 are mislabeled as different songs. They're either 192kbps or VBR, but the VBR ones are really shitty sounding - one of them is way loud and distorted to the point of being unlistenable.

It would have taken someone with very limited knowledge of this stuff about 5 minutes to put something halfway decent together for this. Why bother?

she said sometim*es hse sees these things iirc

ooo yummy bile

Franz Nicolay has left the band:
http://theholdsteady.net/2010/01/23/thank-you-franz/

I'd be happier with fewer keyboards in Hold Steady songs so it's not terrible news to me. He was fun to watch live, though.

i liked the keyboards on boys & girls in america, but this band's sound could use some freshening-up. maybe this will accomplish that.

Back to basics would be no bad thing, agreed.

But they are a "back-to-basics" band.

Back to back to basics

i don't care if they go back to basics of move toward giorgio moroder synths. just somewhere new.

maybe it's time for their nebraska

^agreed. I didn't like Stay Positive much, but when I heard them do a live acoustic thing with songs from that record on Sound Opinions I thought it was brilliant & moving. I'd be down with writing the album for full band and then performing it super-stripped-down. (Like Nebraska was meant originally to be a full-band album, wasn't it?)

my friend has been engineering on their new record he said it sound great, like they realize the last couple have had terrible production, but was not my impression it was gonna be a big break in convention

That sounds great to me!

Guy who worked on Separation Sunday has done this one, not Agnello, so the walls of guitars are going to be broken down a bit - there'll be more space in the record than there has been on the last two, which has to be a good thing. There are keyboards on it, though.

I'm not sure if Mookieproof was being sarcastic with that, but I think the idea of them doing a Nebraska sounds awesome!

MAN, WE MAKE OUR OWN MOVIES

*solos*

this reminds me of the time around the beginning of my senior year in college

cool story bro -- anyway, i like this record

one of my favorite narcissistic things on ilx is seeing isolated half comprehensible crunk posts i made that i have no memory of making

that was supposed to say 'drunk posts' but i'm ok with it

this record still kinda owns btw

"Sequestered in Memphis" at Pitchfork '08, with a newly svelte Finn playing a turquoise guitar, sounded like triumph; I believed that the next album would be a breakthrough.