THE HOLD STEADY
''HEAVEN IS WHENEVER''
MAY 4 2010
41:16
1. The Sweet Part Of The City/4:23
2. Soft In The Center/3:50
3. The Weekenders/3:48
4. The Smidge/3:22
5. Rock Problems/3:31
6. We Can Get Together/4:29
7. Hurricane J/3:02
8. Barely Breathing/3:37
9. Our Whole Lives/4:00
10. A Slight Discomfort/7:14
Corinne Caouette /Vocals
Dan Neustadt /Keyboards, Piano
Lloyd Debonis /Horn
Bobby Drake /Group Member
Craig Finn /Group Member
Peter Hess /Horn, Horn Arrangements
Tad Kubler /Additional Production, Group Member
Roman Kuebler /Vocals
Galen Polivka /Group Member
John Reis /Guitar
REVIEW
by Gregory Heaney
After the departure of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, it seemed almost inevitable that the Hold Steady would return to the dollar pitcher fueled, bar-rock stomp of Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday. Instead, the freshly made quartet branched out in a slightly different direction for their fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever. Rather than writing another hard rocking novella, the album feels more like the soundtrack to a lonely Midwestern road trip, making it more of a road-weary version of Boys and Girls in America than a re-creation of their earlier work. The album has a quality about it that’s sweeping without being out and out uplifting, feeling more informed by the rigors of touring than the denizens of the Twin Cities and their lapsed Catholic revelations. While some of the characters are still alive and kicking on the album, the focus seems to be more on mood than continuity. The psychic girl and her boyfriend/accomplice from “Chips Ahoy!” reappear on “The Weekenders,” but now we find them more downtrodden as Finn sings “There was a kid camped out by the coat check/She said the theme of this party is the industrial age/You came in dressed like a train wreck.” Tying the songs together are the choruses, which share the same “woah-oh-oh” backing vocals, making “The Weekenders” feel like a downtempo reprise of the first installment of their story. It’s not all tales of the down and out, though. “We Can Get Together” feels like a more romantic, less drug-fueled take on “Hornets! Hornets!,” where an enamored narrator hangs on the every word of his lady, but the slithering guitar riff is replaced by a shimmering ballad, turning a haggard bar crawl into a sweet slow dance. Make no mistake, the rock is still here, but it’s less Thin Lizzy and more Bruce Springsteen. Without the prominent keys of their last two albums, a lot of the heavy lifting is back on the shoulders of guitarist Tad Kubler (whose twisting riff on “The Smidge” is one of his best in years). The big difference between Heaven Is Whenever and the earlier albums is that Kubler seems ready to take on the challenge of creating that emotional weight that the organ and keys brought to the party, using the guitar to create an emotional landscape using a “less is more” approach rather than piling on snarling riffs. While fans expecting the second coming of Almost Killed Me might be disappointed, Heaven Is Whenever shows a band that just isn’t willing to backslide into their old ways, instead opting to continue forward with a reverence for their past work that reminds us of who the Hold Steady were, all the while giving us a glimpse of who they’re going to be.
BIOGRAPHY
by Kenyon Hopkin
Resisting the musical trends in New York City, vocalist/guitarist Craig Finn (ex-Lifter Puller) formed the Hold Steady after moving from Minneapolis in 2000. Wanting to capture the sound of bands such as the Replacements and the Grifters, he recruited guitarist Tad Kubler (also ex-Lifter Puller), drummer Judd Counsell, and bassist Galen Polivka. Recording mostly live, the band released its debut, Almost Killed Me, on Frenchkiss Records in March 2004. Dave Gardener (Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu) and Dean Botulonis signed on to produce Separation Sunday, which arrived in 2005. The World/Inferno Friendship Society's Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Bobby Drake (drums), formerly of End Transmission and Arm, were also added to the Hold Steady lineup. The band's third effort, 2006's Boys and Girls in America, marked its first release for Vagrant. After writing the majority of their fourth record on the road, the Hold Steady returned to John Agnello's Water Music studio to record Stay Positive, their most heavily produced effort. In July of 2008, the album was released by both Vagrant and Rough Trade. In 2010 the band announced the departure of Franz Nicolay. Later that same year they released their fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever.
''HEAVEN IS WHENEVER''
MAY 4 2010
41:16
1. The Sweet Part Of The City/4:23
2. Soft In The Center/3:50
3. The Weekenders/3:48
4. The Smidge/3:22
5. Rock Problems/3:31
6. We Can Get Together/4:29
7. Hurricane J/3:02
8. Barely Breathing/3:37
9. Our Whole Lives/4:00
10. A Slight Discomfort/7:14
Corinne Caouette /Vocals
Dan Neustadt /Keyboards, Piano
Lloyd Debonis /Horn
Bobby Drake /Group Member
Craig Finn /Group Member
Peter Hess /Horn, Horn Arrangements
Tad Kubler /Additional Production, Group Member
Roman Kuebler /Vocals
Galen Polivka /Group Member
John Reis /Guitar
REVIEW
by Gregory Heaney
After the departure of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, it seemed almost inevitable that the Hold Steady would return to the dollar pitcher fueled, bar-rock stomp of Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday. Instead, the freshly made quartet branched out in a slightly different direction for their fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever. Rather than writing another hard rocking novella, the album feels more like the soundtrack to a lonely Midwestern road trip, making it more of a road-weary version of Boys and Girls in America than a re-creation of their earlier work. The album has a quality about it that’s sweeping without being out and out uplifting, feeling more informed by the rigors of touring than the denizens of the Twin Cities and their lapsed Catholic revelations. While some of the characters are still alive and kicking on the album, the focus seems to be more on mood than continuity. The psychic girl and her boyfriend/accomplice from “Chips Ahoy!” reappear on “The Weekenders,” but now we find them more downtrodden as Finn sings “There was a kid camped out by the coat check/She said the theme of this party is the industrial age/You came in dressed like a train wreck.” Tying the songs together are the choruses, which share the same “woah-oh-oh” backing vocals, making “The Weekenders” feel like a downtempo reprise of the first installment of their story. It’s not all tales of the down and out, though. “We Can Get Together” feels like a more romantic, less drug-fueled take on “Hornets! Hornets!,” where an enamored narrator hangs on the every word of his lady, but the slithering guitar riff is replaced by a shimmering ballad, turning a haggard bar crawl into a sweet slow dance. Make no mistake, the rock is still here, but it’s less Thin Lizzy and more Bruce Springsteen. Without the prominent keys of their last two albums, a lot of the heavy lifting is back on the shoulders of guitarist Tad Kubler (whose twisting riff on “The Smidge” is one of his best in years). The big difference between Heaven Is Whenever and the earlier albums is that Kubler seems ready to take on the challenge of creating that emotional weight that the organ and keys brought to the party, using the guitar to create an emotional landscape using a “less is more” approach rather than piling on snarling riffs. While fans expecting the second coming of Almost Killed Me might be disappointed, Heaven Is Whenever shows a band that just isn’t willing to backslide into their old ways, instead opting to continue forward with a reverence for their past work that reminds us of who the Hold Steady were, all the while giving us a glimpse of who they’re going to be.
BIOGRAPHY
by Kenyon Hopkin
Resisting the musical trends in New York City, vocalist/guitarist Craig Finn (ex-Lifter Puller) formed the Hold Steady after moving from Minneapolis in 2000. Wanting to capture the sound of bands such as the Replacements and the Grifters, he recruited guitarist Tad Kubler (also ex-Lifter Puller), drummer Judd Counsell, and bassist Galen Polivka. Recording mostly live, the band released its debut, Almost Killed Me, on Frenchkiss Records in March 2004. Dave Gardener (Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu) and Dean Botulonis signed on to produce Separation Sunday, which arrived in 2005. The World/Inferno Friendship Society's Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Bobby Drake (drums), formerly of End Transmission and Arm, were also added to the Hold Steady lineup. The band's third effort, 2006's Boys and Girls in America, marked its first release for Vagrant. After writing the majority of their fourth record on the road, the Hold Steady returned to John Agnello's Water Music studio to record Stay Positive, their most heavily produced effort. In July of 2008, the album was released by both Vagrant and Rough Trade. In 2010 the band announced the departure of Franz Nicolay. Later that same year they released their fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever.
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