Daily Vanguard

June 11th, 2008

The Hold Steady have a new album!!

I am preparing to shit a brick. It will not be a pleasant experience and it may in fact be quite painful, but it simply cannot be avoided.

“But why?” ask the teeming multitudes, “What is it that has possibly gotten you in such a tizzy that you’re ready to start defecating construction implements?”

“Well,” I reply, “I will have you know that The Hold Steady, otherwise known as the greatest rock band in America, are releasing a new album on July 15th. And they’re streaming it on their myspace. And it’s FREAKING AMAZING!!!”

As anyone unhealthily obsessed with this paper can attest, I have a crush on The Hold Steady of absolutely epic proportions (further evidence of this here).

The reason I have such affection for this band is because, in addition to having the greatest lyricist in rock music, the group has been steadily building their Springsteen inspired tunes into epic bar rock anthems over the course of the three titanic records they’ve released so far. Replete with enough hooks, clever turns of phrase and outright fist pumping awesomeness to keep every dive bar in the Union rawking until the end of the decade, The Hold Steady’s latest album, Stay Positive, is already looking like a hands down 2008 essential.

Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn has created an amazingly rich and detailed narrative world over the course of the band’s past three albums and his epic wordsmithing has only been accented on the band’s latest effort by the muscle of The Hold Steady’s “you think they can’t get better until they do” rhythm section.

Seriously, Stay Positive looks like the band’s best effort to date. It’s beautiful and epic and heart-wrenching and…and..OWWW!! OWW!! HOLY FUCK! Dammit!

I totally just shit a brick.

Stream Stay Positive in its entirety!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 12:52 pm and is filed under Mindloop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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