The Hold Steady Band • Page 5

Can't believe none of y'all (including me!) posted about SP's ten-year anniversary a couple days ago

 

Yes. Hoping for a SP anniversary vinyl pressing

 

another two solid tracks

 

Both songs are great, seems like this is how they will be releasing music for the time being -- not teasing an album just having fun and adding some interest to the setlists. Happy belated birthday to Stay Positive, their third best album which would be most bands' best album.
PS @Craig Manning I loved your top 100 of the 2000s list, but no Separation Sunday???

 

That was one I struggled over, but I ultimately don't have the connection with that album that I do to Boys & Girls in America. With that said, "How a Resurrection Really Feels" might be my favorite Hold Steady song, give or take a "Stuck Between Stations." Glad you enjoyed the list, though!

I really need to go back and check out these one-off (two-off?) songs they've been dropping. I think this is a pretty good microcosm of why albums still matter, because I just haven't felt inclined to check out these songs yet even though I'm still a pretty big fan of this band. Wish I could tell that to every artist trying to go the "just release singles" route.

 

I agree, an album of the quality THS has been pumping out with these singles would have received much more hype. As it stands these ones are coming across like they are aimed at the super fans. Unfortunately I think after a couple of albums which have been below the band's previous quality, even a truly great album would not receive the hype it deserved. A band of that age has its reputation cemented already.

There is plenty from your list I have to dig through still but I was stoked to see American Idiot so high up. That is still a top two or three album of all time for me. It's that one album to which I can trace back all the music I now love. A lot of people would feel embarrassed praising it so highly since it quickly lost the small amount of cool-kid credit it earned upon release. (I recall Pitchfork's review of 21CBD KILLING American Idiot even though the site gave it a reasonably favourable review initially.) But that album is still a total blast.
On that note 'grand statement' rock records are coming back into vogue -- think Gang of Youths -- among the critics who still care about such things. I feel American Idiot is ripe for reassessment next year on its 15th anniversary.

 

I genuinely love Heaven Is Whenever and enjoy most of Teeth Dreams, so it's not even a lack of enthusiasm for their music anymore on my part. I just really, really don't like the "here's another song" release strategy for bands. Too cumbersome, too meaningless. I should go back and round up all these songs and put them into an EP playlist or something, though.

American Idiot was such a big record for me. There's a reason that there are three 2004 records in the top 6 and five in the top 21. That was the big formative year for me, musically, and that album just hit at the perfect time. I think you're right that it's due for a reassessment. I think it's been long enough since those singles were overplayed--and since rock music was on the radio, period--for it to get its due. Also, absolutely here for the return of the "grand statement" rock album.

 

Regarding THS I didn't mean you specifically. Im trying to say if these singles had been part of an album more people would listen to them and they are of a quality where I could imagine the album being considered a return to form. But even then I couldn't imagine, for instance, a Pitchfork best new music for THS anymore. I like the first half of Teeth Dreams and Oaks. On Heaven is Whenever The Weekenders is a top 5 THS song and I like a couple others too (Sweet Part of the City and We Can Get Together mainly).

2004 was big for me as well. One that wasn't on your list from that year that I absolutely loved and which changed my tastes a lot was Siren Song of the Counter Culture by Rise Against. That's still one of my favourite records even though I rarely listen to it nowadays.

 

Listening to Almost Killed Me for the first time in at least a couple years. Such a good album.

 

So uh

Man Arrested After Violating Restraining Order Held by the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn | Pitchfork

 

Ask Her for Adderall, Lord I'm Discouraged, then Hey Sapphire could have been a hell of a run of songs and all seem to thematically relate to each other anyway. Also I've fallen so in love with all three of these songs and I don't know why. I guess some personal stuff, ie the narrator (s) being involved in some sketchy messes and trying to get out of it.

 

it happened

 

Got mine. All three records are warped :(. I emailed a complaint about a week ago and never heard back.

 

I didn't take the time to get into the new singles as they were being released but now that there's 9 tracks out there I've been spinning them like a new album.

Some great tracks in here. My favourites are Eureka, Esther, Confusion in the Marketplace and Entitlement Crew.

 

Apparently there is a new album coming in August, half the tracks are from the one off singles.

Saw the below on Vinyl Collective and after done googling, it looks like they may have found the info on Amazon, but it’s gone now:

New album is gonna be out on French Kiss in August. It’s called Thrashing Through the Passion.



1. Denver Haircut
2. Epaulets
3. You Did Good Kid
4. Traditional Village
5. Blackout Sam
6. Entitlement Crew
7. T-Shirt Tux
8. Star 18
9. Stove and The Toaster
10. Confusion in the Marketplace

 

Not gonna complain about a new record (especially because I was in no way expecting one and thought we'd just get these one offs for the forseeable future) but it's still a slight bummer that we've heard the entire second half of the record.

Thrashing Through the Passion is a great title for a THS record though.

 

Five familiar songs aside, I feel like that's such a weird track listing, with the five old ones all in a row at the end.

 

Super weird tracklist but yea I’ll take what I can get haha

 

My bad habit of not listening to standalone singles is finally going to pay off!

 

i’m in that boat, i don’t think i’ve heard any of those songs so this will be all new to me lol

i love teeth dreams tbh

 

New album, even with only 5 new songs, is good news. Probably means a return to a full national tour too

 

I haven’t given any attention to the stand alone releases because I just don’t absorb music that way.

So I’m excited for a new record because it’s all new to me!

 

They're really good! But probably not "I hope these make up half of a new record" good...