The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy (February 19, 2021) • Page 3

This sounds like mewithoutYou with Craig Finn singing over it.

 

amazing reference

 

3 for 3 on the singles. Album's shaping up to be a ripper.

 

So good.

vanilla vodka with a diet dr. Pepper

 

Lots of old characters popping back up on this record.

Anyone ever check out the Clicks and Hisses site? It's got some reeeallllyyyy thorough lyric annotations and an interactive map that keeps track of all the cities from THS songs. The dude who runs it got a little busy and hasn't updated much in the last couple years but is going to get back at it a bit after ODP drops. It's a great place to nerd out and connect some dots.

 

whoa it really does. this is rad as hell

 

This album is going to rule

 

reviewing this for slant and imo they really hit a sweet spot here. it's fun and exciting without being overkill, it's experienced and warm without being cloying. and it might be the best-sounding hold steady record from a technical standpoint. I think it's their best since Boys and Girls (it's tough to put it over Stay Positive but it just holds together better as a complete statement imo)

 

Only heard the 3 tracks so far but already it sounds to me like the true predecessor to Stay Positive.

 

Super excited for this. Like a lot of fans, I loved everything through Stay Positive, and have only liked everything since (God in Chicago is Craig's best song since then imo). A couple of random thoughts popped in my head reading this post:
1. Best production is promising. I liked the production through Stay Positive. Did not like the effect on Craig's vocals for Heaven is Whenever or especially Teeth Dreams.
2. If this is better than Stay Positive then it must be amazing. That said, if they had just put Adderall on Stay Positive it would be virtually unbeatable.

 

Weekly Poll: Favorite The Hold Steady Album • forum.chorus.fm

 

I like the new song a lot more than anything they've done in the past few years.

 

Funny you say that, I always felt the same way about Stay Positive, except for me the unforgivable omission was TWO HANDED HANDSHAKE. God I love that song.

 

I can’t compare solo CF or even Lifter-Puller to the Hold Steady (aside from AKM). To me, they’re three different eras and i love them each equally.

 

I thought that when it released, too. Mostly because I'd been listening to Brother, Sister a ton as well as the new tHS singles. I love it when the band gets moody on the rare occasion. Hope there's more like this on the album.
I've given myself an embargo until ODP releases. Very excited for this one...

 

A lot of chat lately about Foo Fighters and Weezer releasing new albums. Both seem to be bands where every new album is going to be ranked in a separate "post-prime" category. Most bands hit that spot eventually. What I mean is when fans rank the band's albums, they will rank the classics at the top, and then after that it will just be the later records in whatever order -- basically like the classic tier and then the rest. Think the Rolling Stones post-Tattoo You, or Prince post-Sign O the Times, or Green Day post-21CBD, or blink-182 post-s/t and the list goes on. (People will argue over exactly which album was an artist's last true classic, but there is almost always a consensus "post-prime" drop-off somewhere)

The Hold Steady could have definitely been put in that category with one more good-not-great album. It would forever be the first four in the classic tier, and then the rest ranked in a lesser tier. But early reports indicate that this album is such a return to form it deserves to be considered up there with their classic run. (I think Imploding the Mirage did something similar for the Killers). That is just so exciting to me, like from a fan/critic/hopefully commercial perspective this album could singlehandedly extend the band's supposed "prime". Absolutely stoked to hear it and hope I love it as much as all the lucky folks who received advanced copies already sure seem to.

 

here's my review: Review: The Hold Steady’s Open Door Policy Makes the Familiar Feel Fresh Again

 

great stuff Jordan

 

awesome review, Jordan!

 

just spoke with Craig about the album which feels like a major life achievement for me haha

 

thanks!

 

The Hold Steady Reviews Every Hold Steady Album

 

I love this moment on Spices: Hadn't really seen her since the previous winter/She'd been a drop dead number since later last December/But here she is rising again - Happy Easter/You wanna go get some beers?

 

I think Lanyards is my favorite song on the record