2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 8 - The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
Not for the first time I was pretty late to the party when it came to The Hold Steady.
Seeing Craig Finn , who looks like your average bank manager, at a Roaming Roots Review concert celebrating Bruce Springsteen's 70th birthday plus them being championed by Rol and George led me to picking up their Stay Positive album
It remained their only one on the shelves until I picked up Separation Sunday their 2nd album from 2005 on the Frenchkiss label on my last charity shop outing.
It was not released in the UK until 2007 and is a concept album following the stories of several fictional characters. Had I know it was a concept album I probably wouldn't have picked it up. Having said that had I not read that I would have been none the wiser.
I've learnt a new word - Sprechgesang - which is German for spoken singing which is the style that Craig sings. The sticker that adorns the jewel case gives some quotes with saves me looking them up
Epic and huge and molten and beautiful - Pitchfork 8.7/10
Finn's l-hoarse holler sits atop a fat barroom stomp that recalls The Band and pre-arena Springsteen - Spin.
Pre- arena Springsteen is a good thing. As things stand the jury is still out but it is one I feel will grow on me after a few listens.
Great record. Such a wonderful storyteller. And I'm a big fan of Sprechgesang (though I wasn't aware of the word).
ReplyDeleteAlso, if this is a concept album then so is Nebraska.
ReplyDeleteThere's a whole slew of bands for whom I'm late to the party. In fact I'm so late now that I don't even knock on their door with some puny excuse like "sorry, a mate gave me the wrong address". More than that I actually go out of my way not to listen to them. They may be the best band since the Beatles but I don't care and no amount of guilt shaming or calling me a head-in-the-sand provincial hick who knows no better is going to make me change. The Hold Steady are one of those as are The National and The 1975 and they're just the ones beginning with The!
ReplyDeleteAs they say on Dragon's Den "....and that's why I'm out"