Customer Reviews

Boys & Girls in America

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

How could they possibly top Separation Sunday, you're thinking. I'm not sure how they did it, either, but it's true: The Hold Steady's latest, Boys and Girls in America, is their magnum opus and hopefully the shiny silver platter that propels them to the success they so deserve. Craig Finn's poetic lyrics are as good as ever here as he recounts romancing gamblers ("Chips Ahoy"), near death experiences at druggy music festivals("Chillout Tent," with excellent guest vocals by Dave Pirner), slick alibis for mall altercations ("Hot Soft Light), and more. Old characters return, and the music has never sounded better: crunchy guitars, tinkling keyboards, and that filthy, real, barroom feel. An outstanding effort. They'll be hard-pressed to top this one, but won't it be fun to be along for the ride as they try?

Here's the deal: Craig Finn doesn't sing like most rock frontmen. That's the Mason-Dixon Line of the people who listen to The Hold steady. You love him or hate him. He is nasily, somewhat monotone, and rants more than harmonizes. On the other hand, he is a brilliant story-teller, clever phrase turner, and uses references as diverse as The Beastie Boys.

I personally love him, but I understand that he is not everyone's cup of chai. The music is reminiscent of early Bruce Springsteen or Joe Jackson and of course The Band. Standouts are "Chips Ahoy" and "You can make Him like You." Try it. You might like it.

Being an Eastsider a stone's throw from Sweet Payne Ave., I am once again thrilled to know solidarity with a (at one time local) band that makes room for a lot of life in their music--not just romantic idealism and not just defeatist nihilism--they tend to capture pieces of life's dialectic nature, which is nice, nice: Hope/Despair, Progress/Setback, Connection/Isolation--life that always ends in death, but death that has at least lost its sting. The Hold Steady continue to be who they are, you may or may not like them, but it is hard to judge or dismiss something this unapologetically unique. The more you demand likeability from music the less you'll probably like The Holdsteady--not because they aren't likeable, but because you'd be missing the point. This album is good alone and better when put in its narrative context (following Almost Killed Me and Sep. Sunday). I was pleased to get an update on the messed up teenage lives of Holly et al. And was especially glad to hear something resembling a ballad or two (First Night, Citrus, Arms and Hearts), Crucifixion Cruise got me wanting more of that. If you're not into or can't meet the demands of the recorded poetic/talk lyrics of an Ivy League grad, then I beseech you to see The Hold Steady in concert--I've been three times and can testify that what might be lacking in a snapshot recording is made up in the storytelling energy of the moment--stories are meant to be told not recorded after all.

I love this album and I love the Hold Steady. I want to get that out of the way at the outset. I say this because I don't want my following comments misconstrued as part of the rather mindless stream of criticism that seems to follow this band around. There is no question that the Hold Steady is the recipient of more unfounded and ill-considered bashing of any bad around. Not by critics! Music critics rightfully praise the band as one of the finest in the world. And the praise is deserved. These guys obviously care passionately about their music and engage in absolutely no poser gamesmanship that their critics foist on them. I've tried hard to understand why people dislike the band. OK, Craig Finn doesn't sing so much as declaim, but he declaims well and is an absolutely brilliant lyricist. Musically, the rest of the band is a bunch of crackerjacks. Tad Kubler is one of the finest guitarists plying his craft in America. On top of all this, they are absolutely brilliant live performers, generous with the audience, working hard to put on a great show. Yet, the critics (again, not by critics or people who actually know what they talk about) persist.

So, on to what I have to say that could be construed as criticism. I give this album five stars because it deserves it. But I will add that I think this is the band's least brilliant album to date. Mind you, I don't think they are in decline or that this represents a disappointing effort. In many ways it is their slickest, most polished album yet. They are obvious masters of their craft and I think they well deserve their #4 ranking in the prestigious Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll, which I think laps the Grammies several times in terms of credibility. The Poll is voted on by nearly 500 of the most prestigious rock critics in the world. For any album to finish in the top five means it has some serious chops going on. Nonetheless, my favorite Hold Steady album remains ALMOST KILLED ME followed by SEPARATION SUNDAY.

I could very well be wrong, but it seems to me that BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA lacks just a hint of the edge that I found in the earlier albums. And I find that I don't love as many songs on the album as passionately as I do on previous albums. Not that songs like "Chips Ahoy" and "Hot Soft Light" aren't incredible. And they've never played as intensely as on "Same Kooks." But nearly every song on ALMOST KILLS ME simply blows me away. Not so on this one. Also -- and I confess this is a purely personal bias -- I don't like the way that the addition of keyboards to the mix. I didn't like it on SEPARATION SUNDAY and I like it less on BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA. I prefer the band as a quartet than as a quintet.

If you get this as your first Hold Steady album, if you have any musical taste or sophistication at all, it is going to blow you away. You will be amazed at how literate and articulate Craig Finn's lyrics are. He is an amazing front man, though he is also the focus of much of the hatred for the poor souls who mindlessly shut themselves out from the band. His delivery of the lyrics is astonishing, but what he does can barely be described as singing. And he simply doesn't look like a rocker. He looks, in fact, like he should be selling household appliances at Best Buy. Or perhaps doing your taxes at H & R Block. If you saw the guy on the street and were asked to list the 1,000 most likely occupations for him, rock star would not make the list. He doesn't even look like he could be a record store clerk. But he is one of the most brilliant people in rock today. So also is guitarist Tad Kubler. My one regret about the Hold Steady albums is that they don't give Kubler enough room to put his vast skills on guitar on display. Still, this is a great album. And if you love this but don't have their two earlier albums, you've got a lot to look forward to.

Many argue that the best rock and roll is about sex, drugs and rock and roll itself. Well the Hold Steady provide a song cycle on that very subject with his album, BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA. Channeling GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK era Springsteen through a hard rock sensibility, the Hold Steady paint a picture of drinking, drugging and scoring at the suburban mall that's as vivid as the Beach Boy's California summer, the Drive by Trucker's Dirty South or Springsteen's Jersey Shore. It's a record that's full of dynamic music and great lyrics, but will we respect it in the morning?

As a 30 something listener who heard about Separation Sunday from NPR, this new album reminds me that I am probably not representative of The Hold Steady's audience. Boys and Girls is musically every bit as distinguished as the previous two efforts. Indeed the musicianship and production values are arguably better.

The lyrics here, though, are not as complex as Separation Sunday's or as inspired as Almost Killed Me's. They also come accross as much more targeted to kids in need of role models. Of course, this aim was plainly apparent from the earlier CDs. And I have often argued that one of the great things about The Hold Steady is that they display an uncommon conscientiousness about their particular role as entertainers.

But now that I listen to Boys and Girls, particularly "Chillout Tent", "You Can Make Him Like You", and "Southtown Girls" I feel like its gone a little too far. I much prefer the subtlety and ambiguity of Finn's lyrics on the first two discs.

Okay, I didn't really care for Hold Steady's previous album, "Separation Sundays." It had great lyrics, but the musical side was lackluster and the lyrics, though the saving grace, were often hard to decipher. "Boys and Girls in America" is, however, excellent. The lyrics maintain the same quality, and the musical end has improved drastically. If you've heard a little of the Hold Steady and don't get the appeal, check out this album. Or, if you're looking for a jump-off point, this is it. If you like this album, then you should look into "Separation Sundays," but I would advise going with this one first.

The first two CDs are very good but Boys and Girls is excellent because for the first time the band really flexs its musical muscles as it were. It all comes together in a series of fantastic songs that build in force and virtuosity. Rolling Stone called the Hold Steady the best bar band in America so go see them!So what if Craig Finn sounds like Warren Zevon or Bruce Springsteen ( a little), it works for me. Just see if 'First Night' doesn't give you chills.

Contrary to what many reviewers here believe, this record is not about mindless drugs and drinking. It's about how the empty lives of "boys and girls in America" are about mindless drugs and drinking. It's takes a special kind of perverse genius to devote an entire record to attacking the very demographic group most likely to be buying your record. But, hey, Nirvana did it and sold millions ("Smells Like Teen Spirit")! ("Chillout Tent" could be the most devastating song ever written about teen/20 something air heads.)

Much has been written about Craig Finn's literary influences, but in fact he's far better than his source material. What is boring and sort of silly over the endless hundreds of pages of "On the Road" is brilliant when crammed into 3 or 4 minute songs. And more importantly, this is flat out great rock & roll. And the much maligned piano fills are perfect. None of the songs are anywhere near as ephochal as Springsteen at his best, but it's a million times more intelligent than Springsteen. And a hell of a lot funnier.

The eleven samples for this CDs are all labeled as "EXPLICIT." Ha!

This is a remarkable album, although one I would want to keep my Ramones loving pre-teen away from - they are doing more than sniffing glue here. Yes, there is much drinking and drugging - I been there and seen that and it is a bit sophomoric and repetitive, but this band just rocks and it is funny and bright at times deadly brilliant. And, if you are bright they tell you the downside of constabnt partying.

"Citrus" is tender and accurate - soft and understated. Wonderful acoustic guitar. I am a pushover for novel love songs. And they lament the violence caused by drug traffic:

"I feel Jesus in the clumsiness of young and awkward lovers
I feel Judas in the long odds of the rackets on the corners
I feel Jesus in the tenements of honest, nervous lovers
I feel Judas in the pistols and the pagers that come with all the powders"

"Chillout Tent" is funny and sad and inspired - Hair for the new those who still have hair. I am a pushover for inventive love songs.

"they started kissing when the nurses took off their IVs,
it was kinda sexy, but it was kinda creepy.
their mouths were fizzy with the cherry cola,
they had the privacy of bedsheets
and all the other kids were mostly in comas."

"You Can Make Him Like You" is explicitly perfect - a desert island song. I am a pushover for cynical love songs.

"they say you don't have a problem
untill you start to do it alone
they say you don't have a problem
untill you start bringing it home
they say you don't have a problem
untill you start sleeping alone"

The chorus/chant on "Chips Ahoy!" is genius and for once outlines the down side of drug dependency - there are drugs, and there is lust but there is no intimacy or honest joy. It is funny and sad song and this makes it almost literature.

"wo-ah-oh-ee-ah-oh-ee-oh
wo-ah-oh-a-ee-oh-oh
wo-ah-oh-ee-ah-oh-ee-oh
wo-ah-oh-a-ee-oh-oh"

Buy this CD. Hear their live free concert on NPR's All Songs Considered Concert podcast.

Vaya con or sin drugs. Just buy it.