KWCW

Now that the Hold Steady has released its third album, “Boys and Girls in America,” it doesn’t seem necessary to reference lead singer Craig Finn’s and guitarist Tad Kubler’s previous work in Minneapolis’ Lifter Puller: the Hold Steady has proven itself as a powerful and dynamic force of its own. The core of the band’s sound is created by the sometimes tension, sometimes harmony between Finn’s harsh, atonal rasp of a voice and the surging, classic-rock sound of the instruments. Fans of last year’s “Separation Sunday” and its album-spanning story of religion, confusion, sex, drugs, discovery, and rebirth will be pleased to catch glances of the characters of that epic, finding references to Gideon, Holly, and Charlemagne throughout the album. But mostly, Finn steps a bit farther away from his characters and lets listeners fill in the blanks, while his insightful, poetic lyrics make even his generalizations seem personal. Calling out witty one-liners (“I’ve had kisses that make Judas seem sincere”), he tackles his usual themes, telling stories of ennui and hedonistic escape, of ship-in-the-night lovers and rueful reminiscences as behind him the band unleashes furious guitar licks atop a twinkling piano and sharp drums. The combined force creates something that will move you, physically and mentally, until your hands hurt from air guitar and your head hurts from considering how “Boys and Girls in America have such a sad time together.”

4.5/5

Recommended if you like: E Street Band, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Elvis Costello

- Graham Trail

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 29th, 2006 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Indie, Pop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.