The Hold Steady

Back before Thanksgiving a friend of mine was telling me about this band that people were comparing to Bruce Springsteen. The group was called The Hold Steady. It took some time, but I eventually bought the group's latest cd, Boys and Girls in America. My first instinct was to throw the cd into the trash and dash off something clever here about the dangers of comparisons.

For whatever reason, I didn't post anything on The Hold Steady, made up my list of the best music I heard during 2006, and avoided any sort of overrated comments. In the meantime, I gave Boys and Girls in America a few more listens. Here's what I came up with.

I can absolutely see why this cd is selling. I don't know how well its doing, but it got several favorable reviews. It's the perfect cd for that coveted 18-34 demographic that I haven't been a part of for several years.

If you are a party hearty kind of person, know someone that is, and/or you are a part of that almighty 18-24 demo, this cd is for you. How can you go wrong with song after song about getting high, fooling around when you're high, going to concerts when you're high, etc. etc. Everyone should be able to relate, no?

There's lots of drama on display on this cd. I described it to someone as teen angst. The drama, or angst, if you prefer, is set to some decent music, although for the life of me, I don't hear the Springsteen connection!

That leaves me to think that the comparisons were coming from the drama in the lyrics. I guess you could call Boys and Girls In America a Nebraska for 18-25 year olds. The lyrics are conversational and loaded with the kind of detail that people seem to think that Springsteen invented as a lyrical convention. For reference, I'd recommend giving a listen to Chuck Berry and before him, any number of blues artists whose songs contain the same kind of attention to detail.

I feel like I've written too much about this cd. It's not my cup of tea, but that doesn't make it a bad piece of work. In fact, the folks over in the UK are anxiously awaiting the arrival of The Hold Steady to their shores, so someone feels a connection with this group.

It ain't me.