Heaven Is Whenever

You should have seen them there, on the front lines. While the rest of the crowd surged forward to get their hands on Blur and Beatles singles, Hold Steady die-hards raced towards the desk at Rough Trade East on Record Store day. Ready to climb over their fellow man to get to the album fastest, there was an audible groan as the scant handful of copies of the new long player found their way to greedy palms and were gone. The unlucky (who outnumbered the lucky by five to one) would have to wait for another week or so to hear it. But perhaps they were the lucky ones, delayed a slight disappointment. Because while The Hold Steady haven't made a bad album this time, they have n't made a really good one either. It's a good album with some problems.

The Hold Steady's latest album begins with "The Sweet Part of the City", a number about kids meeting up under theater marquees, drinking until they run out of booze, partying till the cops come, listening to music all night, and making runs for more liquor. The song is quintessential Craig Finn, especially when he reveals a twist ending in the final lines: "We were bored so we started a band," he admits. "We'd like to play for you." The line comes across like a stinging punchline, sad and self-aware: Kids start bands to tell their stories, yet their stories are often the same. They play music to feel transcendent, to feel larger than their mundane circumstances-- so why isn't the crowd paying attention?