We gotta stay positive

Ryan Thompson is not a music journalist, but I do love music.

The Hold Steady.

Sure upon first listen they are just some bar rock band in which the 'singer' Craig Finn kind of talks more then sings. And every song involves pop culture references, drug usage, and just songs about American youth, but they are so much more. If there is one thing m IChat away messages can tell you, its that I like this band, and the lyrics they write(I think I might have mentioned that before). The are very simple yet poetic, like Bukowski or Ginsberg. Each album involves the same cast of (fictional?) characters, mainly taking place in a fictionalized Minneapolis. Every song involves these themes, and many even contain the same phrases and expressions through out album to album.

From album to album:

Almost Killed Me - An introduction to the band. The album starts off with the song 'positive jam'. "I got bored when I didn't have a band, so I started a band, man" Finn is of course referring to his previous band, Lifter Puller (or Lftr Pllr if you are cool). They had a very similar music style, but instead of that bar rock sound they had more of an 'indie rock vibe'. "We've got to start it off with a positive jam, man". Other songs on this album make brief references to Lifter Puller, and also songs start to bring in the cast of characters.

Separation Sunday - My personal favorite album. The first track on this cd opens with the line, "she said always remember never to trust me, yeah she said they the first night that she met me". From the start you realize this is an incoherent story of a religious girl who gets tangled up with some sketchy drug-using people, but then ends up getting saved in the end.

Boys And Girls in America - The first line is, "there are nights when i think that sal paradise was right. boys and girls in America have such a sad time together". This album is about the relationship of a boy and a girl, and the rises and falls that they go through.

Stay Positive - Their newest album. The lyrical content revolves around a murder of a couple of kids. The third track, 'One for the Cutters' contains the lines, "Now the cops want to question everyone present. They parade every townie in town through the station. But no one says nothing and they can't find the weapon. The girl takes the stand and she swears she was with him. Her father's lawyers do most of the talking". An interesting note is that the title track is kind of a thank you to the fans, and is a big throw back to each previous cd, borrow lines from each previous album.
For example, the 2nd verse goes: "When the chaperone crowned us the king and the queen, I knew that we’d arrived at a unified scene. And all those little lambs from my dreams, well, they were there, too. 'Cause it’s one thing to start it with a positive jam, and it’s another thing to see it on through. And we couldn’t’ve even done this, if it wasn’t for you. We gotta stay positive. We gotta stay positive. We gotta stay positive. We gotta stay positive".

What does any of this mean, well i guess its all speculation. But to quote the song 'Charlemagne in Sweatpants' off their 2nd album, Sepertation Sunday:

"do you want me to tell it like its boy meets girl and the rest is history? or do you want it like a murder mystery? i'm gonna tell it like a comeback story".

Separation Sunday - A comeback story.
Boys and Girls in America - Boy meets girl and the rest is history.
Stay Positive - A murder mystery.

Craig Finn is clearly putting much thought into each song and lyric in this band. I am excited and I wonder where they will go from here. One other quick note worth mentioning is that they are an incredible live band. Perhaps that is a topic for another day.