Positive Jams

It's hard to have negative feelings for an album as optimistically titled as Stay Positive. Throw in The Hold Steady's track record of releasing some of the more exceptional studio albums of the past few years and this becomes an even more daunting task. Even so, considering the sheer genius that was 2006's Boys And Girls In America, The Hold Steady are surely destined to disappoint on their follow-up, right? I can safely answer this with a resounding WRONG! It's almost fitting that I happened to get my hands on Stay Positive the day after Memorial Day. Because more so than anything else, this is absolutely a summer record.

The album kicks off with an aggressive uptempto track called "Positive Summer," which is the perfect segue into the band's new body of material. The song retains the brilliant ramblings (a la the first three Springsteen albums) that frontman Craig Finn has so perfectly patented on the the band's first three releases, as well similar themes of youth rebellion and escape in middle America. An obvious nod to the the band's reckless idealism, Finn cleverly declares, "Me and my friends all like/Double whiskey, Coke, no ice/We drink alone in double time/I drink too much but you feel fine," and goes on to refer as "St. Joe Strummer" being his "only decent teacher." The momentum carries over into the equally terrific second track and first single "Sequestered In Memphis," which could have very well been a b-side off of Born To Run (see THIS earlier post for more on this song). "Song For Cutters" shows us some of the band's depth, showcasing Franz Nicolay's harpsichord playing abilities and Finn's witty storytelling about the tragic lives of Midwest townie drug addicts.

Positive progresses along beautifully into the heartbreaking "Lord, I'm Discouraged," highlighted by the most desperate tale of self-destruction since The Black Crowes' "She Talks To Angels." Building up slowly, the tune climaxes into a facemelting guitar solo that would garner Slash's seal of approval. Who knew the boys had it in 'em? But it is this crafty guitar work that gets carried over into the mood-changing "Yeah Sapphire", a song of redemption in which Finn confesses, "I was a skeptic at first, but these miracles work." From here on in, songs of desperation turn into songs of hope. The fist-pumping anthem "Stay Positive" seems to acknowledge all of the band's afforementioned negative undertones of youth struggle and retorts with feelings of reassurance that everything is going to be alright. The band gets a little playful with the Led Zeppelin inspired "Joke About Jamacia" -- a nod to the often mispronounced "D'Yer Maker." With references to a handful of LedZep songs ("Dancing Days," "Trampled Underfoot," "Dazed And Confused"), Finn proves that he is a wizard of wordplay on what is easily the best told story on the album. Stay Positive concludes on an extremely high note with the fantastic "Slapped Actress," a song that incorporates the layered guitars of yesteryear and comes full circle by reprising some of the band's earlier albums' themes ("almost killed me", Ybor City).

All I have to say is there is a reason why The Hold Steady was the the first band in 15 years to grace the cover of The Village Voice. This bands brings an excitement to music that is unparalleled (just check them out live). And although the guys kind of reinvent the wheel on Positive (lyrically, this disc is very similar to B&IA), they prove that they can consistently make a musically complex record all the while incorporating themes that don't seem to get tired. Hey, if the Boss can make a career out of this, why can't these guys? For me, this is a stellar effort and shows progression of a band that you can bank on.

My Rating: 9.0/10