#042 The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever

One of my favorite bands going, this is their new one.

I was a bit nervous, each of their album's been a bit worse than the last. The lyrics are good enough, but sort of feel like someone trying to do the Boys and Girls in America era Hold Steady thing, without quite pulling it off. This definitely continues their journey away from straightforward riffers into more nuanced territory, and it largely works here, more so than on Stay Positive. Weekenders is downright pretty, and Barely Breathing actually takes all the tricks, twists, keyboards and horns (!) and turns them into one of the band's most exciting songs (like a hard rock Life in a Glass House). The songs are downright complex in their sound, and Craig spends more time singing mealy mouthed than outright shouting - though the energy kicks up nicely near the end, and the hypnotic stomp of A Slight Discomfort is an interesting direction for them.

Its weird seeing the band go in this direction. Does it work? The fact is, they're at their best when the music is simple and the album structure is complex, and I don't know if this will pass Boys and Girls in America for the non-concept-album prize. I doubt it, but I already like it better than Stay Positive. BaGiA was a grower, lets see how this one fares 4/5