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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 13, 2022 1:11:13 GMT -5
“And it’s not so hard to sparkle when you’re blowing up” Disclaimer: I started off this thread before I knew about Messing With The Settings and the upcoming album. This ranking will therefore not pick up anything released after I Need A New War. I might add an appendix afterwards, but if you're looking for the new stuff in here, you won't find itI guess it was inevitable that we ended up here: With yet another thread ranking a batch of songs related to the expanded Hold Steady universe. It was sequesteredinuk who proposed the idea in the Lifter Puller thread. At first, I didn’t really think it was a great fit for me. Even though I know Craig’s solo albums very well, I don’t know them the same way I know Hold Steady or Lifter Puller. But I’ve been thinking about it, and I guess it can’t really hurt. None of us claims to have the final answer with lists like this. And it’s more about thinking about, writing about and listening to music than anything else. I like all of that stuff. With this ranking, even more so than with Hold Steady or Lifter Puller, I feel the need to underscore that the ranking itself isn’t the point. Of course, it’s impossible to differentiate between Craig Finn’s 38th and 29th best song, that sort of goes without saying. But Craig’s solo catalog also means something different to me than the catalog of his two bands. I enjoy every release a lot, and there’s gems in there I genuinely love. But Hold Steady is the single best band I’ve ever heard, and Lifter Puller is the sort of private, mystic epilogue to all of that. I’ve invested a lot more emotions and time in those two bands than what I’ve ever done with Craig’s solo output. It’s always been more about, I don’t know, perspective, a different take, both on the music and the lyrics. It’s related, but different. It’s like picking up a great collection of short stories from an author who previously wrote a grandiose novel series. Or watching the short movie output from a director known for life-chagning blockbusters. I’m not making a pure qualitative judgement here - I just think it’s fair to say that, yeah, it’s different. And one of the biggest reasons it’s different, it’s cause Craig’s solo material quite often is a) a pretty big leap from what Hold Steady do, and b) evolving in a pretty low key, but rather quick and also major way. It’s surprisingly rich, sprawling and layered, and sometimes even experimental. Not in a full on black metal or acid jazz kinda way, but in how these songs explore themes, sounds and perspectives with a rare nuance and depth. I don’t always dig it, and even when I’m left impressed, I can sometimes be a little reserved emotionally. But it’s always interesting, refreshing and, yeah, once again, different. And I think that’s a great starting point for a ranking like this too. The whole point about this ranking/countdown is to examine my own relationship with these songs, and invite all of you to do the same. Doing it in the format of a list, is just a tool, a vehicle, to do just that. And digging into Craig’s solo stuff the same way I’ve dug into Hold Steady and Lifter Puller is both really exciting, but also a little scary. I don’t really know these songs the same way I know Half Dead And Dynamite or Heaven Is Whenever. But I’m eager to a) learn them a little better, and b) use these texts to both explain and explore what corners of his songs, style and sound that really hits home with me. From what I’ve gathered, Craig Finn have released exactly 60 original studio recordings. I have access to 59 of those, either through Spotify or physical releases, but one seems to be really hard to hear: Respective Coasts. I’m gonna start off with #59, and put it in here somewhere if I get lucky enough to hear it again. That should make it 60 in total. Just as with the THS list, I’ve excluded cover songs. They can be nice enough, but it’s the original production I’m interested in here. The list is pretty straight-forward: I’ve tried to rank the songs by how much I enjoy them and how important they are to me personally - simple as that. This enjoyment can be rooted in very different things, but that’s the starting point. That also means that I don’t regard songs near the bottom of the list bad in any way. There’s just other songs I enjoy more. I have yet to hear a Craig Finn fronted song I didn’t enjoy in some way or another. So, please, come along for the ride. Share your own opinions, or criticize mine - you’re all welcome to discuss every single solo song Craig Finn have ever released.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 13, 2022 1:13:02 GMT -5
#59: ONCE YOU ROLL OVER (Features on the Jackson single, available on Spotify) This is the b-side for the UK single version of Jackson, and stems from the Clear Heart Full Eyes sessions. That album, the entire vibe of it, gets weirder each time I revisit it, in a way I really can’t explain. It sounds both very streamlined and clean in all its subdued and muted soundscape, but at the same time it points in so many different directions. One of them is the very pure country music direction, and this is probably the most crystal clear result of that. I think I’ve mentioned a couple of times before that I would love to hear a full Hold Steady album of C&W inspired americana, 40 full minutes of Sweet Part of Cheyenne Sunrise, or something like that. But Once You Roll Over sounds a little bit like the worst case scenario for an album like that: A country song pretty close to a pastiche, with all the right elements in place, apart from the emotional connection. Not in any way a bad song, it’s just not very interesting either. Apart from the lyrics, obviously, who sends nods, hints and winks in plenty of different directions. It’s almost a little chilling to hear Craig casually mixing up “sailors getting shipwrecked” with “breakfast” on a 2011 b-side.
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Post by thehudsonsteady on Mar 13, 2022 9:15:00 GMT -5
Just to say, Muzzle, I'm in! Hoping for a top 10 position for 'Galveston' and top 5 for 'Tangletown'. One of the best gigs I've ever been to was CF solo in Liverpool 2017(?) at a tiny little arts centre, touring WAWTST, really helped me get into an album I rate very highly. Wonder if I'll disagree with you on this one as much as your top 100 THS songs, hope so!
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 14, 2022 4:29:04 GMT -5
Just to say, Muzzle, I'm in! Hoping for a top 10 position for 'Galveston' and top 5 for 'Tangletown'. One of the best gigs I've ever been to was CF solo in Liverpool 2017(?) at a tiny little arts centre, touring WAWTST, really helped me get into an album I rate very highly. Wonder if I'll disagree with you on this one as much as your top 100 THS songs, hope so! Haha, I won't promise anything. I think I wrote about it somewhere in the THS thread, that it seems to exist a - give or take - canon among the fans, and that some their most beloved songs among all fans, also is rated high by the hardcore fans too. For Craig's solo catalog, I really struggle to get a sense of that canon, or that common opinon. And that's also a really interesting thing to bring up at the start of this thread. Apart from universal acclaim for God In Chicago, and (at least from what I gather) a general feeling that he's been improving from album to album, and that I Need A New War is a new peak, there's not that many songs that stick out. What are the fan favourites from Clear Heart Full Eyes? How do people thing We All Want The Same Things measure up to Faith In The Future? I don't know! This also make this list even more personal, in a way. When I did the THS song, I sort of mixed the song's general status in to the evaluation. It was always my own personal feelings about the songs who took center of the stage, but how I feel about some of these songs are obviously affected by their position in the Hold Steady mythology. Like Constructive Summer being a banger of an opener, and threated as such in live shows too, that Resurrection or Slapped Actress always serves as huge and emotional closers, that Stations and Hoodrat are the "hits" we all jump along too. Or Killer Parties, to pick the obvious song. With the four (++) albums from Craig, I don't have a sense of all of this. It's just songs, albums, something I can dig into from my own perspective. And that's both pretty refreshing, and also a little scary.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 14, 2022 4:30:41 GMT -5
#58: CHRISTINE (Faith In The Future)
I have to look long and hard for a song in the extended THS universe that I don’t really like, but if there’s one, I think it might be Christine. Faith In The Future was such a breath of fresh air when it arrived, and I think I had to go back to Boys And Girls to find an album I enjoyed as much, just as a pure listening experience. But I never got Christine, and I still don’t, really.
You know what I would like to see more? People comparing Craig’s solo albums to Van Morrison. I think it’s widely under-mentioned how much his stuff resonates in his 70s production. And this song is no exception, but it reminds me of what always made listening to full Van Morrison a tough task for me. Those lush, jazzy, shuffly jams who just don’t seem to go anywhere. And this is what Christine is to me, a static and claustrophobic little song who rubs me the wrong way melodically and chord wise.
A list is a list, and a ranking is a ranking. Some songs must be close to the bottom by default. I don’t hate Christine, I just feel very comfortable putting it at #58.
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Post by sequesteredinuk on Mar 14, 2022 8:08:13 GMT -5
Well done already Muzzle! I'm particularly looking forward to this list, I'll track and trace it for sure. Appropriate language for inappropriate times that is. I have on occasion made my own lists, I generally end up rethinking them though which causes me much angst. I find myself second guessing regularly, asking myself "what was I thinking there?", So for you to put your picks out there shows a confidence that I often struggle with.
I'm wondering with the benefit of hindsight and the passing of time , knowing how the passing of time both as an individual and living in a changing world, can you think of any changes you would make to your lists? Was there a song a two that you regret not ranking higher? Or a song or two that had faded somewhat through time?
I checked my personal list today and started arguing with myself almost immediately.in comparison your top ten Hold Steady tracks was completely different to mine. Songs that you ranked 26,31,53,55 and 80 were in my top ten. That doesn't mean anyone is right or wrong, it just illustrates how wildly opinion can differ with fans who both (or all) hold the same band in such high regard.
For example, you mentioned 'God in Chicago'being universally acclaimed,which is fair as it does seem the case. In fact I've met fans who've told me that THE ONLY Craig solo song they.like is that one!!🤦....this is where the each to their own attitude is tested severely!!Really?? The only one?? To many you can sound elitist by just sharing an honest opinion and on that track.I've always thought it was overstated. If you have a top 60 I wouldn't have it in the top 30. But that's just me.
The Van Morrison comparison is an interesting one. I often feel that an average Van track can be lifted by his remarkable voice, whereas Craig really has to be strong lyrically. I like them both, Van used to always say that 'Brown eyes girl' wasn't in his top 300 songs. I'd disagree slightly, I'd lessen that to 100 but 'best known songs'kind of have a life of their own after a while. Elvis Costello is the same with 'Alison' I suppose? I genuinely wouldn't put that in his top 300. But again, that's just me, whatever anyone can get out of music I respect.
I'll keep checking back in at regular intervals Muzzle, #59 and #58 I've no disagreement with. Well thought out explanation on both. I played both songs this morning, I'll continue to play them as you list them. It's dangerous going down that route I've found. I look up two tracks and I'm on for two hours listening to everything.😃
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Post by thrasher9294 on Mar 14, 2022 12:24:16 GMT -5
Excited to see it, man! Looking forward to your analysis. Sorry I still haven't posted any real list/opinions of mine in the LP thread, promises that I will at some point. including brokerdealer songs in this too?
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Post by kayfaberaven on Mar 14, 2022 13:17:53 GMT -5
Just popping in to say I'm looking forward to this.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 15, 2022 3:54:13 GMT -5
#57: WHEN NO ONE'S WATCHING (Clear Heart Full Eyes)
When No One’s Watching is the sound of unfulfilled potential. It has so many of those right elements in there, the structure, the vibe, the conversation driven lyrics with so much between the lines, but still: It’s just a little too short on everything. I think I sometimes unfairly attribute this general feeling of an idea not really coming out of its shell to the album as a whole, but looking back at the tracklist, this one really sticks out: A song that’s good, but where the lack of purpose or direction steals the attention.
And I don’t hear it as a sub par song released for convenience, not any of the participants in it being lazy either. I just get the feeling that the good idea behind the song must have felt more complete and fleshed out to the people in the room than it does to me as a listener. I sense an insecurity in it, a slight fear of going all in. It’s like the song is tip-toeing its way around itself, too shy to really blossom.
The song itself is a little hard to grasp musically. There’s some americana deep down there, some almost jolly 70s vibe, and a playfulness. I get the feeling that the band is somewhat muted and restrained. There’s a blueprint for a better, bigger, more eruptive song somewhere in there, but it’s kinda held back. Reservations bleeding into the performance.
It’s interesting to compare with the second track on the two albums following Clear Heart Full Eyes - Roman Guitars and Preludes - and how they feel filled with confidence, played and sung by a band and a singer at ease with the sound and style of it all. They’re not hugely different songs after all. They just feel very different.
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robs
Hoodrat
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Post by robs on Mar 15, 2022 7:44:08 GMT -5
Really looking forward to following this. It's certainly inspired me to revisit the entire CF catalogue. Especially I Need a New War, which I stopped listening too - not because of the quality - it was just too downbeat, too sad, for me at the time. Maybe this was where I was with the lockdown etc. Anyway, bring it on!!
Edited to add I wonder if and when we see any more CF solo material - it looks like THS's current productive period shows no sign of slowing down.
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Post by doctoracula on Mar 15, 2022 16:34:34 GMT -5
Respective Coasts might actually be my favorite Craig solo song
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 15, 2022 16:48:41 GMT -5
Really looking forward to following this. It's certainly inspired me to revisit the entire CF catalogue. Especially I Need a New War, which I stopped listening too - not because of the quality - it was just too downbeat, too sad, for me at the time. Maybe this was where I was with the lockdown etc. Anyway, bring it on!! Edited to add I wonder if and when we see any more CF solo material - it looks like THS's current productive period shows no sign of slowing down. We're on the same page with I Need A New War. I think it was sad in a really deep and surprisingly upsetting way. It felt better coming back to it, but for all it's flourishing arrangements, it's a pretty bleak album. I think we'll hear more from Craig quite soon, actually. Hopefully I'll be able to finish off this thread before another album drops.
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tbob
True Scene Leader
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Post by tbob on Mar 15, 2022 18:07:58 GMT -5
Count me in for this one muzzleofbees! I hope Dennis & Billy gets a decent placing after being left off All These Perfect Crosses.
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Post by sequesteredinuk on Mar 15, 2022 19:30:50 GMT -5
Count me in for this one muzzleofbees ! I hope Dennis & Billy gets a decent placing after being left off All These Perfect Crosses. I always thought Dennis & Billy was as Springsteen a song as Craig gets personally. I like it a lot too......It's bound to be #56 now..😁
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Post by sequesteredinuk on Mar 15, 2022 19:45:00 GMT -5
Nice to see a lot of feedback already on this thread. I can understand what some feel, or felt, about I need a new War, considering the times, I didn't feel like that personally but I understand..
My favourite Bruce album is Nebraska, so I'm at ease going down to the depths. I found myself down there with I need a new War....gratefully.
I'd have When no one's watching a lot higher Muzzle, but that's why it's your list and not mine. I think with Craig's characters we sometimes have our imagination tested but not with this track. I think we've all known or still know a creep like the central figure in this one. There's a cynicism and disdain in Craig's vocal in this one I enjoy also. I wish we'd see it more often frankly..
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tbob
True Scene Leader
Posts: 548
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Post by tbob on Mar 15, 2022 21:40:02 GMT -5
Count me in for this one muzzleofbees ! I hope Dennis & Billy gets a decent placing after being left off All These Perfect Crosses. I always thought Dennis & Billy was as Springsteen a song as Craig gets personally. I like it a lot too......It's bound to be #56 now..😁 I absolutely agree that it’s his most Springsteen song. I hear bits of The Boss in parts of THS’ back catalogue (particularly Stuck Between Stations which reminds me vocally of Boss circa Shuffle) but it’s Craig does Nebraska and he pulls it off perfectly. As for the placings I’m mostly anticipating where Muzz puts God in Chicago. Will he go with the common consensus or put it somewhere else in the top 10?! This is going to be fun.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 16, 2022 2:01:13 GMT -5
#56: INDICATIONS (I Need A New War)
The worst part about doing this in the style of a ranking, is that I’m bound to start off with the songs I like the least, and with that give the entire thread a somewhat negative spin from the get-go. I assure you, we’ll soon enough turn this into great chunks of positivity, but still, I think I have to start this off by saying: I Need A New War is a really impressive album. It’s so rich, so fully developed. And while it’s unmistakably Craig-y, both in the stories, the lyrics besides the pure narrative and in vocal style, it’s also an album I never quite imagined he would make. If the band hesitated to use “the dreaded M-word” (yeah, “mature”) about Open Door Policy, I doubt no one would hesitate to call I Need A New War a mature album.
But when the heart of the album is painted out in its broadest strokes, it’s just a little too much for me. On some songs, it’s the overwhelming everyday sadness that hits a little too close to home, while on other songs, like Indications, the sound and style just become a little too big… loungy, almost schmalzy, and yeah, mature. I don’t want to come off as a condescending critic here, and remember that this comes from a position of admiration and love. It’s just a sound and style that lands of the wrong side of my own preferences.
Indications is to me a little bit like listening to most of Bob Dylan’s output between Tempest (2012) and Rough And Rowdy Ways (2020). Impressive, fully-formed but still not my cup of tea, draped in a style and a genre that does not appeal very much to me. Not that Craig is doing a genre exercise here, this is definitely an original piece of music and art. It’s just music and art I don’t attach emotionally too. Another parallel. although sonicially different, might be some of the “hard and heavy” sounding songs which I wrote a fair bit about in the THS thread - On With The Business might be the best example. I totally get what the band want to achieve in those songs, I understand the language. But it’s just not my thing.
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Post by thehudsonsteady on Mar 16, 2022 4:19:41 GMT -5
No, no, NO! Muzzle, I could forgive you not ranking Eureka and Joke about Jamaica higher in the THS countdown, but you've gone too far! Indications is a real highlight from INANW, sounds unlike anything else on the album, it's the Hanover Camera of CF's solo work. I am distraught..........!
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Post by sequesteredinuk on Mar 16, 2022 12:06:23 GMT -5
I like indications. There was a time in my life when I probably wouldn't have? I'm not mature however...just old. The first time I witnessed this song live I remember thinking that this is like being in a jazz club and I should be clicking my fingers along with this and trying to get the waitresses attention so I can order a dry martini. 🤔...somehow it felt good though.
There was kind of a jazz vibe coming off the stage that whole last solo tour I thought. It's never too late to be cool is it? I too expected a higher ranking for this one but that's why we keep returning I think. If we agreed on everything it would be a boring world. I think my list would be boring as well as ten of the top twenty would most likely come from I Need a New War.
So thanks for saving the world from that Muzzle. Your efforts are appreciated.👏👏
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Post by kayfaberaven on Mar 16, 2022 12:23:52 GMT -5
So far this thread is reminding me that I know Craig's songs, but I don't really know the names of all of them. ..
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 16, 2022 14:14:33 GMT -5
So great with lots of feedback! I'll try to keep my replies up to date, and collect some of them here. I'd have When no one's watching a lot higher Muzzle, but that's why it's your list and not mine. I think with Craig's characters we sometimes have our imagination tested but not with this track. I think we've all known or still know a creep like the central figure in this one. There's a cynicism and disdain in Craig's vocal in this one I enjoy also. I wish we'd see it more often frankly.. Great point! I'm really fond of that disdain and sneer too. Sometimes I hear it as a flipside of the more defeated narrator in The Only Thing. Where he's like "sure she was with you/ but first she was with me", in a tone of tired acceptance, the narrator in When No One's Watching have a lot more bitterness, even sarcasm, in him. And while I like it, I also find it a little emotionally under-stimulating, if that makes sense. And you're spot on when you say that this character doesn't really test our imagination, great put. I absolutely agree that it’s his most Springsteen song. I hear bits of The Boss in parts of THS’ back catalogue (particularly Stuck Between Stations which reminds me vocally of Boss circa Shuffle) but it’s Craig does Nebraska and he pulls it off perfectly. As for the placings I’m mostly anticipating where Muzz puts God in Chicago. Will he go with the common consensus or put it somewhere else in the top 10?! This is going to be fun. I haven't really spent that much time with Nebraska. I know what it sounds like, but I don't really know the album. Maybe I should give it another spin, I have it here in several formats, haha. As for God In Chicago - we'll see! It love that you just imply that it's in the top ten No, no, NO! Muzzle, I could forgive you not ranking Eureka and Joke about Jamaica higher in the THS countdown, but you've gone too far! Indications is a real highlight from INANW, sounds unlike anything else on the album, it's the Hanover Camera of CF's solo work. I am distraught..........! Haha, man, this is gonna be rough! Yeah, I was a bit uncertain about wheter to put it that low. I get what the song is, and as I said, I respect it and think it's well executed. It just ticks of so many boxes in my negative column. It's a pure preference thing. And the Hanover Camera paralell are pretty good. I don't really dig the style of that either - but I find it more intruiging, more layered, in a way. I like indications. There was a time in my life when I probably wouldn't have? I'm not mature however...just old. The first time I witnessed this song live I remember thinking that this is like being in a jazz club and I should be clicking my fingers along with this and trying to get the waitresses attention so I can order a dry martini. 🤔...somehow it felt good though. Yes, spot on. Like a jazz club. Which is soooo far off my thing, haha. I spent my early 20s digging through pretty much every genre I could, exploring black metal, electronica, hiphop... and jazz. And I never got the jazz thing. It's just a melodic language that don't translate well to me. Oh well, we can't have it all.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 16, 2022 14:17:29 GMT -5
#55: APOLLO BAY (Clear Heart Full Eyes)
This is such a dark song, and also one who feels deeply personal, and - dare I say - autobiographical. It’s always hard to assume this when it comes to Craig’s writing, but I get the sense that this song is somewhat removed from a narrative universe inhabited by characters with name and a backstory, and zooms in on the author as the narrator, alone in his car, displaced and in pain. I’m not saying it’s necessarily a true, and self-lived story from Craig’s life. But the emotions and the feeling in it doesn’t seem to be attributed to a character. These are his own words, if that makes sense.
It’s not your regular album opener, let alone the start of the solo career by a beloved frontman in a sparkling rock’n’roll band, but it’s sure as hell interesting. And for what it’s worth, I think it’s one of the songs from the debut where Craig gets the most out of his backing band, instrumentally. They really play up the general feeling in the melody and the lyrics, with piercing licks of guitar, followed by temporarily soothing waves of melody. There’s a great connection between the words and music here, and they build a compelling and believable soundscape.
There’s plenty of things to appreciate in Apollo Bay, and especially the sense of claustrophobia, nearness and earnestness. This sounds deeply personal, an agonized glimpse into a desperate point in a pretty bleak trajectory. But as a pure listening experience, it ranks pretty low for me.
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Post by sequesteredinuk on Mar 16, 2022 19:19:12 GMT -5
I think.you're spot on with the autobiographical take on Apollo Bay Muzzle. At least a moment in time being captured in song. But the 'I' in this song is almost certainly Craig himself.
At the conclusion of the first Hold Steady shows in Australia the band flew home and Craig stayed in Australia to explore. It's kind of transparent as Craig gets in truth. As close to a trip adviser review as it gets also. There's the explanation of why he went to Apollo Bay, Victoria. How he was feeling, what brought him to that point. The Americana** 'her' being a car rather than a traveling companion.There's many Australian, specifically Victorian, references littered throughout the track. the twelve apostles tourist spot, with tourists taking photographs. The 6 or 7 VBs, the local beer (Victoria Bitter, which is really lager, not like bitter in the UK), Craig's intentions when he gets there are offered in a self therapeutic fashion in the final two verses.
Ultimately I think it's below par. I'd agree with 50 something spot for this one. There's kind of a melodic sameness about the riffs that roll alongside Craig's lyrics that had me thinking 'when's it going to end?' on this one on my first listen and time hasn't swung me around to a greater appreciation of it unfortunately.
I feel that there's an opportunity missed in this song somehow, it could have been memorable but it's just not. In fact if it wasn't album #1, track #1 you might not notice it at all?
**Despite living the majority of my adult life in the States I'm still British in my description and affection for the car. It's not 'her', it's 'it'😁
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 17, 2022 9:00:16 GMT -5
#54: RAM IN THE THICKET (All These Perfect Crosses)
One of these days, I’m gonna make a full list of all the California songs in the LP/THS/CF world. There’s just so many of them, with so many different takes on what this state really means, and what it has to offers for the people who drop by. More than that: In many of the lyrics it serves as an ideal, an image, something to juxtapose the everyday life somewhere back home, wherever that is, with.
Ram In The Thicket is one of these songs. “California came on with a promise/ at first I kinda believed/ now it seems needy and desperate”, Craig croons here, in the middle of a vague but familiar tale of motels, mattresses, sacrifice, parking lots and getting stuck. I can’t decipher what it all means, but it’s damn sure pretty Craig-y.
What drags the song down a little bit for me, is the sameness in the melody and arrangement. I kinda dig that full-bodied, warm and still sort of hectic sound that so many of his later solo songs are bathing in, but here it seems to me like it’s mostly a cover-up for a sub par melody. As I’ve already said a couple of times: It’s not by any means bad, it’s just not that interesting either.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Mar 20, 2022 14:07:52 GMT -5
#53: TRACKING SHOTS (We All Want The Same Things)
It’s weird how an album can form an opinion about, and context for a single song. And I’m not sure that’s everything that’s happening here, but coming up towards the end of We All Want The Same Things, I kinda want more lush, atmospheric pop, not a ramshackle rocker. Tracking Shots is energetic, focused and clean-cut, but it also showcases how much more energetic Hold Steady are.
I’m wary of making comparisons between Hold Steady and Craig’s solo output for a lot of reasons. First, and most important, I really don’t think there’s any need to, in most cases. Craig’s universe stands on its own legs, have its own gravitas, by now. I don’t think it’s very constructive to measure it up to an imagined scale of Hold Steady-ness. Second, I think it’s a little unfair, both on Craig’s and the band’s part. This is Craig’s songs, written and arranged in a way that suits him, while Hold Steady very much is an collaborative effort, where Tad (and increasingly Franz and Steve) are the main musical force, backing up Craig’s amazing lyrics and enigmatic frontman appearance.
But when Craig enters rock’n’roll territory, it’s tough to now at least think in that direction. And while it doesn’t make me feel that Tracking Shots is flawed, it make me realize how extremely well tempered and fine-tuned Hold Steady are at their best. There’s plenty of cool elements in here: The frantic saloon piano, the wild horns at the end and the way Craig and the band blaze through such a hectic song while still leave air and space in the mix. In the end, I just don’t think the song and the melody quite holds up. It’s good, but it also leave me longing for something a tad sharper (nu pun intended).
The lyrics, though. Man, they’re some tough shit. They kinda get lost in the party here, but on paper they read out more like a Lifter Puller tale than something from the 2010s. Here sexy skeletons, hard kisses and money smelling like gasoline on freeways and frontage roads. Take time to read it all through, it’s really good.
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