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Post by thehudsonsteady on Mar 27, 2023 15:08:54 GMT -5
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Post by thehudsonsteady on Mar 28, 2023 0:09:24 GMT -5
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Post by thehudsonsteady on Mar 28, 2023 11:50:28 GMT -5
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Post by maaskesr on Mar 29, 2023 10:32:29 GMT -5
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Post by ansible on Mar 30, 2023 13:49:21 GMT -5
Hello there, long-time lurker, figured as good a time as any to quit the silence. This board has been pretty great to read, even as late in the BBS game as we are. Initially I recall coming with intent to map what story I could, but it was already being done and that was a pretty wild ride for a couple years. I also owe my love of Lifter Puller to this place, it feels kinda special already.
Anyway. Aside from Massive Nights I haven't listened to the new tracks yet. I am trying to put my finger on why, aside from preferring the album format. Something about how a song evolves and changes before a studio recording is made. Regardless. Very excited for tomorrow.
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TKalltheTime
Sniffling Indie Kid
Blotto / Blacked Out / Cracked Out / Caved In
Posts: 194
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Post by TKalltheTime on Mar 30, 2023 21:18:17 GMT -5
There aren’t any extra tracks on digi or vinyl.
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Post by dannyhatch on Mar 31, 2023 0:33:08 GMT -5
Man, I wish Flyover Halftime went on longer but I do love that little exclamation point jump scare that ends the song/album.
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Post by ansible on Mar 31, 2023 0:53:42 GMT -5
Mmm I did not expect to be up when it dropped but no choice now. "The suspense is terrible! I hope it will last."
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Post by ansible on Mar 31, 2023 1:42:45 GMT -5
Oh Lord it sounds good, it sounds really good. I can't even get past Grand Junction yet. I hear Billy Joel all over this track. It just makes me want to be at a Hold Steady show.
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Post by charlemagne on Mar 31, 2023 12:20:46 GMT -5
Just listened to the whole thing through while on a bike ride ... The Birdwatchers just blew me away. Grand Junction and Understudies really stand out as well. I'm sure it'll grow on me more through repeated listens, much like ODP did.
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Post by star18 on Mar 31, 2023 13:56:47 GMT -5
I listened to the record in full on my commute in this morning. (Of course, I'd heard the three singles already.)
First impression -- this is by far the most melancholic Hold Steady album, and a bit of a left turn in their discography. As others have pointed out, there isn't an obvious fist-pumping anthem, but there's tons of texture, funkiness, and atmosphere.
I don't think any of that is a bad thing. If The Price Of Progress was the first record released after the post-Teeth Dreams hiatus, I think it might feel like a letdown. But between Thrashing and Open Door Policy, we've gotten a LOT of big, jubilant guitar jams over the past five years. So if this is a bit of a black-sheep record, that's perfectly fine with me. It might not be the THS record you throw on at the start of the party, but it might be the best THS record for sipping a whiskey late at night.
"Carlos is Crying" is an early standout for me musically -- the melody is compelling, the rhythms bouncy while still keeping a bit of that Stones strut. Lyrically, I think "The Birdwatchers" gives us a lot to chew on -- at least those of us who are still trying to piece the whole mythology together on a bulletin board covered in yarn. And "Distortions of Faith" might be the saddest THS song since "Oaks."
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Post by lukefrombl on Mar 31, 2023 15:31:08 GMT -5
Album is excellent. What a shocker that the boys just keep hitting doubles and triples. I really thought they were about to fall off after Thrashing through the Passion they they release these last two and they're both among their best. Incredible.
For me it's an 8 out of 10 on first listen, could have been a 9 with a different producer (I'm a Kauffman truther IDC IDC IDC). Carlos is Crying is an instant classic, as is Understudies.
P.S. does anyone else think Craig sounds a little like late career Eddie Vedder on this album? Especially on Grand Junction?
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tbob
True Scene Leader
Posts: 548
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Post by tbob on Mar 31, 2023 22:40:00 GMT -5
Album is excellent. What a shocker that the boys just keep hitting doubles and triples. I really thought they were about to fall off after Thrashing through the Passion they they release these last two and they're both among their best. Incredible. For me it's an 8 out of 10 on first listen, could have been a 9 with a different producer (I'm a Kauffman truther IDC IDC IDC). Carlos is Crying is an instant classic, as is Understudies. P.S. does anyone else think Craig sounds a little like late career Eddie Vedder on this album? Especially on Grand Junction? I see it. The thing is Eddie doesn’t sing so much anymore. I saw Pearl Jam last summer and they were brilliant but EV sing speaks a lot now. I’m not sure it’s an influence on Craig, in fact I’m sure he’s not but I’ve always loved Pearl Jam and if it wasn’t for grunge bands, or the Smashing Pumpkins being shite, I would never have watched THS at Reading 2007. I fell in love that Sunday night. Cost me thousands. Worth every penny!
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Post by doctorwu on Apr 1, 2023 3:20:15 GMT -5
Used it as soundtrack for a five-miler yesterday and got a runner’s high from listening to new HS songs! Carlos Is Crying and Sixers are the first standouts, it’s all promising though. There aren’t any extra tracks on digi or vinyl. They’re coming.
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Post by doctorwu on Apr 1, 2023 6:00:54 GMT -5
Interesting nerd observation; think this is the first HS album where Franz’s songwriting contributions outstrip Tad’s - four Finn/Nicolay songs, three Finn/Kubler tracks and one Finn/Kubler/Nicolay co-write (plus one Finn and one Finn/Selvidge).
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Post by cryingcarlos on Apr 1, 2023 14:17:32 GMT -5
Great album, already hooked. Anyone found any references to other albums/songs/characters? Would Carlos’ sister (“Carlos is Crying”) be the same chick in “Denver Haircut” from Thrashing Thru The Passion? “Carlos had been distant since his sister went to Denver with that dickhead” This part of the song makes me believe that. Any thoughts?
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Post by lukefrombl on Apr 3, 2023 9:24:11 GMT -5
Album is excellent. What a shocker that the boys just keep hitting doubles and triples. I really thought they were about to fall off after Thrashing through the Passion they they release these last two and they're both among their best. Incredible. For me it's an 8 out of 10 on first listen, could have been a 9 with a different producer (I'm a Kauffman truther IDC IDC IDC). Carlos is Crying is an instant classic, as is Understudies. P.S. does anyone else think Craig sounds a little like late career Eddie Vedder on this album? Especially on Grand Junction? I see it. The thing is Eddie doesn’t sing so much anymore. I saw Pearl Jam last summer and they were brilliant but EV sing speaks a lot now. I’m not sure it’s an influence on Craig, in fact I’m sure he’s not but I’ve always loved Pearl Jam and if it wasn’t for grunge bands, or the Smashing Pumpkins being shite, I would never have watched THS at Reading 2007. I fell in love that Sunday night. Cost me thousands. Worth every penny! That's awesome. I actually love later career Pearl Jam so this is no slight at all. They rule.
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Post by maaskesr on Apr 3, 2023 14:51:27 GMT -5
I see it. The thing is Eddie doesn’t sing so much anymore. I saw Pearl Jam last summer and they were brilliant but EV sing speaks a lot now. I’m not sure it’s an influence on Craig, in fact I’m sure he’s not but I’ve always loved Pearl Jam and if it wasn’t for grunge bands, or the Smashing Pumpkins being shite, I would never have watched THS at Reading 2007. I fell in love that Sunday night. Cost me thousands. Worth every penny! That's awesome. I actually love later career Pearl Jam so this is no slight at all. They rule. Pearl Jam is what got me into music, and their first five albums are some of my favorite ever recorded. That said, they’ve completely lost me on especially their last two, but luckily I don’t hear the similarities and am digging the new one. Glad you guys are still into them tho!
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Post by star18 on Apr 3, 2023 16:08:10 GMT -5
Great album, already hooked. Anyone found any references to other albums/songs/characters? Would Carlos’ sister (“Carlos is Crying”) be the same chick in “Denver Haircut” from Thrashing Thru The Passion? “Carlos had been distant since his sister went to Denver with that dickhead” This part of the song makes me believe that. Any thoughts? There's a bunch for sure. Grand Junction gives us a named character -- Janie -- that we haven't seen before, although this could be an analog to "Jesse" from Stay Positive (and perhaps, earlier albums). Her ring gets attention, could that be the "claddagh ring pointed at the people?" Sideways Skull seems to take place in a halfway house, which reminds me of the "Saint Catherine's" setting from "Family Farm." In both cases, "they" are taking something away (your headphones, matches). This song also references a "video cabin," a strange term that calls to mind the "video booth" of "How A Resurrection Really Feels." In a much broader sense, this song also calls into the question how much of the narrative is real versus imagined/embellished ("I was rolling my eyes at the ritual lies, okay, maybe half of that happened") which quite honestly might be a fair question for the entire project. "The pesky problem of the tepid turnout" also calls to mind "So many shows where nobody comes out," from "Curves & Nerves." Carlos is Crying names a bar ("Skippers") which is unusual in the catalog (usually it's just "the bar" or "the taverns," etc.) Despite the name, this sounds a lot like the bars by the river that we first heard about in "Certain Songs" ("she's neck deep in the steamy dreams of the guys along the harbor bars"). It also seems like the narrator of this song might be a waiter/bartender as well ("slipped out of my shift on some sort of screw-up with the schedule" -- that doesn't happen with a 9-5 job). From the earlier songs, both Charlemagne and Jesse are known to work in bars/restaurants. Speaking of which, we can maybe link Carlos to Charlemagne himself, both of those names come from the same root. Is the sister's bad-news boyfriend the same guy getting his haircut in Denver? Possibly! There's also a theory (espoused elsewhere on this board) that in many cases, real-world locations serve as representations for states of mind -- that "California" represents "making it big," and "Colorado" represents "getting high." This theory was, in part, born out of the idea that some of the travelogues become pretty impractical for a bunch of broke ne'er-do-wells. So if you go with that, "went to Denver with some dickhead" could be rephrased as just "since his sister started getting high with this guy" (that Carlos doesn't like.) I'm at work now so I'll leave it there for now, but there's definitely lyrical connections in spades throughout the album.
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tbob
True Scene Leader
Posts: 548
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Post by tbob on Apr 3, 2023 16:34:40 GMT -5
Number 48 in the U.K. midweek albums chart. First time they’ve charted since Teeth Dreams I think.
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Post by somethingvague on Apr 4, 2023 2:38:31 GMT -5
Has anyone in the UK had notification their Music Glue order has shipped?
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robs
Hoodrat
Posts: 297
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Post by robs on Apr 4, 2023 6:12:16 GMT -5
Has anyone in the UK had notification their Music Glue order has shipped? Nope. Still waiting for vinyl and t shirt bundle.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Apr 10, 2023 0:16:18 GMT -5
Interesting nerd observation; think this is the first HS album where Franz’s songwriting contributions outstrip Tad’s - four Finn/Nicolay songs, three Finn/Kubler tracks and one Finn/Kubler/Nicolay co-write (plus one Finn and one Finn/Selvidge). It definitely is. It's such a manifestation of what they (and especially Tad) have been talking a lot about lately: How the band have turned into a way more democratic artistic collective, and that they no longer compete for space. It seems like they've treated songs as songs this time around, and just chose the ones who worked out the best, and fit the album the most.
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Post by lukefrombl on Apr 10, 2023 14:49:55 GMT -5
Interesting nerd observation; think this is the first HS album where Franz’s songwriting contributions outstrip Tad’s - four Finn/Nicolay songs, three Finn/Kubler tracks and one Finn/Kubler/Nicolay co-write (plus one Finn and one Finn/Selvidge). It definitely is. It's such a manifestation of what they (and especially Tad) have been talking a lot about lately: How the band have turned into a way more democratic artistic collective, and that they no longer compete for space. It seems like they've treated songs as songs this time around, and just chose the ones who worked out the best, and fit the album the most. It's true that this is what they *say* but it's hard for me to listen to the music and not conclude that the reality is this is Craig's band now an Tad has sort of made his peace with that. For better or worse.
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Post by muzzleofbees on Apr 11, 2023 4:04:27 GMT -5
It definitely is. It's such a manifestation of what they (and especially Tad) have been talking a lot about lately: How the band have turned into a way more democratic artistic collective, and that they no longer compete for space. It seems like they've treated songs as songs this time around, and just chose the ones who worked out the best, and fit the album the most. It's true that this is what they *say* but it's hard for me to listen to the music and not conclude that the reality is this is Craig's band now an Tad has sort of made his peace with that. For better or worse. That might be true (too), but I don't think it's the only thing that's happened. They have all grown older, and Tad seems a lot more at ease now than ten years ago. And the relationship between him and Steve - both personally and musically - are very real. Tad have spoken honestly about how the addition of Steve have taken some of the responsibility off him, especially live. And I don't think it's that weird if that feeling have bled into the way they write and record songs too. And you know, people change. Unpleasant Breakfast is a Finn/Kubler song, and I doubt that they would have made that back in the day, when Tad wrote pretty much every song. Even on Teeth Dreams (Oaks, Almost Everything) you could see signs of a different way of writing songs. I can't quite see how more songs by Steve or Franz is pointing towards Craig taking more control over the band. In what ways does that show, you think?
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