The Hold Steady – Thrashing Through The Passion

Craig Finn and The Hold Steady have been a fixture in the alt-rock scene for the better part of two decades.  From their early days as youthful couch surfing bar hoppers to a present defined by broken dreams and missed opportunities, there is no substitute for The Hold Steady’s eloquence and real world grit.  By and large the band has been remarkably consistent over the years, stumbling briefly with the departure of their longtime keyboardist Franz Nicolay, but reorienting themselves after some soul searching by Finn in the form of an ongoing string of solo albums.  Finn’s recent solo albums have been darker and veered further from familiarity, and the results have spurred echoes in each return to The Hold Steady. 

It’s been five years since the band’s last effort, Teeth Dreams, but with Finn wrapping up his solo trilogy the time is right for a reunion. The Hold Steady officially returns for their seventh studio album, Thrashing Through The Passion.  Even Franz Nicolay is back after an eleven year departure.  I recall reading that Nicolay was never really heavily referenced in the band’s writing credits, but his departure left an undeniable hole where his buoyant piano notes once effortlessly elevated each composition to a special place.  I actually didn’t realize Nicolay was back during my first album play through, but I suspected something was up when the keys just sort of came alive (apparently he’s been back for a couple years now). 

The bulk of the album is as satisfying as a hearty meal where no side dish disappoints. The album kicks off with “Denver Haircut,” a track destined to become an instant classic for long time fans.  The song takes listeners on a journey through one man’s chance meet ups around town before winding up alone and stranded in an unfamiliar hotel room.  The directionless, leaf-blowing-in-the-wind mentality culminates in smirk inducing lines like, “wherever he goes he always orders the usual, he likes to see what they bring him.”  Likewise, “T-Shirt Tux” builds a vivid imagery of an overconfident  guy “with a t-shirt tux and a piano key tie,” complete with descriptions of the surrounding eye-rolling onlookers that just sort of gets under your skin the way Finn intends.  “The Stove & The Toaster” serves as another memorable high point in a sequence of events that find the song’s protagonist in an unexpected set-up that brings him within an inch of his life.  Once again, the storytelling is superb and the twists unfold in entertaining and surprising ways.  Lyrically, Finn is at the top of his game, which should come as no surprise to those that have been keeping up with his solo work.

“You Did Good Kid” offers up yet other healthy dose of subdued bar rock that draws upon a host of gang vocals in punctuating each verse by chanting the track’s title. Considering the band’s six member lineup, the song’s combination of guitar, horns and piano are each purposeful in execution.  Each member adds layers without any sense of one-upmanship. These songs are some of the most modest and organic of The Hold Steady’s career.  While some listeners may interpret this as a loss of spontaneity, it’s perhaps better understood as the band playing at the intersection of chemistry and comfort that comes with time.  Other high points, like “Entitlement Crew” and “Confusion in the Marketplace,” find the band navigating various mid and up tempo ranges with a hip shaking resolve. 

Fifteen years after The Boys and Girls of America’s stories of youthful rebellion, Thrashing Through The Passion feels more geared towards the survivors of these past stories now entering forties.  Weathered and still hanging on to shadows of their dreams, the characters feel tethered to their bad habits and desires.  Finn is 47 after all, and his perspective has predictably widened.  Those that can accept the march of time can embrace such evolution. The Hold Steady is one of alt rock’s greats, and rather than rely on a back catalogue of faded memories, Finn and the gang live in the present and play to their audience like a couple of old friends catching up over drinks – reminiscent over memories and excited for the future.