The Hold Steady
Heaven Is Whenever
3.9/5
Listen To: Our Whole Lives
Skip It: Barely Breathing
The Hold Steady are one of those indie bands that, if on a major label, have potential to rule the world. Pop-rock with glimpses of western, big band and fuzzed out hippie twists, they can take you in any direction, which is what Heaven Is Whenever, their latest ten song record does.
The band’s fifth album opens with a western ditty, “The Sweet Part Of The City,” complete with slide steel strings and acoustic guitar rainfall. All this gets cornered by a contemporary tweak of synthy thhhips in the background, for a feel-good song with a lasting impression. The album’s sound arsenal grows on the second track, “Our Whole Lives,” which dawns the band’s reliance on electric power chords amidst hooky pop melodies, a wonderfully blatant contrast also used in “The Weekenders” and “Rock Problems.”
Heaven Is Whenever is also a lyrical masterpiece. Vocalist Craig Finn is full of unforgettable one-liners, like We’re good guys, but we can’t be good every night; Bangin’ ’round in restaurants isn’t that much prettier than bangin’ ’round in bars; and It’s a long way to the corner store from the centre of the universe. These are just my favourites; the album is a poetic Easter egg hunt for any lyric junkie.
But, I'll tell you what warrants my less than perfect rating. The album’s pros heavily outweigh a couple distinct cons found in “The Smidge” and “Barely Breathing.” These songs have the same potential as the rest of Heaven Is Whenever, but holding them back is an awkward, much too noticeable bareness. The scant rhythm section in “The Smidge” doesn’t support Finn’s vocals like other, fuller sounding songs do. And “Barely Breathing” starts out with a unique low-fi, twangy guitar riff that could equal precision, but drowns in more emptiness once the band kicks in.
Track Listing:
1. The Sweet Part Of The City
2. Our Whole Lives
3. The Weekenders
4. The Smidge
5. Rock Problems
6. We Can Get Together
7. Hurricane J
8. Barely Breathing
9. Soft In The Center
10. A Slight Discomfort
Heaven Is Whenever
3.9/5
Listen To: Our Whole Lives
Skip It: Barely Breathing
The Hold Steady are one of those indie bands that, if on a major label, have potential to rule the world. Pop-rock with glimpses of western, big band and fuzzed out hippie twists, they can take you in any direction, which is what Heaven Is Whenever, their latest ten song record does.
The band’s fifth album opens with a western ditty, “The Sweet Part Of The City,” complete with slide steel strings and acoustic guitar rainfall. All this gets cornered by a contemporary tweak of synthy thhhips in the background, for a feel-good song with a lasting impression. The album’s sound arsenal grows on the second track, “Our Whole Lives,” which dawns the band’s reliance on electric power chords amidst hooky pop melodies, a wonderfully blatant contrast also used in “The Weekenders” and “Rock Problems.”
Heaven Is Whenever is also a lyrical masterpiece. Vocalist Craig Finn is full of unforgettable one-liners, like We’re good guys, but we can’t be good every night; Bangin’ ’round in restaurants isn’t that much prettier than bangin’ ’round in bars; and It’s a long way to the corner store from the centre of the universe. These are just my favourites; the album is a poetic Easter egg hunt for any lyric junkie.
But, I'll tell you what warrants my less than perfect rating. The album’s pros heavily outweigh a couple distinct cons found in “The Smidge” and “Barely Breathing.” These songs have the same potential as the rest of Heaven Is Whenever, but holding them back is an awkward, much too noticeable bareness. The scant rhythm section in “The Smidge” doesn’t support Finn’s vocals like other, fuller sounding songs do. And “Barely Breathing” starts out with a unique low-fi, twangy guitar riff that could equal precision, but drowns in more emptiness once the band kicks in.
Track Listing:
1. The Sweet Part Of The City
2. Our Whole Lives
3. The Weekenders
4. The Smidge
5. Rock Problems
6. We Can Get Together
7. Hurricane J
8. Barely Breathing
9. Soft In The Center
10. A Slight Discomfort
Published by Tangible Sounds Music Magazine
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