STAY POSITIVE leaked a few weeks ago, and I've had a few opportunities to take it in thus far. It's not as good as BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA, but I didn't expect it to be.
Still, it's another anthematic record with townies, a lot of weed smoking, parties, passing out, and summer, and with that it'll be a record I'm sure I'll be listening to all summer.
There's more experimentation too, which works well sometimes and falls flat for me at other times. I think that's a harpsichord (or a glockenspiel? No, I don't think so...) in "One for the Cutters"? Either way, it's an interesting addition. The one-two punch of "Constructive Summer" and "Sequestered in Memphis" leads one to believe that the energy's going to be indefatigable, but alas, it's not.
I feel like every Hold Steady record from "Separation Sunday" should've been my high school experience, but I was too busy studying. I did find time to almost die from hypothermia coupled with chugging White Tavern vodka in the woods at a high school football game in October when I was almost 15, so maybe that counts, but it was a one time thing.
Still, there aren't enough new records coming out for me, in the current indie rock world (or rock world for that matter) that I can put on and enjoy from the first track until the end, and The Hold Steady have come through in that respect.
I feel like I may already be compiling my best-of 2008 list, but we'll see.
