Sketchy Metal may be the dud of Almost Killed Me. What makes it stand out that way, and what is there to redeem the song?
We talk about its down-tempo approach, the ongoing pace of Craig Finn one-liners, the way the band still gets a heavy sound out of this track, and the prevalence of Catholic imagery on this track. And because it comes up, we share our takes on 70s rock stars and sitcom characters. It’s always positive jamming with podcasters.
Here’s the episode itself.
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Here are a few categories and things to listen for, in the song itself and in our podcast:
The most obvious Hold Steady clunkers, in reverse order
Daniel makes the case that “Sketchy Metal” sets a pattern, where the Hold Steady drop a dud or two that make the record skip on each album. At the risk of doubling down on a bad take, here are Daniel’s other examples from their first four albums:
4. “Don’t Let Me Explode” and “Crucifixion Cruise” on Separation Sunday. They’re not terrible, but very much feel like connective tissue songs rather than stand-alone tracks.
3. “Magazines” on Stay Positive. “One For The Cutters” gets called out a lot, but the chorus here is, well, enough to long for the days of no choruses on Hold Steady songs.
2. “Charlemagne in Sweatpants” on Separation Sunday. This album sees the Hold Steady’s highest highs but also some lows, in my view, though many people (including Mike) like this one. It never gets out of 2nd gear for me.
1. “Chillout Tent” on Boys and Girls in America. Came up on the Hostile, MA episode as well as this episode, and we haven’t heard too many positive takes about “Chillout Tent”.
Billy Joel/Bruce Springsteen or AC/DC/Thin Lizzy?: Every Hold Steady track seems to exist on this spectrum. It’s a contrast between loud, guitar-driven rock that takes no prisoners and more of a soulful, troubadour lyricism both in the melody and the lyrics themselves. Like any band, the Hold Steady is at their best when they forge their influences into a unique sound. But it’s still fun to try to rank their songs by which side of the line they’re closer to, so we do that frequently on our podcast’s episodes. And even if we don’t remember to do so live, we can revisit here thanks to our handy graphics department.
This is pretty heavy on the guitars and the drums, even if it’s at half the speed of most tracks on the album. If you consider Led Zeppelin to be part of the AC/DC side of the spectrum, then it makes it a no brainer that this is more on that side of the scale, with guitars climbing up the walls on each side of your stereo. From the whisper in the mud start, the song builds into a heavy finish, with not much of a trace of Billy or Bruce to be found.
Biggest question: Is Johnny Fever actually cool? Is Alice Cooper actually a nerd?
Key Episode Insight: The juxtaposition of the Holy Trinity with rock & roll performers and fans: it’s a piece of empathy and irony that the Hold Steady can put out better than anybody else.