Tag: A Positive Jam

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A Positive Jam Track 10: Killer Parties

Every party comes to an end, and some parties almost kill us. We wrap up our review of Almost Killed Me (though not Season 1 of A Positive Jam!) with a look at “Killer Parties”, the closing track on the Hold Steady’s debut album. It’s a ritual as much as a song, and we treat it with all due consideration. That includes making this a four-person episode, with regular guest Matt Brooks rejoining us as well as Shawn Westfall hitting us up for back-to-back appearances.

Mike Taylor kicks off the episode with a story about trailing the Hold Steady on their fall 2006 tour and how Killer Parties underlines all that is good about the band. We then go into a discussion about the band’s use of ritual, including Craig Finn’s So Much Joy speech, and the dichotomy between freshness and familiarity.

Stay tuned for a few bonus episodes over the rest of the month.

Here’s the episode itself.

You can also subscribe to the show at all of these places:

And leave us a review or a rating on Apple or Stitcher if you can!

Here are a few categories and things to listen for, in the song itself and in our podcast:

Some Bars We Remember: The Hold Steady is a great live band, and between the four voices on today’s episode we’ve seen them in a lot of places. Here are some of them:

  1. The Ottobar, Baltimore, MD
  2. The Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
  3. The Black Cat, Washington, DC
  4. The Brooklyn Bowl, New York, NY

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 song has to be right in the middle of everything. The name drops and the empathetic feel speak to the Billy and Bruce side of the stage, but the jam like elements recall more of the harder rock that The Hold Steady pulls on.

Authenticity vs. Ritual: One of our big topics on this episode is the authenticity of Craig Finn’s famous ‘So Much Joy’ speech, which he drops as the song stretches out in an encore of a given concert. We hashed out whether it cheapens the effect to repeat it every show or enriches it.

I (Daniel) didn’t contribute much to that discussion, but I was reminded of a conversation I had with a musician in the mid-00’s. I interviewed Eddie Argos of Art Brut, a great ’00s-’10s band that I always viewed as an English counterpart to the Hold Steady, with the same playful sneering take on the scene at the time, and a similarly retro sound (theirs pulling on punk and post-punk).

Anyway, I interviewed him on his tour bus before a show at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, another great venue. At some point, I mentioned that there were blog reviews of his shows, talking about some of the things he did to their songs – like shout out local bands in an added breakdown to ‘Good Weekend’. He was truly bummed that people knew that was coming.

Which is to say, there was a time where the rituals were more word of mouth and secret, and now they spread lightning quick, but they’re still what tie these killer parties together.

So Much Joy: Here’s the video we played at the end of the episode, h/t to Tony Earp.

Key Episode Insight: The Hold Steady has better songs, bigger hits and deeper moments. But it’s hard to find a song that matters more than “Killer Parties” for who the band is. Agree or disagree?

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A Positive Jam Track 9: Sweet Payne

Sweet Payne starts off on an awkward step as it connects various threads in Almost Killed Me and in the Hold Steady mythology. But it rises from those beginnings to a glorious finish, revealing some of Craig Finn’s best lines and some of the album’s best ensemble playing. It also introduces the idea of the Unified Scene, a defining aspiration and mantra for The Hold Steady, and digs into the Twin Cities as much as anything in the Hold Steady’s discography.

To understand this, we have Shawn Westfall, writer and comedian and founder of The Unified Scene Theater, join us to explain how Sweet Payne fits in, how the dissonance between sunny harmonics and lyrical darkness plays out for the Hold Steady, what hardcore can teach us about the Cityscape Skins, the importance of community, and more. We also bust out a last Map Corner for this season to get deep into the Minneapolis roots. 

Here’s the episode itself.

You can also subscribe to the show at all of these places:

And leave us a review or a rating on Apple or Stitcher if you can!

Here are a few categories and things to listen for, in the song itself and in our podcast:

Best lines in the song: There’s really only one line here, which is “And girl, I’ve seen your friend, she looks nothing like Jada Pinkett / I think you got something in those cigarettes”. 

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.

The flourishing guitar chords that open the song and the back in the pocket groove set us in the middle of the 70s, dead center amidst all the rock and roll stylings of that era, the ones you remember from all those weekends listening to your area’s classic rock station. It’s hard to place the instrumentation anywhere but dead center on the spectrum. But the soaring nature of the song places it a little closer to Billy and Bruce, with a sense that the characters and the listeners are ascending, even if it’s all a set-up for a fall.

Error on our part: We refer to a keyboard in this song, which might be implied in the way the guitar chords ring out at the beginning, but in listening back it’s pretty clear there’s no keyboard.

Overwrought cultural references made on this episode: Shawn elevated the tenor of our discussion, and the Hold Steady has the sort of work that can take on more weight. Still, we may have overreached on the following references, from smallest to biggest overreach:

5. Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys – not really that overwrought, and given the Kennedys got shot in “Positive Jam”, maybe even fitting, but still.

4. The Seventh Seal, which is mostly a reference to the Book of Revelations but also reminds one of Ingmar Bergman’s classic movie.

3. Sweet Jane, because Velvet Underground can always be a stretch, but specifically talking about the extended version is a more extended stretch. 

2. Northrop Frye. 

1. Baudelaire.

Leftover question: Who is the ‘best Catholic artist/rocker in the world’ beltholder for the mid to late 90s?

Key Episode Insight: The Hold Steady at its best can bring together dark elements and hard rock and turn them into a unifying, empathetic moment. There are few moments that epitomize this more than the back half of “Sweet Payne”. 

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A Positive Jam Track 8: Sketchy Metal

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.

You can also subscribe to the show at all of these places:

And leave us a review or a rating on Apple or Stitcher if you can!

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. 

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A Positive Jam Track 7: Hostile, MA

Hostile, Mass is another quintessential Hold Steady track. A mix of punky snarl, classic guitar licks, and Springsteenian sax solos and hope, the track is a stand-out for Almost Killed Me and an ill omen for the band’s future at the same time.

To break it all down, we’re joined by Leon Neyfakh of Fiasco and Slow Burn fame. He explains why this is his favorite track on the album, as the conversation runs the gamut from NoFX to the persistence of high school drop-out fashion sensibilities to why Season 3 of A Positive Jam should be about the Smashing Pumpkins. 

We also weigh whether the Hold Steady Universe plot line matters if you want to enjoy the music and break out another Map Corner.

Here’s the episode itself.

You can also subscribe to the show at all of these places:

And leave us a review or a rating on Apple or Stitcher if you can!

Here are a few categories and things to listen for, in the song itself and in our podcast:

Best wordplay in the song

  1. Charlemagne didn’t feel any pain / But he’s bleeding from the holes in his story
  2. “Hey, my name is Corey. I’m really into hardcore. People call me hard Corey.”
  3. Wandered out of mass one day and faded into the fog and love and faithless fear.

New perspective: Is the narrator in this song just a frustrated onlooker, angry he’s missing out on the girls and the fun, or a wiser head who knows what you’re supposed to do if you have track marks?

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.

Leon proposes that there is the third key axis to the Hold Steady, a hardcore branch which shows up mostly in lyrics and attitude. This is a fair point, though it poses challenges for our graphics team. Still, we took a crack at it.

The song is more punky than not, so we pulled on some Boston references to situate the band closer to Mission of Burma than The Cars. At the same time, that sax solo is about as Clarence Clemons/E Street Band/Bruce Springsteen as you can get, so that pushes an otherwise gritty song to the left side of the spectrum.  

Biggest question: It’s all about the sax solo. Good or not? Bad for the future of the band or not?

Favorite Massachusetts towns that Hard Corey would be from instead of Lynn:

MA native Daniel argues that Lynn isn’t the right hometown for a clever kid like Corey. Here are six towns more representative of a clever kid who might still really be into hardcore.

  1. Reading
  2. Methuen
  3. Duxbury
  4. North Attleboro
  5. Needham
  6. Swampscott

Key Episode Insight: The early Hold Steady albums presented a lot of contrasts – major key, soaring melody and harmony set against violent, depressing lyrics. Hostile, MA may be the sharpest contrast – is this a hero’s journey out of the scene, or an abandonment of a burning building?

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A Positive Jam Track 6: Knuckles

More than any other track on the album, “Knuckles” shows what makes the Hold Steady different. The one liners, the pop culture references, the crunchy guitars. The quips and the catalog of missed expectations are enough to fill a couple podcast episodes.

But there’s more to the song than Craig Finn’s comedy routine. Matt Brooks rejoins co-hosts Mike Taylor and Daniel Shvartsman, to discuss key themes – Knuckles’ political context and whether this is a protest song; the dissonance between the narrator’s view of himself and what other people think; Craig Finn’s lyrical techniques; and the jagged synth lines that fall alongside the lyrics like bits of confetti.

Most importantly, we take a beat to consider the classic Sunny D commercial and how that puts The Hold Steady on the map.

Here’s the episode itself.

You can also subscribe to the show at all of these places:

And leave us a review or a rating on Apple or Stitcher if you can!

Here are a few categories and things to listen for, in the song itself and in our podcast:

Best Freds or Freddies in this song:

  1. Freddie Mercury
  2. Freddy Fresh
  3. Right Said Fred

Political or Protest: We kicked the episode off by talking about whether the song is a protest song; it’s a bit of a weird angle (blame Daniel), but we thrashed out a distinction. Political songs come steeped in the context of the world around them – wars going down in the Middle East and the Middle West, flakes cooking up batches of crystal meth – while protest songs are more didactic and blunt. Protest songs can still be effective, timeless pieces, but it’s tougher given their nature. We think Knuckles is ultimately a political song, and even more a song about posing and trying to strive for something you’re not reaching.

What happened to Minnesota nice: The midwest is known for its friendly people, flat accents, and the decay of its industry, among other things. In this song, Finn and co. focus on the damage being wrought in the midwest from drugs and heavy-handed authority. We may be imposing our view from 16 years on, and the beat in this song obscures the darkness, but it is a grim picture of the middle western states, nevertheless. In 2020, we can’t help but see some elements of prophecy in this grim vision.

Most brutal moment: A nickname like ‘The Cool Guy’, which guest Matt Brooks confessed to being tagged with, that is a tough nickname to live down. We’ve all been hit with a bad nickname or two, but, man.

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.

“Knuckles” is the song that least fits on this spectrum. It’s a harder-edged song, so we position it closer to the AC/DC side, but it’s really as close to a punk song as any on the album. We talk about the punk/hardcore third dimension for the Hold Steady on the next episode, but for now, Knuckles drifts closer to hard rock than classic rock, in our book.

Biggest question: What to make of the chintzy keyboard flourishes that hang out on the far edges of the verse? Proof that this narrator isn’t as tough as he thinks he is, or just an odd touch?

Pop culture and nostalgia: The Pitchfork review at the time called out Finn’s classic Sunny D breakdown as ‘instantly tiring’. We’re fans of Amanda Petrusich, the author of that review, but any line that goes so far as to weave a Sunny D and Five Alive combo into the plot of the song, to time it with the instruments dropping out, and to evoke a key piece of 90s nostalgia like the Sunny D skaters commercial, it’s so bad its good and then some.

Review of the week: 

Key Episode Insight: It’s fun to aspire for a libertine lifestyle, to imagine brawling and living outside the law. But when you get down to it, maybe it’s for the best that those guys didn’t really die, and maybe it’s ok to be a clever kid instead of Johnny Rotten.

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A Positive Jam Track 5: Certain Songs

Certain Songs slows things down, and it marks the feature debut of Franz Nicolay’s piano playing – a key sonic element in the albums that follow Almost Killed Me. Certain Songs not only foreshadows the Hold Steady’s future; it also raises the question: Do the band’s heartfelt ballads bring the momentum to a halt?

We talk about how Certain Songs’ “piano man” balladeering  fits on the album, whether slow songs are acceptable for hard-rock Hold Steady fans, and what it means that Craig Finn’s lyrics spotlight a woman for the first time on the album. We also draw on canonic cultural works like…checks notes…The OC to explain why drawing on Billy Joel, Meatloaf, and the more populist side of rock and roll is effective, at least in this case.

Here’s the episode itself.

You can also subscribe to the show at all of these places:

And leave us a review or a rating on Apple or Stitcher if you can!

Here are a few categories and things to listen for, in the song itself and in our podcast:

Best Line in the song: They got coaxed out by a certain perfect ratio – just a lovely depiction of youth and following the crowd.

Things we learn about the Hold Steady’s musical taste: Billy Joel and Meatloaf at least play a nominal role in their universe, as a stand in for certain songs, for memories and nostalgia.

D4, as in the Dillinger Four, the legendary 90s Minneapolis punk band, also get a nod, and they  more directly influence The Hold Steady’s sound and ethic. 

Most foreshadowing moment: “Hard drugs are for the bartenders” will recur in “Cattle and the Creeping Things” on the Hold Steady’s next album, Separation Sunday. One of their best songs, and that line was the first stake in the ground for their album to album intertextuality. 

A geographic note: While there are no specific place names shouted out, Craig sings about the east coast and the west coast. The west coast (and Colorado) go through the wringer in the bonus tracks, but this seems like a pretty positive if hedonistic depiction of the place – screwing in the surf and going out to shows. Or does that say something about our taste?

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 spectrum basically exists because of “Certain Songs”, at least as far as this album goes. Namedropping Billy Joel and Meatloaf? Check. Piano as the lead instrument? We’ve got that. Evoking memory, both musical and social? You bet. Hard to get more on the Bruce/Billy side of the scale than this track, at least in the early Hold Steady era.

Biggest question: Which flow is better, from Most People Are DJs’ guitar solo cutting off to the hi-hat/bass drum clip to start Certain Songs, or Certain Songs’ build fading away right before “Knuckles” jumps in?

Pop culture and nostalgia: Almost Killed Me came out when we were in college. The ‘00s are going through the nostalgia cycle these days. We drew on The OC, a more popular but less timeless piece of ‘00s pop culture. And “Certain Songs” is all about how songs from our past stick with us. Are these messages eternal, do we all just fall back to what we were listening to when we were in high school and college, becoming fully formed (more or less) adults?

(“Certain Songs” is nothing if not a catalyst for pensive thinking). 

Review of the week:  A shout out to Ryan Trim, who sent us a nice word on twitter.com: