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When the Hold Steady captured and captivated the indie rock world with its last album Girls and Boys in America it was a major shout out to literate rock that somehow didn’t take itself too seriously.  Lead by writer/singer/guitarist Craig Finn, the Hold Steady has perfected the combination of classic rock, serious literature, punk rock and party time fun. The band has returned with even more swagger on its new platter, Stay Positive and the record proves that yes, you can go home again.

Finn and company infuse the record with much of the beliefs of positive hardcore of which Finn was involved in with his previous band Lifter Puller. Positive hardcore basically put forth the idea that you can make your life and also the world around you a better place. Given that, Finn has never been one to hide his influences and on Stay Positive he’s providing more shout outs to his heroes. In the song “Constructive Summer” he shouts out to Iggy Pop, Youth of Today, 7 Seconds and of course the father of all things punk Joe Strummer(“our only decent teacher”). So what’s not to love!?

The band even opens up the Hold Steady sound a bit to add some new wave –like keyboards and some killer guitar solos.  While the lyrics still follow that its dark but its going to get better formula, the band still makes you feel like it could be you up there playing and that’s the way they like it and so do I. Check out Stay Positive and feel the positive blast from a band really hitting its stride.