a funny bit of chemistry: the hold steady, live at fingerprints

anyone who has listened to a hold steady record knows that the brooklyn group’s brand of updated rock relies heavily on spiraling guitar riffs and aggressive drums. on their three albums, that hard, clean sound has provided a backdrop for front man craig finn’s simple but poignant lyrics, resulting in aggressive, upbeat songs that have the strange ability to make you want to dance while simultaneously capturing the sad, hollow ache of a pained and desperate america.

it is that dichotomy, the tension between bruce springstein-type bar rock and new york school-type poetics, that has given the band it's unique flavor and made the hold steady a polarizing force, a band that is alternatively loved and hated by the intellectual set. (apparently, there is some ongoing debate about whether or not bands that use melody are too plebian for the more advanced folks.)

the hold steady in black and white. black and white!

looks pretty arty to me...

featuring five songs including citrus, chips’ ahoy, you can make him like you, and the cattle and the creeping things (and no, this one’s not about the current administration vacationing at the summer ranch), their recently released acoustic ep, live at fingerprints, allows the band’s polarizing hard rock sound to fall away, leaving listeners with softer melodies and a whole lot of accordion. the shift also lays bare the spare, haunting words of finn’s truth-heavy lyrics.

although the band sounds a little tired on the live recording, all of the songs translate well, some coming through better than others. “citrus,” a softer, more heavily picked song, accoustic in its original incarnation, sounds almost effortless. and the jaunting, bluesy “you’ve gotta dance with who you came to the dance with” is a surprisingly fun addittion not featured on any of the band's other albums.

overall, the hold steady’s unplugged sound is milder than their usual fare, which may disappoint those looking to this ep for their signature bar rock americana. instead, the ep shifts the hold steady's tone, softening their sounds and losing some of their usual, captivating tension. but against this gentler backdrop, finn’s voice and words are even more decisive and indelible, not having to compete against heavy guitar riff’s for the listener’s attention.

like the drugs they refer to often in their lyrics, the hold steady is powerful medicine and this ep, though perhaps not as potent as some of their other work, is still strong stuff, wild and warm. and, as with all of the hold steady’s songs and albums, in the center there is a hot, soft light.

the ep is a limited edition and only available at record stores that are part of the think indie consortium