The Hold Steady Premiere First Single From Heaven is Whenever, “Hurricane J”

The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn recently set the record straight in an interview with Entertainment Weekly on those who were concerned that when he said their new album, Heaven is Whenever (due May 4th), would be “less anthemic” than its predecessors, that the band was going in a completely new direction:

There’s a fair amount of songs that didn’t make the record, and that’s always a heartbreaking thing, choosing between your favorite children. But in the end, it is a little different. Franz’s departure is a part of that. It’s also kind of where our heads are at. I said it’s “less anthemic” somewhere, and that was on Pitchfork, and a lot of people were like, “What??!?! It’s less anthemic??!!!?” So I don’t know if I should say that again. But that’s sort of one way of thinking about it. I think it’s a little more mature. More laid back. It might be a little less [he thrashes his fist in the air], you know? Maybe it’s more age-appropriate for a 38 year old.

If the first single, “Hurricane J,” is any indication, then Finn’s latest explanation rings true. It’s a more streamlined, melodic and laid-back version of The Hold Steady, perhaps more so than they’ve ever been. But what remains intact are Tad Kubler’s compelling guitar riffs and Finn’s vivid lyrical work. He’s noticeably better at singing than he’s been at any point in his career, and it can only benefit the band going forward. Perhaps this is the album where the rest of the world learns of this excellent band’s presence in the music world…

Check out the single at Consequence of Sound.

The Hold Steady’s “Heaven is Whenever” Cover Art: Simple But Beautiful

http://www.flickr.com/photos/feinsteinbandpics/ / CC BY 2.0

In today’s age of digital downloads and evaporating record sales, everything we know about the album is going by the wayside.

Track order used to be a daunting and precise task, CD booklets offered as much in the way of supplementary entertainment as the band desired to eager fans, and album covers were often the iconic image associated with classic collections of music. Case in point: who can’t think of Dark Side of the Moon without picturing that rainbow-crossed prism with the black background?

While Brooklyn-based rockers The Hold Steady may be known much more for their riff-heavy classic rock stylings and frontman Craig Finn’s massively dense lyrical tales, they know how to convey thoughts about their albums through the covers. Their last release, 2008′s highly acclaimed (they’ve actually been highly acclaimed since their debut) Stay Positive, presented a rough, brown, dirty image of a small, dumpy, and utterly soulless town that Finn sang about on tracks like “Constructive Summer” and “Sequestered in Memphis.”

The cover art for their latest album, Heaven is Whenever (due in stores May 4) is probably the simplest album cover they’ve released to date, and perhaps their most powerful. The titles are in text that is decorated only slightly, giving us a clear indication of who we’re getting into, and reaching for the text is the hand of a young boy or girl.

Lead guitarist Tad Kubler described the music of Heaven is Whenever in a press release announcing the album as “evocative,” adding that “There’s a lot more melody. It’s more sonically diverse and dynamically expansive than any of our previous records.”

Finn described his lyrics as being about “embracing suffering and understanding its place in a joyful life.” He explained the significance of the album’s title as referencing “the way that love can help us rise above our modern struggles.” Man does that guy ever know how to express himself!

With dozens of tour dates already lined up, appearances scheduled at several summer festivals such as Lollapalooza and the Isle of Wight Festival, and an as-of-this-writing opening between May 30 and June 12, I am hoping as a Bonnaroo ticket holder that The Hold Steady will be added to the four-day Manchester, Tenn. festival as a second-tier headliner.