For the past month, we Lush Lifers have been fighting over who gets to review the new Hold Steady album, and we finally decided that instead of doing an official review, we would just give you a sneak peek into one of our chats.  Enjoy!

<sup>dave: Okay Lindsey, I have to thank you for getting me into The Hold Steady in the first place, and I know you've been a fan of them for awhile. This isn't exactly their best album though, is it?

lindsey: Well, I think I listened to Stay Positive seven times the whole way through today.

dave: Well, that's what I was going to get at, Craig's lyrics are at an absolute peak, I just feel like maybe the music isn't as amazingly consistent as it has been in the past. Not to say that it isn't good, and I think it's still better than 99% of the stuff out there, but there is something missing, don't you think?

lindsey: Honestly, on first listen, i would have agreed, but i haven't been able to listen to any other album all summer. i think that says something.

dave: Sure, It's a great summer album, but does it have the staying power of their earlier efforts, like Separation Sunday for instance?
 
lindsey: Nothing's Separation Sunday, and i don't know that this aspires to be. I think they're trying to put out albums that are less thinky (Craig said he never intended to make a concept album) and more accessible, which might not be a bad thing. This album's being played on mainstream modern rock radio.
 
dave: So, do you think that even with songs like "One for the Cutters" this is still supposed to be a "fun" album? Is this supposed to be their commercial breakthrough?

lindsey: After Boys and Girls, people really expected this to be the big break, and I think it hits on that level. And, by the way, "One for the Cutters" is a brilliant song- harpsichord and all. I think there are some real stand out hits, and sing along songs. ;)

dave: Honestly, though, between Franz's noodling on the keyboards and Tad's guitar leads being completely uninspired (compared with the ones on earlier albums), is Craig carrying this band to potential mainstream success?
 
lindsey: Absolutely. I think Tad's guitar leads are toned down here, but have some really beautiful subtle, more grown up qualities. Franz's noodling could probably go, though... but, the songs where he noodles have really, really grown on me.

dave: I do think that songs like "Lord I'm Discouraged" that have almost no guitar leads on them, are the most powerful songs on the album.
 
lindsey: There are some big guitar parts in there, though.

dave: Only on the solo, which almost derails the song.
 
lindsey: i completely disagree.  Without it, the song doesn't follow The Hold Steady's album format.
 
dave: What about the characters in the lyrics? I almost feel like this is an album that deals with them much more in the abstract than earlier ones. Do we learn much more about them than we knew from Boys And Girls in America?

lindsey: Well, the characters on this album are from Lifter Puller if anywhere,  i think. They pull a whole bunch from Lifter Puller on this album- from the characters to the new wavey keys. Jenny from "Secret Santa Cruz" seems to be an archetype for a character on this album. She's not mentioned by name, but she's clearly the same sorority girl turned townie methhead- kissing on crackheads and covering for that one guy she likes.

dave: Now, who is Sapphire? Is that a new character?

lindsey: Sapphire seems new, and is the only character really explicitly named on this one. i think the arc with Holly, Gideon, and Charlemagne died on "First Night," which was probably for the best. I like that he's reworking sounds and characters from Lifter Puller, honestly.

dave: Sapphire sounds like another Catholic nympho "if I cross myself when I cum will you maybe recieve me" is a lot like "etched into her lower back saying damn right he'll rise again, yeah damn right you'll rise again."
 
lindsey: Which one of his female characters isn't? I guess Juanita from Fiestas and Fiascos was more of an arsonist and general thug.

dave: What's this obsession with Catholic imagery and sex, is it a catholic guilt thing? It would be really interesting to get inside of his head. That and the ghosts
 
lindsey: The ghosts are definitely there. I don't get where the vampires came from, though. Craig definitely has some sort of crazy spiritual connection.

dave: His lyrics could be taken almost as poetry, but also a lot like the crazy guy on the J train at 3 a.m.

lindsey: I think they're a little better formed than that. The consonation on "For the Cutters" alone is poetry enough.

dave: I'm waiting for the song about putting tinfoil on your head to block the radio waves

lindsey: I think his lyrics are remarkably grounded for the subject matter. They're all very tangible. Everything is presented very clearly- so much so, that things like ghosts and girls seeing st. theresa seems normal.

dave: It's like another Catholic writer, Flannery O'Connor, very gothic and conflicted. I'm not knocking it at all...it's fascinating.
 
lindsey: Yeah, he definitely has that streak

dave: What about Ben from Lucero singing backups on so many songs. How do you feel about that?

lindsey: Well, i love Ben Nichols. I love his voice. I love his songs. I love his ability to openly mock Matty.  I dont' know that i ever needed to hear him say the phrase "daddy issues," though.
 
dave: It's like watching your dad cry.
 
lindsey: He distracts a whole bunch from the songs- his voice has that ability, but it's not always a bad thing. I like him on "Sequestered in Memphis."

dave: So, before we go any further, what's your favorite song on the album? Mine is "Slapped Actress." It really has that early 90s indie rock vibe to it, but with great lyrics, and an amazing sing along fadeout. I love it. How about you?

lindsey: Ha. That's funny. It's one of my least favorite on the album. I do like how it draws you back into listening to the rest again, though. It leaves you wanting more.

dave: My least favorite is still "One for the Cutters" in spite of the great lyrics.

lindsey: "One for the Cutters" is in my top three.

dave: The harpsichord is too distracting.

lindsey: It was at first, but i kinda love it now. After the first hundred or so listens, it really grows on you. I like that the landscape is so different.  It lets you hear the lyrics, which are so compelling.

dave: So...come out with it! Favorite song?

lindsey: That's tough. I love how "Constructive Summer" sounds like a Lucero song until Craig's vocals kick in.
 
dave: Well, it sounds like a Lucero song sounding like a Springsteen song.

lindsey: Every song they've put out int he last five years falls into that category.
I don't think anyone would hear "Constructive Summer" and say, that sounded EXACTLY like a Springsteen song until the singer started.

dave: Okay, so, on a scale of 1 to 10, what do you give the album? I don't think a Hold Steady album shoudl get less than a 7 yet, so I'll give this an 8.
 
lindsey: I genuinely love this album. It's made it's way above Almost Killed Me in my THS album order, but it's definitely not Separation Sunday.  I definitely think it's better than any other album I've heard all year.  

dave: I need a number, Lindsey. People need to know.

lindsey: Hmm. How about I just tell everyone to go out and buy it?  It'll make you smarter.</sup>