The Hold Steady
Stay Positive

By Matt Conner

The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn declares from the get-go on Stay Positive, “We’re gonna build somethin’ this summer… let this be my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger.” That opening track, the raucous, quick piano-driven “Constructive Summer,” builds the collective anticipation that Brooklyn bar band just might make good on its promise. Unfortunately, such declarative statements only serve as letdowns when the follow through is lacking. That’s a shame since Stay Positive begins so wonderfully. The bright horns on “Sequestered in Memphis” buoy the album’s first two tracks, but then it’s all downhill.

“Navy Sheets” seems overproduced for a band that prides itself on its “bar band” identity, and the annoying synth samples don’t help. “Yeah Sapphire” and “Untitled” seem retreads from the band’s previously brilliant efforts. Stay Positive isn’t without its high marks (see Finn’s confessional on “Lord, I’m Discouraged” and the cut-loose organ-meets-’80s-guitar on the title track) but the band set a strong precedent at the beginning of Stay Positive. Finn & Co. may not disappoint most, but self-comparison only hurts them here.