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“Because everyone seemed to completely forget about The Hold Steady this year, which is only more proof that history is dying and long-term memory has become short-term memory and short-term memory has become a dream,” writes Rex Sorgatz.  To which, I would say, well yes.  Sort of.

It’s not so much that people’s memories have contracted to the point of not existing, which to a degree they have; when it comes to music people treat bands and musicians as they would movies - they’re not necessarily inclined to get down with a sequel to a beloved original.  Debut albums are movies and the majority of music writers aren’t inclined to find the sequel as interesting as the original.

A shame really.

The Hold Steady’s Stay Positive was an album I had on constant spin this year.  It will certainly be on my year end list or would be if I do one.  And this video makes me miss the graffiti and urban decay that you have to look really hard to find nowadays.   With gentrification and all.

Craig Finn and the boys of The Hold Steady have finished recording their fourth studio album, the follow up to 2006’s Boys and Girls in America. Considering that their last album is still in heavy rotation around here, you can imagine how exciting this makes us. The record still needs mixing, mastering, sequencing, album artwork, etc. but it is expected to be released in late 2008.

Though both Finn and Kubler are quick to point out that it “still sounds like a Hold Steady record”, there’s talk of opening up the sonic palette a bit on Stay Positive. Finn adds “there’s certainly horns and strings, which I guess we had before, but there’s also a mandolin, a harpsichord.” Kubler notes the band’s growing comfort with the studio setting, particularly with Agnello at the helm. “In terms of fidelity or stereo range, I think John took a little different approach in the way we mixed it in terms of just using some hard pans and doing some things different, rather than just a compressed guitar rock record.”

One can’t talk to Craig Finn without asking him about words themselves; specifically the ones he’ll spit all over Stay Positive. When asked if there was any kind of overarching theme to the tunes on the new disc, he hesitated a bit. “I think the songs relate to each other in a way,” adding “I’m not sure I want to talk about that quite yet.” I figured maybe Kubler would give up the goods. “Well, he’s sitting right next to me, so you’re not going to get anything out of me!”

However, it probably involves teenagers getting drunk and looking for a fix or figuring out their religion. You know? The usual Hold Steady type of stuff.  For those wondering who the hell The Hold Steady are, well think of them as like The Replacements meets Bruce Springsteen.

Mp3: The Holdy Steady - “Stay Positive (Live @ Toad’s Place 11/19/07)”

Myspace: The Hold Steady