Premature Evaluation: The Hold Steady - Stay Postitive

In “Constructive Summer,” the opening and arguably best track on Stay Positive, Craig Finn intones “Our songs are sing-a-long songs.” True, the best ones really are anthems you want to be shouting while climbing water towers, toasting St. Joe Strummer (”I think he might’ve been our only decent teacher”), and drinking whiskey coke’s with no ice in double time — which is the “get hammered” summer plan Finn and cohorts lay out. In “Constructive Summer” he also tells us, “Let this be my annual reminder / that we can all be something bigger.” If there’s any major letdown on Stay Positive, it’s that there isn’t a bigger song in the collection. Sure, bands often front load, or give you their best first, but this song feels classic after only a few listens, setting the bar really high. When Craig says he thinks Strummer “might’ve been our only decent teacher,” he’s [...]

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