It's not easy to start a band that is mathematically destined for failure.
The past decade seemed to have two feasible options for a rock band: The band could compose its music with a Macbook Pro at the helm and navigate its creativity around the knobs of a mixboard for countless hours in a dark room. The other option was trashing all of its personal technology, moving the amps back into the garage and figuring out how to make anthems while playing and saying as little as possible.
By this equation, which thus far was thriving in the 21st century, The Hold Steady should have faded away about 3 LPs before Heaven is Whenever. The band's self destructive idea was to take a virtually extinct brand of barroom piano rock, mix it with a conceptual, literary style of lyric writing and somehow expect people to actually listen. Seven years later, with four critically acclaimed albums under its belt - each more successful than its predecessor - The Hold Steady have proved that this is a discontinuous function.
Harder even still is deciding to step in a different direction after making four fantastic albums under that same risky formula. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. As it turns out, the tenderhearted Brooklyn bartenders are the men for the job.
The Hold Steady's most recent anomalous effort is anything but that. Heaven is Whenever is not a product of the treacherous formula of their previous releases. The band has purposely diverged from their usual style and generated a much more commercially viable sound. This commercial step is not a tiptoe towards the critical rules above but a giant leap toward the real mainstream. The mainstream of radio and MTV. The mainstream of playing in ballparks instead of local dives.
The Hold Steady is not to be blamed, because anyone who has listened in the past won't be fooled. The band's not selling out, it's taking the steps to solidify its future rock royalty. A decade from now, mass audiences will sing We Can Get Together and Hurricane J as if it's Bon Jovi. When that day comes, The Hold Steady will laugh at the fact that its music has infiltrated tailgaters 'round the country, and injected some intelligence into their chorus.
3 Culture
Andy Collier
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