The Hold Steady's rise to genuine contender status has been one of the most pleasing developments of the last few years, and this roaring slice of no-frills rock 'n' roll is tailor made to win the Brooklyn-based band more fans.
The title track of their most recent album, Stay Positive bursts out of the speakers in a blaze of Hammond organ, pounding drums and a joyful chorus of 'whoahs'. Whatever people think about the merits of Craig Finn's singing voice, his phrasing is spot on here as he casts his eye over today's music scene and imparts some hard-earned life lessons.
Ultimately though, Finn is reaffirming his band's commitment to rock 'n' roll, where 'the sing-a-long songs'll be our scriptures' and 'we gotta stay positive'. And when the rest of the band kick into the chorus you can understand the man's blazing passion, his refusal to back off deep into his fourth decade on this planet.
Remarkably, this is not even one of the best tracks on the attendant album. Listen to this single by all means, buy it if you are a completist, but ownership of the album should be made compulsory.
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