Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 04/20/2004
"The '80s almost killed me," admits
the Hold Steady's
Craig Finn on
"Positive Jam," one of ten
rock & roll confessionals on the band's debut. That sets the tone for the rest of
Almost Killed Me, as
Finn reveals a lifestyle that included a "skater phase," a "raver phase," and a "razor blade phase." His lamentations are the appropriate voice for the band's debut, which sets out to recapture the glory of classic American
rock and early
indie rock. With rugged guitar riffs and solos and
Finn's half-sung, scratchy voice,
the Hold Steady mostly succeed, easily recalling the classic
rock of early
Bruce Springsteen or the sincerity of latter-day
Hüsker Dü. When he's not remembering the parties and acting like "a Twin Cities trash bin," he reacts to the corruption of today's youth.
Finn may seem like a fish out of water at this point, but having survived a self-indulgent life, his lyrics, as well as
the Hold Steady's back-to-basics
rock, are ironically welcoming.
~Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide
;)
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