Separation Sunday

About

After The Hold Steady’s energizing 2004 debut—the short-story-collection-as-rock-record <i>Almost Killed Me</i>—the group returned in 2005 with <i>Separation Sunday</i>, an album that plays as a cohesive, somewhat experimental novel. Propelled by a borderline biblical narrative, <i>Separation Sunday</i> dives deep into the lives of lead singer Craig Finn’s recurring characters—including Holly (short for Hallelujah), Charlemagne, and Gideon—as they get into adventures (and trouble) in places like Denver, Chicago, the Twin Cities, and Ybor City. Filled with ripping rock ’n’ roll alongside Catholic imagery, resurrections, and an oftentimes drug-fueled scene, <i>Separation Sunday</i> is an original, artful record. Finn’s lyrics combine intensely specific references—he sings about actual streets, neighborhoods, and bands—with completely unreliable narration. He was telling an ongoing fictional story that felt very much encapsulated within reality, building a years-long lore that Hold Steady fans would still be debating and discussing years later. And on <i>Separation Sunday</i>, the band is doing some boundary-bending work of its own, pulling together punk rock, classic rock, bar rock, and mid-2000s indie rock to create a dynamic sound, with keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay joining in as a full-time member. The result is a raw, energetic collection of modern-day hymns, one that found The Hold Steady finding critical acclaim—and landing the group on the cover of <i>The Village Voice</i>, the first rock act to do so in 15 years.

via Apple Music