Call Upon The Author

Long time visitors to the site, or those that follow us on twitter (@callupon) will be well aware that I’m a bit of a fan of The Hold Steady. So it will come as little surprise that I was a bit excited to receive frontman Craig Finn’s first solo release.
It’s immediately clear that this isn’t just another full band effort under a different name (take hint frontmen of the world – if it doesn’t sound different we don’t care about your solo album). The trademark lyricism is there but the bravado and blistering speed that have marked songs such as Stuck Between Stations are replaced with slide guitar, gentle melody and more than a hint of wistfulness.
Thet’s not to say Finn has lost his way with words. On No Future he sings that “Good old Freddie Mercury is the only guy that advises me. This time he said if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and that “the best advice I’ve ever gotten was from good old Johnny Rotten. He said God Save the Queen, he said No future for you, no future for me”
Elsewhere on New Friend Jesus, Finn surmises that playing baseball is difficult with holes in your hands whilst on Rented Room the bleakness of the track is what makes it beautiful.
This is no solo sideline venture but an impressive album in it’s own right.