All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Alternative Press

These guys sound like they don't even understand why punks and classic rockers drink at separate bars. [Nov 2006, p.198]

100

Uncut

Finn’s writing is sharper than ever, the various narratives driven less by the wordy exposition of yore than acute observation, devastating detail, by turns exclamatory, epigrammatic and grainily authentic.

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100

The Guardian

The Hold Steady couldn't sound less fashionable if they set up a branch of C&A, but their bar-room rock - all power chords and fist-pumping choruses - is a perfect, if counter intuitive accompaniment to Finn's downbeat tales.

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Neumu.net

The difference this time is that the Hold Steady consistently kick ass, nailing both Paul Westerberg's Teenage Yearning/Angst and Bruce's Common Man to a cross of Pure American Rock, unafraid of cliché, undaunted by the task of making the familiar exciting again.

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Pitchfork

[Finn] not only has a commanding, rousing voice but he also says something worth hearing, displaying gifts for both scope and depth that are all too rare in contemporary rock-- indie or mainstream.

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Entertainment Weekly

On several tracks, the swirls of organ they've added to their hyper-literate stomping suggest Deep Purple with a library card. [6 Oct 2006, p.68]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

The triumph of Boys And Girls is that it's full of the kind of songs that Finn's protagonists would crank up, relishing every power chord.

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MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

This album lays it on too thick... and declines the thematic burden of "Separation Sunday." As stories, on the other hand, the songs could convince anyone that kids have a hard time.

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Dot Music

Not since Springsteen's "Greetings From Ashbury Park, NJ" has an album carved poetry so successfully from the dirty streets of America's greatest cities, or has a lyricist dealt so skilfully with the themes of addiction, failure and snatching redemption a split second before passing out.

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No Ripcord

Both immediate and a grower, Boys and Girls in America stands tall as The Hold Steady’s masterwork – full of grace and gritty charm, full heartbreak and raw emotion.

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Blender

[Finn] tells better stories than anyone else in music these days. [Oct 2006, p.131]

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Paste Magazine

The gentler surroundings encourage Finn to calm down and sing with a lilt of compassion. [Nov 2006, p.80]

Delusions of Adequacy

The songs are catchy, well written, anthemic, and fun.

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All Music Guide

This is a smoking little record. Its focus is small, its reach is large; it's a winner.

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Prefix Magazine

This is far from an album that will appeal to all, but it's a hell of a lot more fun than the Hold Steady's previous two efforts.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

The band's strongest offering to date.

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Observer Music Monthly

It's brainy and brawny: Springsteen and E Street Band comparisions valid.

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Q Magazine

If there's a better little band in America right now, they're keeping very quiet. [Feb 2007, p.104]

New Musical Express (NME)

Almost cinematic in feel, much of The Hold Steady's genius lies in Finn's ability to craft songs that tell stories as wise, textured and three-dimensional as the nearest old oak tree. [13 Jan 2007, p.30]

Mojo

This time the music is as rich and detailed as [Finn's] wordplay. [Feb 2007, p.100]

Under The Radar

It’s as ambitious as Separation Sunday and musically more exhilarating. [#15]

PopMatters

Boys in Girls in America is one gargantuan anthem short of, and two bits of filler long on, the band’s Born to Run.

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BBC collective

[Finn's] smart, poetic, unashamedly adult lyrics... almost guarantee this is the best arena band that’ll never play an arena.

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ShakingThrough.net

Finn’s examination of restless youth and wasted nights might not be as incisive nor as relevant as he clearly wants them to be, but there’s little question The Hold Steady has never sounded tighter.

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E! Online

Songs like "First Night" and "You Can Make Him Like You" conjure up a bit of Springsteen, a bit of Westerberg and far more catchiness than they should rightfully be allowed.

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Stylus Magazine

THS’s move toward a purer aping of classic rock is mostly welcome and largely successful; the fallout is the loss of the band’s snaky, blunt riffing, their wit dissipating into a pool of honest rocking.

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Los Angeles Times

Packed with forceful, nuanced songwriting that makes room for face-melting guitar riffery, lovelorn Midwestern teenagers and even, by Hold Steady standards, a bit of actual singing.

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cokemachineglow

A dozen listens through... and I can’t help but think the band has done better in past.

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The Phoenix

As frontman Craig Finn tries singing instead of just reciting and the band hang tighter around their major-chord riffs, the music sounds older than ever, recalling beautiful-loser ’70s rock like Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland.”

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Spin

Finn infuses his windy tales of youthful debauchery with a mixture of detective-fiction luridness and first-club-show romanticism. [Nov 2006, p.100]

musicOMH.com

It should be an overblown, riotous mess, but it's perfectly held together by musicians seemingly forged as one by long nights in spit and sawdust boozers, and in singer Craig Finn, a lyricist of remarkable poise and eloquence.

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Rolling Stone

Fist-pumpable rock with brains, heart and words worth coming back to. [5 Oct 2006, p.69]

Billboard

[Finn's] attempt to add more dimension to his whiskey-soaked vocals is striking. And for the most part it works.

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Austin Chronicle

Finn... has the poetic lovable-loser act down cold, but is too distracted by the ever-present "Party Pit" and "Southtown Girls" to expand his vision beyond the club parking lot.

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Drowned In Sound

At most, half the songs on this album are capable of successfully fusing Finn’s compelling narratives with rather less than impressive instrumentation for an effect that’s worth some merit. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t ‘hold’ for the remainder.

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Playlouder

Though loquacious, 'Boys and Girls in America' is a record full of maddening stream of consciousness lyrics that amble without direction, and narratives with no real stories or purpose.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 94 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tom A gave it a9:
Musically, there are parallels here with Springsteen, but lyrically they are worlds apart. I do like Springsteen but Finn here goes way beyond his level of artistry, his lyrics are intelligent, colourful and very original, and his tales of tearaway youth portray a narrative not disimilar from that adopted by the Arctic Monkeys. This goes beyond classic Americana, as it blends wit, excuberance and artistry in an almost nonchalant manner - a modern classic in the most unlikely of guises. Just listen to the previous album 'Almost Killed Me' and you'll wonder where on earth this came from.

Ryan r gave it a9:
Better when it was called "Born To Run", but a great album nonetheless.

Brian gave it a10:
Unbelievable album, such a fun album to listen to. Finn just seems like a likable character with these stories.

Will gave it a9:
A very good album. I'm not quite sure why though. The lyrics are smart and adult themed, maybe because they are a maturer band in age. Some of the slower songs remind me of Counting Crows though. But it all works. Somehow.

j j gave it a7:
Good music, but i don't like the singer's delivery.

Wayne W. gave it a10:
The lyrics are fantastic, but the amazing thing about this album is how it truly rocks. I haven't heard an album rock like this in a long long time. You can compare Finn to Springsteen if you want. But this album is Springsteen on crack!

James gave it a9:
Fantastic. A witty, often touching album that can be equally enjoyed by pretentious indie fans, classic rock fans, and complete philistines. Listen to it now.

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Boys And Girls In America

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