User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 109 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 95 out of 109
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Mixed: 8 out of 109
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Negative: 6 out of 109
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Oct 9, 2022Boys and Girls in America encapsulates the feeling of emptiness that comes from a life of only drugs and partying; yet, ironically, their most fun album to play at a party. By far the best album from The Hold Steady.
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TomAJan 20, 2010
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RyanrSep 14, 2008Better when it was called "Born To Run", but a great album nonetheless.
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BrianFeb 26, 2008Unbelievable album, such a fun album to listen to. Finn just seems like a likable character with these stories.
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WillFeb 14, 2008A 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.
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jjJan 11, 2008Good music, but i don't like the singer's delivery.
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WayneW.Jan 1, 2008The 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!
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JamesAug 21, 2007Fantastic. 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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FikusSAug 15, 2007This album is unreal. This is what good American Bar Rock sounds like. If Bruce Springsteen started a Indie Rock bank in 75' it would have sounded like this. There are very few artists out there right now that tell a story like Craig Finn. Americana at it's best!
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PhilipJMay 27, 2007
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othosApr 16, 2007
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JimRApr 13, 2007"It started recreatonal, it ended kind of medical." Fantastic old school sound, great lyrics.
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KennyMApr 13, 2007One of the best rock albums, not only of 2006, but of the last decade. A classic.
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paulgMar 1, 2007THS rock and they roll. lyrics that tell a story. allusions, double meanings, etc... Finally.
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juniorm.Feb 26, 2007This guy's voice takes some getting used to - kind of nasal and droney, but if you can get over that...some of the best guitar rock out there. It's not cool or original - this is about big riffs, solos, choruses, and lyrics that are smart rather than smart-arse.
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SamEFeb 12, 2007This CD is utter crap.. Imagine the worst songwriting mixed with the worst voice. He uses the word "Blotto" for chrissakes, whilst "kicking it with the cousins." Why do people think this album is good? IT SUCKS.
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AlexAFeb 8, 2007Love this album. Lots of fun, lots of lyrics and lots of guitars. Bet they are good live
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romanmcFeb 1, 2007
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MusicMavenJan 27, 2007
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GuyHJan 10, 2007
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AnthonyOJan 8, 2007If you don't like this album, you're not very smart.
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JacksonGJan 5, 2007This is not regurgitated bar rock. Listen to the fuzz guitar... that's a sound no other band has gotten. The stories may be about girls, drugs, and drunken nights, but it goes much deeper than any bar rock has ever even gone for. This album's lyrics are so superficial that it manages to bring out the life where most bands only achieve groan-worthy cliches.
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annaDec 20, 2006concept albums are tough to pull off, but finn does it with a narrow focus and a big sound.
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DanHDec 10, 2006(9.5) Amazing album, one of the best of the year! Recommended to anyone who likes a good rock record and isn't turned off by numerous drug and sex references. I had never heard of the Hold Steady previously but now am a huge fan. Try it, you'll like it.
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MattBDec 4, 2006An overwhelming achievement in a completely untapped field of music. Nobody sounds like these guys, and I mean this in the best ways possible, but they do not get caught up in their uniqueness. This album is pure poetry and is the best literature of the year!
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MarkCDec 3, 2006Number 9 on http://asaltysalute.blogspot.com/
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BrianCDec 3, 20069.3/10
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MikeGNov 29, 2006A solid effort, but it just doesn't hold a candle to the passion and the pathos of Separation Sunday. Finn doesn't sound as raw or passionate, the band doesn't sound as energetic or vital, and the entire affair just sounds like a great band trying to capitalize on a growing fan base. There are some good tracks here, but on the whole this is above average and not great.
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MattSNov 24, 2006Best album I've heard all year, although it's understandably not for everyone. I hated these guys when I first heard them a couple years ago, and they quickly became one of my favorite bands... newcomers should give this one a few spins before writing it off on first impressions.
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ChadMNov 22, 2006Fantastic follow up album. Great party record or driving album. It is one of the finest releases of the year for consistent song writing. These guys write albums not songs, which is an artform that is quickly dying.
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NathanielANov 9, 2006Regurgitated, reprehensible bar rock with no redeeming value whatsoever.
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MikeMNov 7, 2006
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PDuganNov 5, 2006This has my vote (not that I have one) for Album of the Year. While the Killers are trying hard to spin their new CD as a Born to Run follow-up, this is actually has much more of that same big, anthemic, rocking feel...it's a Born to Run for the 2000's. I've had this on non-stop for 3 weeks now and it's only sounding better every time I hear it.
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AllistairPNov 1, 2006
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shantieNov 1, 2006Probably should have given this a 7. I just don't get the hoopla. Good lyrics, but delivered by a voice that does very little for me. Wouldn't matter so much if I didn't feel the music at times is also (both the sound and the riffs) pretty bland. Maybe this review comes too early and I will see what people love about this record so much in weeks to come, but so far underwhelmed.
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JoeOct 31, 2006Craig Finn and his band capture the actions and feelings of youth in 2006 better than bands half his age. This album should be played at every party on ever college campus across the country.
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DavidDOct 30, 2006A masterpiece...never have i heard an album that showcases the beauty of youth so well. The album is about being young and having the whole world in front of you. Its also about living as though you never knew you did.
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mattaOct 26, 2006
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GiterdoneOct 25, 2006music...nice licks and riffs = good lyrics....humorous, youthful, mischevious = good vocals....sounds like marshmellows shoved in this mouth = very bad
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ChrisKOct 25, 2006The smartest rock band around has just released one of the best records of the year.
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joeOct 25, 2006best album of 2006
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JasonCOct 24, 2006Great album. Yeah, the lyrics are amazing and it'll make you think of Springsteen, but without being derivative. Its the perfect album to listen to you when you're hanging out drinking with a bunch of friends.
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JimBOct 23, 2006This record gets to you and keeps getting better the more you listen.
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scalvinOct 20, 2006generic at best....OK but not worthy of the hype.
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MichaelFOct 19, 2006This is the record of the year. It's everything.
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MikeOct 17, 2006The best, most effective album of the year, no question. Everyone will talk about the lyrics, but the secret weapon here is the keyboards, adding just the right touches in all the right places.
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MarcOct 13, 2006Just not that good, frankly. The lyrics are the only interesting thing happening on the entire album. Otherwise, the music just repeats the same tired riffs you've heard over and over in rock music.
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JamesLOct 10, 2006A fantastic album; it has boundless energy and a startling beat poet quality to it. One of the best albums so far this year and one of the best I've heard in years.
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EricFOct 9, 2006Solid all the way through, with "Chillout Tent" as the stand-out track. Had it been released a couple of months earlier, it would have been THE song of the summer.
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ScottMcBOct 8, 2006The best rock record you'll hear all year.
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PaulKOct 7, 2006After two really good albums, The Hold Steady make a great one. Channeling AC/DC, and the E Street Band, their rock and roll is both new and classic. The stories and characters whose tales are told will stick with you. One of the best albums I've heard this year.
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IainMOct 6, 2006Classic album, all the right guitar hooks and lyrics that stick with you for days. Forget the bar band labels and pick up this album.
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RobbCOct 6, 2006Usually not into this much of a rock album but the songs are all fantastic. I look forward to seeing them in concert.
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SaidSOct 6, 2006They've worked out the bugs and are truly, truly rocking. Don't listen to the lyrics or you'll cry hot tears.
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SinclairSOct 6, 2006more pure genius from the Hold Steady. One of the top 10 albums this year
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DavidPOct 5, 2006Easily on the top of 2006.
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AaronTOct 5, 2006Not bad by any standards, but not as good as their previous releases, or even anything by Craig's previous band, Lifter Puller. The lyrics, which are usually the strongest point of a Hold Steady album are too often drowned out by the heavily used piano.
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[Anonymous]Oct 5, 2006Solid songs, yet Finn's voice lacks the edge it had on the first two albums. And those acoustic guitars gotta go...
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staubinOct 5, 2006
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RobHOct 5, 2006An overhyped album if I've ever heard one. The Hold Steady continue to put out bland bar rock whose lyrics are their only saving grace. Unfortunately for them, the lyrics on this album pale in comparison to their previous two efforts. And don't tell me I must see them live. I have. And I still wasn't blown over.
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MKOct 5, 2006A very strong release. I'm a big fan but I've got to say that after a dozen listens none of the songs stick with me like they did on Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday. Still better than anything else I've heard in the past 6 months.
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hankmOct 4, 2006pretty "fun" stuff; but i don't find anything special about craig finn's lyrics. and the guitar solos are pretty lame. there isn't a "stevie nix" or a "crucifixion cruise" on this one.
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cwbOct 4, 2006SICK. probably my album of the year, on one listen...
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KevinCOct 4, 2006Sounds like one of those dreadfully overdone Bruce Springsteen productions that glorify mundane lifelessness with no trace of a sense of humor.
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ChrisBOct 4, 2006So different from "Separation Sunday" it's hard to compare, but it equals their last effort in its excellence. A must-listen...
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ToddWOct 4, 2006
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ChrisGOct 4, 2006The good: Finn's riveting mini-motifs of Americana / youth. LIsten closer if you just don't get it. The bad: A bit samey and HS-formula.
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AndyOct 4, 2006
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jonsOct 4, 2006
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LawrencePOct 3, 2006Nothing new here, but the words of Craig Finn are some of the best you will hear all year, not a bad song on the whole thing.
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EricWOct 3, 2006A fairly mundane bar-band sound, lead by a singer without much of anything notable to say. Probably highly reguarded due to critical guitar starvation, but if you're looking for a rock 'n' roll savior, this ain't it.
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KyleBOct 2, 2006Already I think it might be my all time favourite.
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Awards & Rankings
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[Finn] tells better stories than anyone else in music these days. [Oct 2006, p.131]
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Entertainment WeeklyOn 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]
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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.