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.… Expand

Regurgitated, reprehensible bar rock with no redeeming value whatsoever.

Nothing 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.

Set to infectious beats by one of the best rock-n-roll bands going, The Hold Steady's latest is witty, poignant, and funny, often in the same song, in telling simple tales about those that the title implies, boys and girls in America. Like great cinema or radio, Craig Finn's lyrics allow us to fill in the blanks in his songs with our imagination, rather than have the storyline shoved down our throat, as if we can't figure it our ourselves. It takes real talent to tell the tale of everyday living without sounding cliched and cloying, and Finn is a master at this craft. Boys and girls, it won't get a second of airplay in the Sewerstream, so let's hold this band steady in our collective consciousness.… Expand

would have given it a 10, but i'm not sure perfection exists. this is one hell of a record. this might be one of the best i've ever heard. think the best parts of "the wild, the innocent and..." smart lyrics - and it rocks, exactly where it should. sorry to admit that i've never heard of these guys before today...what else don't i know about? did i mention that this album is outstanding? i haven't been to a live show in 15 years...might have to camp out for tickets. my wife will be thrilled.… Expand

Solid songs, yet Finn's voice lacks the edge it had on the first two albums. And those acoustic guitars gotta go...

good effort from the self proclaimed "america's best bar band." finn's voice has a real unique quality about it that somehow both grates and fits at the same time with the band's garage style chops. but i like finn better when he's speaking more than singing. unlike separation sunday, here finn is actually attempting to sing and at times it detracts from what i believe to be the band's overall uniqueness.… Expand

more pure genius from the Hold Steady. One of the top 10 albums this year

They've worked out the bugs and are truly, truly rocking. Don't listen to the lyrics or you'll cry hot tears.

Usually not into this much of a rock album but the songs are all fantastic. I look forward to seeing them in concert.

After 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.

If you don't like this album, you're not very smart.

THS rock and they roll. lyrics that tell a story. allusions, double meanings, etc... Finally.

This is the record of the year. It's everything.

concept albums are tough to pull off, but finn does it with a narrow focus and a big sound.

Already I think it might be my all time favourite.

music...nice licks and riffs = good lyrics....humorous, youthful, mischevious = good vocals....sounds like marshmellows shoved in this mouth = very bad

Craig 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.

A 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.

So different from "Separation Sunday" it's hard to compare, but it equals their last effort in its excellence. A must-listen...

SICK. probably my album of the year, on one listen...

pretty "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.

The 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.

Not 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.

A 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.

An 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.

Solid 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.

Funny how the same criticism keeps coming up over and over again - they are a poor 'bar band'. Err, what? They are a rock band who play more up- tempo stuff so apparently this makes them a bar band - this is very lazy genre pigeon-holing - the sort of stuff we hate to read so please try to avoid this... The album is great although I suspect the vocals will turn a lot of people off. Think of the lead singer from the band Soul Coughing rocking out and you are pretty much there. Finn's lyrics are top notch, amusing and poignant, but if you can't identify with the chracters in his songs they will probably leave you cold. Which is fair enough.… Expand

This 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.

At least 5 or 6 songs actually "rock." They should be congratulated for this. It's safe to say that hardly anyone rocks like this anymore (i.e. kind of hard but happy, upbeat and tuneful). The lyrics are clever and the storylines are amusing if not redundant after repeated listens (I get it...they're all wasted). The music from the "emotional" song sounds like Lee Greenwood...if you're into that sort of thing. Bottom line is that there is a place for the Hold Steady but it's not something you want to exclusively listen to track-for-track over-and-over again for any length of time. That dude who thinks it's the best album since Aeroplane must be eating the same mushrooms as the kids in "Chillout Tent."… Expand

This 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.

This 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.

Love this album. Lots of fun, lots of lyrics and lots of guitars. Bet they are good live

"It started recreatonal, it ended kind of medical." Fantastic old school sound, great lyrics.

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!

A 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.

Probably 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.

The 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.

(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.

generic at best....OK but not worthy of the hype.

9.3/10

Number 9 on http://asaltysalute.blogspot.com/

Great 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.

I have never been a huge hold steady fan. I didn't like Almost Killed Me at all and Separation Sunday was okay at best. But this album is rocking. Finn still writes great lyrics, but his voice isn't nearly as grating as it has been in the past. The main difference though is the use of keys. The organ and piano riffs on this album are incredible and add so much to the hold steady's sound. A very encouraging move in the right direction for this band.… Expand

A 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.

Sounds like one of those dreadfully overdone Bruce Springsteen productions that glorify mundane lifelessness with no trace of a sense of humor.

Easily on the top of 2006.

Classic album, all the right guitar hooks and lyrics that stick with you for days. Forget the bar band labels and pick up this album.

The best rock record you'll hear all year.

The Hold Steady make 70's classic rock influences seem fresh again without being overtly 'retro' (like say Counting Crows). Craig Finn's detailed character sketches are less wordy, more universal, and ultimately more appealing than ever. The band has become a tighter unit, incorporating piano and organ while rocking harder than ever. This is their best album, and one of the finest of 2006.… Expand

One of the best rock albums, not only of 2006, but of the last decade. A classic.

I'm gonna take a wild stab and guess that reviewer Sam E. is between 18-25. That's not his fault. (Obviously) having no CDs in his collection recorded before 2000...is. THS fuses the best of Thin Lizzy/Asbury Park-era Springsteen with the halcyon days of Minneapolis punk (Replacements, Husker Du) to produce modern music utterly unlike anything else I have heard of late. In the cookie-cutter world of current alt-rock, unique apparently equals crap.… Expand

This happens to be one of the best rock and roll records of the last decade. The characters are the kids I grew up with and the stories are glorifieds of what I'm going through. I knew the lucky messed up chick who was afraid to let people get too close (Chips Ahoy!). I've gotten sick on a cross town bus and had to lay down on a dirty public bench with no one to keep me company but my thoughts (Stuck Between Stations). This is a wonderful, underrated band that reminds people that rock and roll is meant for the outsiders. Not the hipsters American Idols looking for a reason to whine.… Expand

Good music, but i don't like the singer's delivery.

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.

Better when it was called "Born To Run", but a great album nonetheless.

Don't like the Hold Steady? Good, you're just like me about a month ago. This is one of those albums that makes you re-evaulate the band and it all clicks. You get the Hold Steady. Suddenly Boy and Girls is one of your fav. albums of the decade, and the other 2 aren't far behind. And if not, maybe the next one will do it for you. I personally feel ashamed it took them 3 times to get me to listen.… Expand

Fantastic 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.

A 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.

Just 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.

This 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.

Wow this album is just simply stunning. Best album of 2006 ( well that and the other wolrdly Sunset Rubdown album). This is going to be blaring from speakers for years to come. WIth their last three albums the Hold Steady have put them selves in to the realm of the likes of the Pixies, Pavement, & Neutral Milk Hotel. A legendary band, who in the next 20 years will be more myth than men. Best album since NMH's In the Aeroplane over the sea… Expand

This record gets to you and keeps getting better the more you listen.

An 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!

best album of 2006

The smartest rock band around has just released one of the best records of the year.

This 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!

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.

Unbelievable album, such a fun album to listen to. Finn just seems like a likable character with these stories.