The Unified Scene

This may just be my favorite song on the album. Its clever, speaks to hard living and ridiculous circumstances and has that sing along quality that makes this such a great band to listen to and to see live.

Awesome pop hooks in this and a really excellent arrangement. This is one of those slight departures from earlier Hold Steady, in that this song, unlike many others is in the first person. Its not so much about the mythology of the twin cities, but a recounting of a bizarre event. It has a conversational tone, and some funny conventions...

"Yeah sure I'll tell my story again

From the starting jagged guitar riff, through the swelling of Franz Nicolay's anthemic piano, to the bizarre compressed lead work - reminiscent of something off a Loverboy album, the Hold Steady launch into Stay Positive with a solid addition to their signature sound.

I kind of think that this song was written for an album that would be released earlier than mid-summer, as the song carries the positivity of the band's message and also seems to be meant to sing for a summer tour. Maybe I'm too literal in this regard, it just seems to me to be a song for a particular time and place.

Well, here I am just getting around to a review of the latest release from The Hold Steady.

Generally I like the album. Its not my favorite but its generally a steady effort. My question is, is it too soon to get self-referential and nostalgic? Or at least, is it too soon to get consciously self-referential and nostalgic.

That's one of the many issues I'll ponder during this song by song review of Stay Positive.

I may even be daring enough to summarize my thoughts at the end.