So it's been a month since Heaven is Whenever came out, and those Hold Steady obsessives among us can finally admit: it's no Stay Positive. Or Boys and Girls in America, or Seperation Sunday, but still--a new Hold Steady album (especially during summer) is always an occasion, and Heaven is Whenever is no exception.
In this installment of the Insound Studio Sessions, the band gives album highlight 'The Weekenders' the acoustic treatment. The track's reverbed verses are nearly unrecognizable in translation, but there's no mistaking Craig Finn's voice: here he sounds nearly on the brink of tears while trying his hardest to restrain that "I'm just happy to be here, doing this" face he's always making.
It's jarring to see a band known primarily for doing things loudly sonically neutered like this, but, as always, The Hold Steady comes out on top. [Insound]
