The bar-band Americana heroes return with their fifth studio LP,
Heaven Is Whenever, which is
said to be "less anthemic" and "more complex".
It's been a few since 2008's
Stay Positive (which was
definitely spun a few here), and now the band is ready to take it in a new direction. This marks their first record since the departure of Franz Nicolay.
Quote Tad Kubler:
I think this is a much more dynamic record than anything we've done. I feel as though the last four records, with the exception of the odd track here and there, have been pretty much loud rock albums.
This album is sonically more diverse. And I really believe it exposes new elements of the band that we hinted at on other records but weren't able to fully realize until this one. Rather than just concentrate on changes in instrumentation, we made changes to the song writing process. And this helped everyone to experiment not only with their own instrument and where they should play, but where they shouldn't. This record doesn't feel as dense. It feels more spacial. We weren't trying to get a dozen different ideas on a song.
Heaven Is Whenever is due 5/4 on Vagrant, a day that is starting to sound like the D-day of album releases for 2010. -
joe puglisi
Tracklist for Heaven Is Whenever
:
01. The Sweet Part of the City
02. Soft in the Center
03. The Weekenders
04. The Smidge
05. Rock Problems
06. We Can Get Together
07. Hurricane J
08. Barely Breathing
09. Our Whole Lives
10. A Slight Discomfort
Tour Dates for The Hold Steady:
04-02 Ardsley, NY - LIFE
04-03 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
04-05 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
04-06 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
04-07 Albany, NY - Linda Norris Auditorium
04-08 Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theater
04-09 Jermyn, PA - Eleanor Rigby's
04-10 Syracuse, NY - The Westcott Theater
04-12 Rochester, NY - The Club at Water Street Music Hall
04-13 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
04-14 Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel Club Lounge
04-15 Morgantown, WV - 123 Pleasant St.
04-16 Harrisburg, PA - Appalachian Brewing Company
05-05 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
05-06 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
05-29 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06-12 Newport, England - Isle of Wright Festival
06-14 Paris, France - Fleche D'Or
06-21 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkeg
06-22 London, England - HMV Forum
06-26 Manchester, England - Academy
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