tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705112267530946905.post2374674799392658479..comments2023-10-01T08:18:03.419-06:00Comments on failing the rorschach test: Lifter Puller - Bay City Rolling 7"cretinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16350335348193490422noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705112267530946905.post-34894372218537898522009-04-23T20:46:00.000-06:002009-04-23T20:46:00.000-06:00thanks! hopefully, I'll get back to more regular u...thanks! hopefully, I'll get back to more regular updates now that exams are finished with.<br /><br />Finn's song-writing abilities are undoubtedly stronger with Lifter Puller, and I agree that that sort of mentality of 'enlightened depravity' works a lot more effectively with the music than the more staid (but occasionally great) story-telling of THS. the Hold Steady have some material that works to the same degree, but they tend to be significantly less consistent in their song-writing, much more all over the place with regards to their musical influences, and much less interesting as a result.<br /><br />also, is it wrong that when you mentioned joyce and cheever, the first connection i drew between the two was in their <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cheever_Letters" REL="nofollow">letter-writing</A> <A HREF="http://www.johnhamilton.us/2/jamesjoyceletters.htm" REL="nofollow">tendencies</A>?cretinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16350335348193490422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705112267530946905.post-19777052002389874232009-04-22T11:02:00.000-06:002009-04-22T11:02:00.000-06:00Im digging this site a lot; first Frodus and now L...Im digging this site a lot; first Frodus and now LFTR PLLR. And I agree with that Ape fellow, theres no comparison between Hold Steady and PLLR. PLLR had incredible stories, great insight, and just great music. Hold Steady just seems a little shallow in light of that. <br /><br />And yeah I dig that Waits comparison, altho Finn seemed somehow more enlightened back then, going for a fuck-all depravity & ingesting club drugs. I think of him closer to a modern day James Joyce....or maybe John Cheever if you read into the drug ingestion some more. Something like that.<br /><br />Really great blog (to reiterate).Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705112267530946905.post-33859944205669063772009-04-09T15:15:00.000-06:002009-04-09T15:15:00.000-06:00you're not wrong, but for brevity's sake, I was mo...you're not wrong, but for brevity's sake, I was mostly just going for a synopsis here; the "essentially The Hold Steady" statement referred to the band members and not the sound. I just didn't want to say "THIS IS CRAIG FINN'S BAND", although now that I look into it, the Hold Steady only appears to have 2 former members of Lifter Puller, so boo on me. I think I'll change the wording there.<BR/><BR/>I think there's a good analysis to be made by comparing the two bands though, and it shows in your post (which I agree with entirely, right down to the Nightclub Dwight reference). I like the Tom Waits comparison, both in story-telling ability and in that same liquor-driven, gravelly-toned voice (albeit to a much lesser extent with Finn).cretinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16350335348193490422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705112267530946905.post-63756379853856644732009-04-08T20:48:00.000-06:002009-04-08T20:48:00.000-06:00A great record, to be sure. But I'm a little disa...A great record, to be sure. But I'm a little disappointed with the statement that Lifter Puller is the Hold Steady, minus the mainstream acclaim. LP was the Hold Steady minus the Catholic guilt, on a 3 day bender, coked out of its mind and on the run from Nightclub Dwight. I've always felt that Craig Finn was coming from a much darker, less personal place on the last batch of Lifter Puller recordings ("SSC", "F+F", "4Dix"), and the world is worse for him not having delved into the same territory since. He coulda been Tom Waits or Chet Baker; instead, he went for the Boss or Elvis Costello. Not a terrible thing at all.<BR/><BR/>By the way, Bob Nanna does a killer version of "Secret Santa Cruz" on one of the City On Film records.Ape Mummyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07477555333510792158noreply@blogger.com