Some songs and artists are good in the studio, but when heard live or in extreme volume, are great. Earlier this month, in honor of
11/11/11, NPR’s tri-monthly music podcast "All Songs Considered" featured songs chosen by the hosts that "go to eleven: songs best heard extra-loud." They kicked off with the iconic clip of Christopher Guest from "This Is Spinal Tap" in which his character, Nigel
Tufnel, coolly explains why the band's amps go all the way to volume 11.
Throughout the podcast there were a couple of no-brainers, like Led
Zeppelin’s "Kashmir" and The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" These songs already stand out as
legendary, but blasting them through high-powered drivers still tickles the ear drums. One band that Mr. Boilen
& co. didn’t include, but that would’ve been appropriate, is Brooklyn-based
indie-rock outfit The Hold Steady. The group’s brand of rough-yet-catchy,
guitar-and-keyboard-laden dancehall jams, narrated by Minnesota native Craig Finn’s witty yet
vague, raspy lyrics, isn’t something I regularly dial up through the
ear buds -- but topping out the stereo or seen live, these guys are incredible.
Theirs is a raw, infectious energy that engages and feeds
off a hometown vibe: a large part of their songbook reads as inside jokes, at least to
those from Brooklyn or Minneapolis. In this track, Finn references numerous local roads and highways.
The overall sound isn’t anything ground-breaking, just solid, heavy pop-rock
hooks and seemingly simple structures in the vein of Bruce Springsteen or even
Van Halen (or dare I say Billy Joel at times?). "Southtown Girls" sounds like it
was bred specifically for local tavern singalongs, with its short chorus,
grinding bass and soaring, shimmering organ.
The Hold Steady is the kind of band you’d be proud as hell -- but
protective of -- if they were from your hometown. As for the rest of us, we’re
just glad those locals decided to share. Crank it up.
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