By Brett Stein
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive 
There is something about The Hold Steady’s newest release that immediately sucks you in. The first song, “Constructive Summer,” blares out of the speakers with scorching guitars and just a dash of keyboard that makes you want to stop what you are doing and sing along. Another standout track, “Sequestered in Memphis,” is the kind of track you might expect to hear at any halfway decent bar located anywhere in the Midwest. This effort sees the band making a concerted effort at telling a story from start to finish, and for the most part, they achieve their goal in a convincing fashion.
The Hold Steady have always been a capable band and on each of their first three albums they teased listeners with good songs that were sometimes a bit short of their full potential. The musical diversity displayed on Stay Positive belies the band’s looks, which vary between rabbinical students and grizzled Ph.D students. Singer Craig Finn does not possess a pure singing voice but he conveys every bit of emotion found in the lyrics on every track. He simply gets the most out of what he has and listeners are left with no choice but to listen to one of the year’s best albums.
The title track gets my vote for the year’s best track that makes you want to jump and pump your fist in the air. For those who pay close attention there is also a bonus track tossed in at the end that continues the theme of the album with piano mixed in over loud guitars. If you are not familiar with The Hold Steady, this album is not a bad place to start and if you like what you hear, their previous releases, “Almost Killed Me,” “Separation Sunday,” and “Boys and Girls in America” will likely not disappoint. 9 out of 10.
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III 
Raspy voiced New Orleans native Lil Wayne, who has previously made his presence felt by guest starring on every rap album since 2001, has finally achieved what he set out to become, the best rapper in the game due primarily to his reluctance to give up all the quirks that makes him so unique. Amazingly, Lil Wayne does not write down a single word or lyric for any song he records, going straight from memory. He croons above bass laden beats, and along with guest vocalist Jay-Z on “Mr. Carter”, displays all of the qualities that make him the preeminent artist on the scene.
One thing that fans of Lil Wayne are not lacking is fresh material as he routinely puts out a ton of free music via mix tapes, his songs never seem to get old, nor do his releases fail to raise the bar over previous efforts. On “Tha Carter III”, Wayne gets intensely personal with many of the lyrics and patient listeners are invited into a world most can only imagine. Though he has been in the news recently for legal reasons, there is no doubt that most other rappers are playing catch up to Mr. Carter. Even though he has seemingly been on the scene forever, Lil Wayne won’t turn 26 until the end of September and he has already started work on “Tha Carter IV”, which could be released as early as 2009.
Fueled by the first single “Lollipop”, Lil Wayne became the first rapper to sell a million copies of an album in its first week of release since 2005 and it went double platinum just nine weeks after being released. Now, Mr. Carter is able to enlist up and coming stars and veteran rappers on his album with ease instead of always being the one appearing on their albums. Even casual rap fans can find tracks to enjoy on this album, which achieves a rare 10 out of 10
Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends 
Perhaps no mainstream band takes more flack today from fans and non-fans for failing to be one thing (they are not U2) while simultaneously being another (a remarkably solid band). It is clear that the band will not duplicate the success of their first two albums, but “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” is certainly a huge improvement from the disappointing “X&Y,” which lacked fire, direction and cohesiveness. This effort starts with the instrumental “Life in Technicolor”, which builds slowly into a crescendo and lets the person listening know that they are in store for something more than ordinary.
The album isn’t without its missteps, however, and one track that seems out of place is “Violet Hill”. The band appears to take a page out of U2’s book in trying to produce a political anthem and the end result is decidedly mixed. Standout tracks include “Cemeteries of London”, “Lost!”, and the second radio single, “Viva La Vida”. As Chris Martin sings on the title track, “the old king is dead, long live the king.” As a band that has made its living writing piano-laden ballads, this album stands out as a step in the direction of a band looking to broaden its horizons with soaring guitars and dashing melodies.
This clearly is not the old Coldplay and die hard fans may have trouble truly loving this album but casual and new fans are certain to like a lot of what they hear on this record. It is usually tricky when a band tries to reinvent itself but Chris Martin and company should be applauded for taking the criticism of their previous release to heart and not being content to pump out new material clothed in the safety of sounding like “Parachutes” or “A Rush of Blood to the Head”. 7 out of 10, so it’s worth a listen but it’s not an instant classic.
Brett Stein is a 3L and can be reached at brett.stein@valpo.edu.
Entries (RSS)