the hold steady / albums

621,052 plays
260 SHARES
183 FAVS
81 fans

- Almost Killed Me
- - 59,811 plays
  - 11 favs
  - 12 shares
The Hold Steady
Released 2004

Killer Parties
05:48
7,966 plays

The Swish
04:06
7,247 plays

Positive Jam
03:19
6,776 plays

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songs

- 1
- Positive Jam
- 03:19
- 6,776 plays

- 2
- The Swish
- 04:06
- 7,247 plays

- 3
- Barfruit Blues
- 03:30
- 5,864 plays

- 4
- Most People Are DJs
- 05:50
- 6,769 plays

- 5
- Certain Songs
- 03:53
- 6,112 plays

- 6
- Knuckles
- 03:46
- 5,913 plays

- 7
- Hostile, Mass.
- 03:41
- 4,786 plays

- 8
- Sketchy Metal
- 04:17
- 4,313 plays

- 9
- Sweet Payne
- 04:31
- 4,065 plays

- 10
- Killer Parties
- 05:48
- 7,966 plays

- play all

album review

"The '80s almost killed me," admits the Hold Steady's Craig Finn on "Positive Jam," one of ten rock & roll confessionals on the band's debut. That sets the tone for the rest of Almost Killed Me, as Finn reveals a lifestyle that included a "skater phase," a "raver phase," and a "razor blade phase." His lamentations are the appropriate voice for the band's debut, which sets out to recapture the glory of classic American rock and early indie rock. With rugged guitar riffs and solos and Finn's half-sung, scratchy voice, the Hold Steady mostly succeed, easily recalling the classic rock of early Bruce Springsteen or the sincerity of latter-day Hüsker Dü. When he's not remembering the parties and acting like "a Twin Cities trash bin," he reacts to the corruption of today's youth. Finn may seem like a fish out of water at this point, but having survived a self-indulgent life, his lyrics, as well as the Hold Steady's back-to-basics rock, are ironically welcoming. ~ Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide