Separation Sunday

Infobox Album
Name = Separation Sunday
Type = studio
Artist = The Hold Steady

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Released = May 3, 2005
Genre = Rock, post-punk
Length = 42:11
Label = Frenchkiss Records
Producer = Dean Baltulonis, Dave Gardner
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ktkqikkdbbc9 link]
*"Billboard" Rating|5|5 [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews/album_review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000926910 link]
*"Lost at Sea" (9/10) [http://www.lostatsea.net/review.phtml?id=18015717194273908b76d15 link]
*Pitchfork Media (8.7/10) [http://pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/18602/The_Hold_Steady_Separation_Sunday link]
*Planet Sound (8/10)
*Q Magazine Rating|4|5
*Robert Christgau (A-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=hold+steady link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theholdsteady/albums/album/7269786/review/7284796/separation_sunday link]
Last album = "Almost Killed Me" (2004)
This album = "Separation Sunday" (2005)
Next album = "Boys and Girls in America" (2006)

"Separation Sunday" is an album released by The Hold Steady on May 3, 2005 on Frenchkiss Records. It has been well received by critics, earning an 8.7 on Pitchfork. It ranked number eight on the 2005 Pazz & Jop critic's poll [ [http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres05.php Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 2005: Critics Poll ] ] and was named the number ten album of the year by Spin.

A loose concept album, "Separation Sunday" follows the stories of Craig (the narrator), Holly (a/k/a Halleluiah), a sometimes addict, sometimes prostitute, sometimes born again Christian/Catholic (and sometimes all three simultaneously); Charlemagne, a pimp; and Gideon, a skinhead, as they travel from city to city and party to party. (All three characters made appearances on the band's previous album, "Almost Killed Me", and reappear in "First Night", and "Same Kooks" on "Boys and Girls in America," and then again in "Ask Her For Adderall" on "Stay Positive".)

"Separation Sunday" is lyrically dense, full of Biblical allusions [ [http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2005/aug/holdsteady/lyrics_cattle.html NPR : 'Cattle and the Creeping Things' by The Hold Steady ] ] , intertextual and self references (e.g., in "Don't Let Me Explode," when Holly is asked about Charlemagne, "she just smiled all polite-like and said something vague"; in "Almost Killed Me"'s closing track, "Killer Parties," the narrator instructs listeners, "If they ask about Charlemagne/Be polite, say something vague"), word play, and puns ("Stevie Nix": "She got screwed up by religion/she got screwed by soccer players"). Vocalist/songwriter Craig Finn typically delivers these lyrics in a distinct flavor of drug-addled sing-speak.

Musically, "Separation Sunday" engages Classic rock motifs -- guitar solos, riff-based structures, use of piano and organ, and guitar harmony. Structurally, however, most songs eschew the standard "verse-chorus-verse" song structure, frequently foregoing choruses or refrains all together. "Separation Sunday"'s tight musicianship and muscular sound led Blender to describe The Hold Steady as "sound [ing] like the best bar band in the world." [ [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/holdsteady/separationsunday The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday (2005): Reviews ] ]

The album cover was photographed at the corner of Maspeth Avenue and Conselyea Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. [ [http://gridskipper.com/travel/new-york/new-york-city-album-covers-332231.php Gridskipper: New York City Album Covers] ]

The song "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" is featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Project 8.

Track listing

Personnel

*Craig Finn – guitar, vocals
*Tad Kubler – guitar
*Galen Polivka – bass
*Franz Nicolay – keyboards
*Bobby Drake – drums
*Judd Counsell – drums

Additional players

*Nicole Wills – vocals
*Peter Hess – horns
*Tim Byrnes – horns
*Alan Ferber – horns

References