365 project "she said Lord, what do you recommend to a real sweet girl whos made some not sweet friends? Lord, what would you prescribe to a real soft girl who's having real hard times?"

102.

artist:the hold steady
album:separation sunday

after i discovered boys and girls in America, i immediately wanted to get my hands on everything the hold steady had recorded. for my birthday that year, my friend gave me a copy of separation sunday on vinyl.

there are a few songs on this album that i am absolutely in love with. your little hoodrat friend is one, of course, because i believe that when most people think about this band, that is the first song that comes to their mind. how a resurrection really feels is such a sad song, and it makes me hurt for holly. i guess i should expound on that a little bit. ths has five studio albums, mostly dealing with the life and struggles of the main character, hallelujah (holly for short) and some of her friends, including Charlemagne and Gideon. While not every song on every album name-checks these characters, they are all over the story arc on separation sunday.

this album makes me both so incredibly sad and yet so hopeful all at once. while we are witness to holly's demise, we also see her starting to make a comeback by the end of the album. the drug references are as liberal as the religious ones, and both seem to flow together seamlessly.

Craig Finn is one hell of a lyricist. even through ths dry-spells, ill still find myself quoting lines from his songs. i do burn myself out on their stuff because once i start listening, i get hooked and cant stop for a bit.

this is a band that i suggest you take some time to get to know. I'm so glad that i did.

(for extra credit:read this website that i stumbled across researching this entry.)