Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
List Price:
Our Price: $6.99
You Save: $6.99 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.87 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
CD Details
Artist: Hold SteadyBrand: Vagrant Records
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2010-05-04
Music Label: Vagrant Records
Soundtracks:
- Sweet Part of the City, The
- Soft in the Center
- Weekenders, The
- Smidge, The
- Rock Problems
- We Can Get Together
- Hurricane J
- Barely Breathing
- Our Whole Lives
- Slight Discomfort, A
Music reviews of Heaven Is Whenever
Music Review: Great Record from an Evolving Band
Rating: 5 Stars
There's an expansiveness, a sense of space to this album which The Hold Steady hasn't ever allowed itself before. Several songs are familiarly "Hold Steadyish" with the loud, crunchy guitars fans are used to ("Hurricane J", "Rock Problems"), but the two openers, "The Sweet Part of the City" and "Soft in the Center", for instance are breezy, roomy rock numbers with Craig Finn sounding more at ease with himself than ever before. If their previous album, Stay Positive, is, as the band said, about aging with grace in a youth-oriented rock culture, Heaven Is Whenever sees The Hold Steady settling in as confident elder statesmen. At the same time, Finn is still giving props to his past and his predecessors -- "Barely Breathing" tells a fun story about hardcore easing into its late '80s post-heyday, for instance, and the lush "We Can Get Togehter" consist of a whirlwind of references that even the most astute afficianado will need three or more listens to completely catalog.
The musical branching-out reflected in this album might leave some fans running (or pining) for the more anthemic Separation Sunday or Boys and Girls in America -- and the band could probably have pulled off more-of-the-same with aplomb. But this seems to be a band comfortable enough with itself and knowledgable enough about its own abilities to want to continue to stretch, experiment and diversify. Much has been made in fan circles, for example, about the absence of a soaring stadium rock-style solo which Tad Kubler played at the end of "We Can Get Together" during the tour preceding the album's release. But the ballad-with-big-ending solo structure would have mirrored previous songs like "Lord, I'm Discouraged" from Stay Positive, and, let's face it, every '80s hair band did that. It gets old quick.
Unlike The Hold Steady.
And unlike Heaven Is Whenever, which streamed on NPR for a few weeks before its release and bore repeated listens via tinny computer. Hearing the CD on a proper system, however, transforms the experience -- there's a warmth and richness to the production, so much more going on musically than mere loud riffy guitar and shouted lyrics; it makes one long for one of the rare vinyl copies and even for the heyday of vinyl itself.
Heaven Is Whenver might be a transitional album, given the departure of Franz Nicolay's distinctive keyboard, but its destination is a bigger, better, more generous place, and it's going there in broad, confident strides.
Description of Heaven Is Whenever
2010 album from the American Alt-Rock favorites. The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY. Singer Craig Finn says ''Heaven Is Whenever is about embracing suffering and finding reward in our everyday lives''. Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler. Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on Heaven Is Whenever received the benefit of being tested on the band's recent tours. As Finn says this allowed them to see what was working and what wasn't. Following the release of 2008's critically acclaimed Stay Positive, which gave the band it's highest Billboard chart position to date, The Hold Steady toured relentlessly, playing to some of their biggest audiences to date.Alternative Rock CDs
Music Genres
Bestsellers in Alternative Rock CDs
Bouncing Souls - Maniacal LaughterRelease date: 1996-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $30.00
Blondie - Parallel LinesRelease date: 1994-07-29; Music CD
Best price: $149.98
Doors - L.A. WomanRelease date: 1993-04-09; Music CD
Best price: $99.99
Amon Duul - Phallus DeiRelease date: 1997-04-08; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Tangerine Dream - MelroseRelease date: 1990-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $74.98
Tangerine Dream - Private Music of Tangerine DreamRelease date: 1992-11-10; Music CD
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
![Ska Explosion [VHS] Image](/images/Ska-Explosion-VHS-6303381014-X.jpg){kind=small}
Ska Explosion [VHS]Cleopatra; Release date: 1995-02-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
![Little Earthquakes [VHS] Image](/images/Little-Earthquakes-VHS-6302488664-X.jpg){kind=small}
Little Earthquakes [VHS]Atlantic / Wea; Release date: 1992-11-10; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.50
Price in other shops:
Exileby Geoffrey Oryema
Music CD
Best price: $4.95
![Louder Than Live [VHS] Image](/images/Louder-Than-Live-VHS-6301627865-X.jpg){kind=small}
Soundgarden - Louder Than Live [VHS]A&M Video; Release date: 1991-07-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $192.68
Similar CDs
Wilco - The Whole LoveRelease date: 2011-09-27; Music CD
Best price: $12.64
Price in other shops:
The National - High VioletRelease date: 2010-05-11; Music CD
Best price: $8.89
Price in other shops:
Heartless Bastards - ArrowRelease date: 2012-02-14; Music CD
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Jayhawks - Mockingbird TimeRelease date: 2011-09-20; Music CD
Best price: $12.93
Price in other shops:
Hold Steady - Positive Rage (W/ Dvd) (Bril)Release date: 2009-04-07; Music CD
Best price: $11.18
Price in other shops:
The Hold Steady - Almost Killed MeRelease date: 2007-06-12; Music CD
Best price: $7.55
Price in other shops:
The Hold Steady - Separation SundayBaker & Taylor; Release date: 2007-06-12; Music CD
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in AmericaRelease date: 2006-10-03; Music CD
Best price: $4.79
Price in other shops:
Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full EyesRelease date: 2012-01-24; Music CD
Best price: $6.31
Price in other shops:
Hold Steady - Stay PositiveBaker & Taylor; Release date: 2008-07-15; Music CD
Best price: $7.78
Price in other shops: