Wire

It seems safe to say that Brooklyn’s The Hold Steady has become one of New York’s most beloved indie bands. After all, back in 2005, with only two albums under its belt, it was the first rock act in about 15 years to grace the Village Voice’s cover. Its new album, Stay Positive, was released across the pond yesterday on the U.K. staple Rough Trade, and comes out today in the U.S. on the more pop-punk oriented Vagrant Records. The critics are already fawning. Salon describes The Hold Steady—four members are originally from Minneapolis, the fifth plays accordion in the Brooklyn-based cabaret-punk troupe the World/Inferno Friendship Society—as “a New York Indie rock band for people who hate New York indie rock bands,” and it deemed Stay Positive a “Soundtrack for the great American road trip.  read more »