The Hold Steady
Teeth Dreams
Reviewed by: Stephen Krock
The Hold Steady returns with their first full-length album in four years. And they have come to rock. Well. Not so much rock as wobble back and forth. Teeth Dreams is rife with excellent guitar riffs and the unique speak-sung vocals of frontman Craig Finn. However, it’s hard to pull out a melody through all the meandering.
Opening track “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You” is a good time, but about two minutes too long, once you get over the novelty. Unfortunately, most of what follows, including the single “Spinners,” is much the same. Everything starts off fun, but then dwindles into directionless rock.
After a while, it sounds not unlike Randy Newman rant-singing off the cuff at a classic rock karaoke bar. Lyrically, then, it is always interesting, if somewhat indulgent. “Blood on the carpet, blood on the mattress, waking up with that American sadness.”
There are a handful of exceptions. “The Ambassador,” the album’s most balladic offering, carries a distinct sound throughout, with decent hooks. And the wonderful “Wait A While” is the closest thing Teeth Dreams has to an honest to goodness song structure.
While the aimlessness is interesting at first, it trails off and ultimately fails to… wait for it… hold steady. Eh? See what I did there?
Rating: Semi-obnoxious
