Before I proceed with the review, I would like to establish one thing: The Hold Steady are an excellent band. Their music is awesome, and they happen to be one of the best live bands I have ever seen. Craig Finn is one of the most charismatic, fun frontmen in the business and they embody everything I love in a band. That being said, Teeth Dreams, their sixth studio album, is immensely disappointing.
The Hold Steady are known for essentially being a bar band. They’re vibrant, rambunctious and heavy. While Teeth Dreams is certainly heavy, it lacks the other two characteristics of their previous work. There seems to be something missing from the album—a spark that made the band who they were.
The instrumentation seems a little off on the record. The band uses a lot of effects on Teeth Dreams they haven’t used on other albums, and these rarely benefit the tracks. This is most apparent on “Almost Everything,” an acoustic tune with guitar so distorted it could be mistaken for a Night Ranger riff.
However, the biggest problem with the album is Finn. His performance seems more forced than ever before, as though he’s only going through the motions. His voice is quicker, a little more flighty; either he isn’t as sure of himself as he normally is or he’s rushing through the lyrics. At any rate, it doesn’t sound as good as it should.
While the album is disappointing, there’s still a lot to like here. ”I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You” is a classic Hold Steady romp, while “Big Cig” and “Wait a While” sound like they could have been on earlier albums.
Fans of the band probably won’t find a new favorite record here, and people who don’t already listen to the band aren’t likely to start. But Teeth Dreams is worth a listen for those who enjoy the band.
Rating: C+
