Separation Sunday

Separation Sunday
Studio album by The Hold Steady
Released May 3, 2005 (2005-05-03)
Genre Indie rock, post-punk revival, heartland rock
Length 42:11
Label Frenchkiss Records
Producer Dean Baltulonis, Dave Gardner
The Hold Steady chronology
Almost Killed Me
(2004)Almost Killed Me2004		 Separation Sunday
(2005)		 Boys and Girls in America
(2006)Boys and Girls in America2006
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic86/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[3]
Chicago Sun-Times[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
The Guardian[6]
NME8/10[7]
Pitchfork8.7/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Uncut[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

Separation Sunday is the second studio album by the American rock and roll band The Hold Steady, released on May 3, 2005 through Frenchkiss Records. A concept album, Separation Sunday follows the interconnected stories of several fictional characters: Craig (the narrator), Holly (short for Halleluiah), a sometimes addict, sometimes prostitute, sometimes born again Christian/Catholic (and sometimes all three simultaneously); Charlemagne, a pimp; and Gideon, a skinhead, as they travel from city to city and party to party.[12]

Separation Sunday is lyrically dense, full of Biblical allusions,[13] self-reference[14] word play, and puns [15]. Vocalist/songwriter Craig Finn typically delivers these lyrics in a distinct flavor of sing-speak.

Musically, Separation Sunday touches on elements of Classic rock: guitar solos, riff-based structures, use of piano and organ, and guitar harmony. Structurally, however, most songs eschew the standard verse-chorus-verse song structure, frequently foregoing choruses or refrains altogether. In a review of the album, Blender described The Hold Steady as "sound[ing] like the best bar band in the world."[16]

The album cover was photographed at the corner of Maspeth Avenue and Conselyea Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[17]

The song "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" was featured on the video game Tony Hawk's Project 8.


Critical reception

The album received an 8.7 on Pitchfork, and ranked at number eight on the 2005 Pazz & Jop critic's poll.[18] The album was named the number ten album of the year by Spin.

Track listing

All songs written by Craig Finn and Tad Kubler, except where noted.

  1. "Hornets! Hornets!" - 4:48
  2. "Cattle and the Creeping Things" - 3:47
  3. "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" - 3:54
  4. "Banging Camp" - 4:16
  5. "Charlemagne in Sweatpants" - 3:59
  6. "Stevie Nix" (Finn, Kubler, Galen Polivka) - 5:28
  7. "Multitude of Casualties" - 3:06
  8. "Don't Let Me Explode" (Finn, Franz Nicolay) - 2:23
  9. "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night" (Finn, Kubler, Nicolay) - 3:20
  10. "Crucifixion Cruise" - 1:51
  11. "How a Resurrection Really Feels" - 5:32

Personnel

Additional musicians

  • Nicole Wills – vocals
  • Peter Hess – horns
  • Tim Byrnes – horns
  • Alan Ferber – horns

References

  1. ↑ "Reviews for Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady". Metacritic. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ Sendra, Tim. "Separation Sunday – The Hold Steady". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ "The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday". Blender (36): 122. May 2005.
  4. ↑ Smith Lindall, Anders (May 29, 2005). "The Hold Steady, 'Separation Sunday' (Frenchkiss)". Chicago Sun-Times.
  5. ↑ Wood, Mikael (May 30, 2005). "Separation Sunday". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ Simpson, Dave (May 4, 2007). "The Hold Steady, Separation Sunday". The Guardian. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ Jam, James (May 23, 2007). "The Hold Steady: Almost Killed Me / Separation Sunday". NME.
  8. ↑ Breihan, Tom (May 5, 2005). "The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ Hoard, Christian (May 19, 2005). "Separation Sunday". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ Empire, Kitty (June 2007). "The Hold Steady: Almost Killed Me / Separation Sunday". Uncut (121): 110.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert (May 17, 2005). "Consumer Guide: Beguilement and Rage". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ All three characters made appearances on the band's previous album, Almost Killed Me, and reappear in "First Night", and "Same Kooks" on Boys and Girls in America, and then again in "Ask Her For Adderall", a bonus track from Stay Positive.
  13. ↑ NPR : 'Cattle and the Creeping Things' by The Hold Steady
  14. ↑ In "Don't Let Me Explode," when Holly is asked about Charlemagne, "she just smiled all polite-like and said something vague"; in Almost Killed Me's closing track, "Killer Parties," the narrator instructs listeners, "If they ask about Charlemagne/Be polite, say something vague"
  15. ↑ In "Stevie Nix": "She got screwed up by religion/she got screwed by soccer players"
  16. ↑ The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday (2005): Reviews
  17. ↑ Gridskipper: New York City Album Covers
  18. ↑ Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 2005: Critics Poll
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