Album Review: Always Been by Craig Finn

With The War On Drugs and Sam Fender along for the ride, The Hold Steady singer’s novel-like sixth is probably his finest solo album to date The problem with being the lead singer of a band with a distinctive sound is that when you go solo, it always feels like there’s a missing part somehow. Craig Finn is, of course, best known as the voice and chief songwriter of the ‘best bar band in America’, The Hold Steady (who are still very much a going concern) and although his previous five solo outings have all been perfectly fine records, you do find yourself missing the drive and euphoria that his band so often provides. For Finn’s sixth album, Always Been, he’s tackled that problem by linking up with another band, The War on Drugs.

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First premise: Playing in a band with Craig Finn must be hard. His songs are elaborate stories that demand a listener’s attention, but his melodies are often static, sometimes drifting toward speaking (or yelling). Instrumentation must be interesting enough to shape the melody, but not wholly upstage the narrative. His main band, the Hold Steady, are an iconic alternative/heartland group because the instrumentalists weave around and embellish his outlandish tales.

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