The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn infuses his windy tales of youthful debauchery with a mixture of detective-fiction luridness and first-club-show romanticism. For the Brooklyn band’s third album, Finn leans harder on the latter, sometimes distractingly so — guest vocalists Dave Pirner (of Soul Asylum) and Elizabeth Elmore (of the Reputation) make the concert romance “Chillout Tent” soggier than it should be. Still, the album opens with two sticks of dynamite: “Stuck Between Stations” and “Chips Ahoy!” can hang with classic rock of any vintage.
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