HEAVEN IS WHENEVER (2LP)

"I've always had a hard time thinking about Heaven is Whenever, as it wasn't a ton of fun to make. But 10 years later, going over these songs for this reissue, I've taken on a great new appreciation for this collection. With some distance, I see that we were trying to get somewhere else, and that this was a necessary transition record. The songs are weary, but with a dark humor. Upon review I think this might be the funniest Hold Steady LP, although it's sometimes hard to tell because it doesn't convey the same ecstatic joy as some of the earlier records.