Album Review: Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes

In The Hold Steady, Craig Finn's role isn't just to sing, play guitar and stand there and flail his arms about. Arguably the driving force of the band, Finn consistently writes picturesque narratives for a series of different characters set in different situations, there's a repetitive theme of youth and rebellion in The Hold Steady's music that feels reinvigorating despite Craig Finn just entering his 40's. 'Clear Heart Full Eyes' feels a lot more personal and probably reflects on Finn maturing as an artist as well as a person. Starting out with 'Apollo Bay', the overture of the album, where Finn describes the tourist attraction The Twelve Apostles nearby to where he was staying in Victoria, Australia when writing this album, Finn compares the Twelve Apostles, twelve giant limestones, to Jesus and his 12 disciples. The religious references remain prevalent throughout the album, 'New Friend Jesus' is a feel good, lightweight track that feels as if it were an outtake from a Bob Dylan album, the chorus includes the line "I wish I was with Jesus when I met you" which feels pretty majestic in itself and will be sure to be an instant foot tapper.

Finn continues to wear his influences on his heart, with pride. The track 'No Future' features name-checks to Freddy Mercury and Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, to which the title stems from, ("Best advice I've ever gotten was from Johnny Rotten / No future for you, no future for me"). The first single to be taken from the album, 'Honolulu Blues', showed an indication of a bluesier approach for Finn's solo debut, the quirky lyrics of the song alongside the heavier guitars make it a stand out track that however, sounds dissimilar to the rest of the album itself.

The songs on 'Clear Heart Full Eyes', such as the completely relatable 'Balcony', feel nostalgic and the inclusion of the pedal steel, as with most of the songs on this album, is subtle but feels absolutely necessary. Fans of The Hold Steady won't notice a gigantic leap from Finn's work in the band, in fact, it sounds like a much more mournful, stripped back version of the band if they were to perform acoustic Americana music. The body of work itself feels consistent and just goes to show that The Hold Steady aren't just a band who sing about the good times.

4/5

'Clear Heart Full Eyes' is out January 24th through Vagrant Records.

George Gadd