Good news, hoodrat, meth-addict, sexually-excited-by-Jesus assholes! Craig Finn, the hyper-literate-but-not-in-that-cloying-Decemberists-way talk-singer of The Hold Steady, has just confirmed a release date for his debut solo album. Due January 24 on Vagrant, the album’s called Clear Heart Full Eyes. I know, seems lame right? But it’s cool; it’s probably some next-level reference from Dante or Kerouac or something. Let’s go to the press release: “It’s a juxtaposed reference to ‘Friday Night Lights,’ a TV show that excited and moved me and also happened in Texas.” D’oh!
But wait, there’s more. The album consists of songs Finn wrote in his Brooklyn apartment earlier this year. See? Brooklyn. This shit’s probably experimental as hell! Hook me up, press release: “I had written a bunch of songs that were outside of the norm for The Hold Steady, a little quieter and perhaps more narrative.” DAMNIT.
Okay, okay. But still, the studio lore behind this has to be cool, right? I mean, Finn’s a pretty infamous partier. Let’s consult his first-hand account of the recording porcess. Let’s see… looks like he recorded the album in Austin with Spoon and …Trail of Dead producer Mike McCarthy this past July because he wanted to “gain some experience and insight into the process of making a record by working with new people.” Aw, come on, man! At least give me something about reciting Pound’s Cantos while sniffing coke off of some college girl’s Chi Rho-tatooed tits! It’s not like being a 40-year-old man who still pretends like he’s 18 for the sake of keeping up appearances in a cool rock band is too much to ask, Craig.
Clear Heart Full Eyes tracklisting:
01. Apollo Bay
02. When No One’s Watching
03. No Future
04. New Friend Jesus
05. Jackson
06. Terrified Eyes
07. Western Pier
08. Honolulu Blues
09. Rented Room
10. Balcony
11. Not Much Left of Us
• Craig Finn: http://steadycraig.tumblr.com
• Vagrant: http://vagrant.com
• The Hold Steady: http://theholdsteady.net