FRANZ NICOLAY FULL
New River is full of singalong choruses, epic arrangements and lyrics frequently about hanging in there and finding hope for the future. Nicolay on the other hand seems like a true believer in the youthful exuberance that was the subject of so many Hold Steady classics. Finn’s album from this year, A Legacy of Rentals, certainly continues that trend as did last years Hold Steady record Open Door Policy. His songs though are mostly sad sounding depictions of middle-aged regrets and quiet desperation. Hold Steady songwriter Craig Finn has also been making solo albums for much of the last decade. It’s certainly interesting to track the direction both artists have taken. He has gradually returned to his love of classic rock though, and on New River he at times is actually sounding more like vintage Hold Steady than The Hold Steady is these days – especially on the anthemic Your Ode Played By French Horns. Nicolay’s early solo work then was an experiment in punk rock vaudeville shows.
He elaborated “ they have their one big idea - making literate, wordy lyrics over big anthemic rock… This is going to let me indulge a lot of different ideas.” He memorably described his reasons for leaving as “ I was kind of a fox in a hedgehog band ”. These days Nicolay is back on the keys for The Hold Steady, though he did famously leave in 2010 when he began his solo career.
New River is the sixth solo album from New York based composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Franz Nicolay though Nicolay is best known for the six albums he has made playing keyboards in everyone’s favourite literate bar band The Hold Steady.
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