Following last year's The Hold Steady record "Teeth Dreams" and subsequent tour, Craig Finn is back with solo record number two. "Faith In The Furture"(Partisan) follows 2012's "Clear Eyes Full Hearts" in a similarly subdued manner. Where The Hold Steady traffics in shout-along choruses and streamlined, air-tight riffs, Finn's solo work is more introspective. The hyper-literate, ultra-detailed lyrics are still part and parcel with both The Hold Steady and his solo work and while this album may not have arena-ready choruses, that's by design. Just as with "Clear Eyes", the intricate, character-driven stories on "Faith In The Future" are there it's just not as high-octane as The Hold Steady, which means these songs will better lend themselves to the smaller venues Craig will visit this fall.
Finn visits The Cactus Club in Milwaukee this fall, October 23rd, and provides us with our weekly download this week with the song "Maggie I've Been Searching For Our Son".
