Though they have their weaknesses, there’s only one aspect of The Hold Steady’s music that I have ever actively hated: the keyboards. They always sounded more like pretentious flourishes than integral parts of the songs, providing a sub-Springsteenian gloss that not only wasn’t necessary but made the music sound more derivative.
So I’m overjoyed to hear that their keyboardist has quit. Not only that, but he’s helped to confirm my opinion by going out with one final pretentious flourish, citing philosopher Isaiah Berlin and declaring the band too musically limited to meet his exacting standards. I look forward to never hearing from him again.
