Craig Finn’s music darker in latest album

Prince of the power chord and champion of the arena-rock chorus Craig Finn embarks on a dark lyrical journey accompanied by a new downbeat sound for his newly released solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes… Clear Heart Full Eyes

Craig Finn

Vagrant Records

Rocks like: Drive-By Truckers, The Hold Steady with a hangover

Prince of the power chord and champion of the arena-rock chorus Craig Finn embarks on a dark lyrical journey accompanied by a new downbeat sound for his newly released solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes.

The Hold Steady — as the band’s name might suggest — has built a legion of fans over the past decade with its consistent, hard-rock sound and storytelling lyrics, penned by lead singer Finn.

In his first album without his band, Finn’s dark lyrics do not differ much from those of his prior work. But when it moves away from his familiar distorted guitar sound, Clear Heart shines brightest.

The outstandingly rough but still-muted blues found on opening track “Apollo Bay” could easily be mistaken for a song from Neil Young’s haunting Ditch Trilogy albums.

Finn’s hard-rock-infused catechism is on full display in Clear Heart. “No Future” alludes to lessons learned from Freddie Mercury. And the enjoyable folk track “New Friend Jesus” talks about the narrator’s fictional summer hanging out with Christ. “It’s hard to suck with Jesus in your band,” Finn sings.

Musically, Finn diverges from the big choruses and catchy hooks a Hold Steady fan might expect to find on the frontman’s solo album.

The building intensity in the song “Jackson” is custom made for a large, explosive chorus, but it stays mellow. Such a change from what’s expected is a refreshing aspect of the album.

Unfortunately, Clear Heart contains a number of forgettable songs, including the underdeveloped “Honolulu Blues.” A jangly, excruciating “Terrified Eyes” will hopefully mark Finn’s first and last venture into the country-western style of music.

But these few tracks pose only a minor distraction to the otherwise enjoyable listening experience of Finn’s experimentation with a new depression-rock sound.