YMMV / The Hold Steady

• Epic Riff: Lots of them.
  • "Knuckles"
  • "Hot Soft Light"
  • "Banging Camp"
  • "Constructive Summer" in a pretty huge way.
• Fanon: Fans have made dedicated attempts to piece together the storyline and the general chronology, but there has never been any official confirmation of the timeline. For instance, general consensus seems to be that Sapphire from "Yeah, Sapphire" is the psychic in "Chips Ahoy," "Both Crosses," "The Weekenders," and maybe the girl in "Unpleasant Breakfast," but Craig Finn has never outright said this.
• More Popular Spin-Off: The Hold Steady was formed by the singer and bassist of cult band Lifter Puller.
• Seasonal Rot: While Heaven Is Whenever and Teeth Dreams are by no means bad, Franz Nicolay's absence after leaving the band is definitely noticeable. The band themselves point to Heaven Is Whenever as their weakest, having been made after they lost Nicolay but before they recruited Steve Selvidge and reworked their sound to fit the new lineup.
• Sequel Gap: Released five albums between 2004 and 2010, then just two more, with five years between each, in the '10s.
• Sweet Dreams Fuel: "Heaven is whenever we can get together..."
• The Woobie: Holly.