27. April 2025
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Media Review

Craig Finn – Always Been

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Craig Finn - Always Been

Craig Finn - Always Been
4.9

Rating

 4.9/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Great storytelling
  • Very versatile songs with high intensity

I already reviewed albums with and by Craig Finn twice on Flyctory.com. On 4th April 2025, the US-American musician shares his sixth solo album, Always Been. Here is my review.

 

Craig Finn – About The Artist

Craig Finn was born on 22nd August 1971 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked in multiple rock genres. He is most well-known as the lead singer of the band The Hold Steady, which he co-founded in 2003. However, he also collaborated in other bands and with other artists. In 2012, Finn released his solo debut album Clear Heart Full Eyes. His most recent solo record has been the 2022 A Legacy of Rentals. I also reviewed the most recent The Hold Steady album, named The Price of Progress (2023).

 

Craig Finn – Always Been – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 50 minutes

1. Bethany

Always Been starts with a truly epic song. Almost six minutes, long, the lyrics sheet in the press pack ranges over two and a half pages. The song takes you to Pennsylvania, namely somewhere between Harrisburg and Bethany, to name it with the lyrics. In fact, it is a story of a relationship, told in a really lovely narrative style

2. People Of Substance

The two songs on Always Been, which have been released before the album, kick it off. Thereby the two songs could hardly be different. People of Substance is just about half as long as the opener and comes with a significantly faster pace. The guitar riffs also have a stronger presence. The lovely, very illustrative storytelling stays, though. I really like it.

I decided I’m gonna back off now
I heard you turned that old boy into a husband
Now you’re out in the county hanging out
With some people of substance

3. Crumbs

All nine remaining tracks are new songs, new stories. The first one is Crumbs. Even though Craig Finn’s sound is so different, I think about the lyrical style of Bruce Springsteen when I listen to this artist. The song is about eating disorder, about a dramatic family story. We can maybe wait it out but we’ll never win this war – the song does not have a positive outlook. But it is very catching.

4. Luke & Leanna

She came home crying.
He asked her what happened
She says it’s just nothing
It’s something at work

This time, Craig Finn is singing about Luke & Leanna and portraits a relationship. Again, there are dramatic elements, conflicts in his song, like in

Luke and Leanna
Don’t have any children
They said they didn’t want them
But lately she’s thinking

Finn is just so good in sharing stories like that. This time, there is also a very present melody from the keyboard side, which somehow makes this song feel easier. 3:31 minutes, two pages of lyrics and a lot to listen to in this fourth track of the album. Wow.

5. The Man I’ve Always Been

The fifth track takes the role of the title track. The four minute song is much slower, thoughtful and a bit of melancholic. Again, it is about the struggle of living. For example, Finn states Honestly I’ve been a couple people, but no one that i’d want to be again. Many memories, many instances in life finally lead to the conclusion This is probably who I’ve always been – and you are just fascinated listening to that story.

6. Fletcher’s

It is time for another really epic track again. Fletcher’s is one of the four Always Been songs which exceed five minutes. Again, Craig Finn goes for a very different sound. He is simply narrating the story of the song, using very limited instrumentation in the background. This lead to a strong intensity and a very different character of this song. The US-American artists simply makes these ones work out perfectly.

7. A Man Needs A Vocation

The trip was pretty bleak
But it was cheaper than the train
Disembarked during a summer storm
Got hammered by the rain
As he hobbled down the frontage road
With a footlocker and in a fair amount of pain

A Man Needs A Vocation starts with a keyboard melody, before the other instruments join in. Finally, this song turns into one of the most picturesque, metaphoric tracks told on this album.

8. I Walk With A Cane

I Walk With A Cane is another one of these amazing, catching self-reflections. Are they personal or is it just masterful storytelling? Finally that does not count. This time, the instruments lead you through the storybook of the song in an impressing dramatic way. If you just don’t manage to hold in, listen and feel it, just might waste an opportunity.

9. Clayton

With less than three minutes, Clayton is the shortest song on the record. The title is explained right at the beginning of the song. I took Clayton as a name the day they said that I was saved. However (is that a surprise any more), there is more struggle than harmony even in this shorter story. And Finn states we can change the names they give us but we’re stuck with who we are. Deep and intense messages don’t need three minutes.

10. Postcards

After this short, acoustic guitar song, the six minutes Postcards is very rhythmic again and already catches with its melody. The Postcards are not really sending positive messages, because their friends remind them of places we’ve never been. Alcohol, cigarettes spoil the dreams of seeing places around. However, the song also has some sort of positive message at the end.

11. Shamrock

Always Been closes with the slower Shamrock. Another family and relationship story which started long ago and does not feel to change to better. Just like all the stories in here. It has Always Been like that. Or at least since quite a while. Depressing, but fascinating.

 

Craig Finn – Always Been – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Craig Finn – Always Been – My View

When I reviewed A Legacy Of Rentals, I already praised the intensity of the songs, the lovely stories. But the album was also extremely demanding. Always Been is not an easy listen as well, indeed. But I feel that Craig Finn makes it easier to digest. You don’t need to invest that much into these songs – but they give you back great thoughts and metaphors. Thus, I absolutely love this one.

Favorite Song: Crumbs

 

US-American Rock Music Top Pick! Reviews

Here are Media Reviews of US-American artists doing rock music, with a Top Pick! rating:

 

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