New Hold Steady album in July

After releasing one brilliant album per year from 2004-2006, The Hold Steady were disappointingly absent from the 2007 slate. But on July 14, 2008 the middle-aged but insanely energetic sextet will release their fourth album titled Stay Positive. No big tour announcements yet, only some sporadic festival appearances, but I'm sure they'll be hitting the road this fall. Hopefully it'll include a couple of massive nights scheduled here in Craig Finn's hometown. Fittingly, the last time I ended up truly intoxicated at a concert was at a Hold Steady gig. I'll have to take it easy next time.