"It's one thing to start it with a positive jam," explains Craig Finn on the title cut of The Hold Steady's latest CD, "and it's another thing to see it on through."

The first part of that lyric -- a reference to the opening cut on their 2004 debut Almost Killed Me -- tells you where the Minneapolis singer-guitarist and his Brooklyn bar band began.

The second part tells you how far they've come. It's a long way, baby. In just four years, Finn and co. have catapulted from unknown indie-rockers to critical darlings to bona fide major-label act. More crucially, their creativity and passion have grown along with their fame.

That evolution is front and centre on the band's fourth and most mature album Stay Positive. Musically, the quintet has never sounded bigger or bolder, adding everything from vibes and banjo to harpsichord and talk-box into its arsenal and spreading its wings beyond Springsteenish rock into jazz and folk. And while Finn continues to lean heavily on his favourite lyrical topics -- rock and religion, booze and drugs, sex and death -- his rich, densely packed tales of disaffected youth living seamy secret lives in the underbelly of the American dream mark him as one of the most literate songwriters of our time. Thanks to some vocal lessons, he can also hit a few more notes with his foghornish sing-speak pipes.

Given all that, it should be easy for him to stay positive about his band's destiny. And to see it on through.

Constructive Summer 2:56

While the band hammers out a full-tilt power-chord rocker, our teen hero vows to "build something" -- a giant ladder so his drunken buds can scale a water tower. So much for constructive.

Sequestered in Memphis 3:33

If The Boss's Rosalita were a song about being interrogated by the cops following a druggy one-night stand gone mysteriously wrong, it might go a little something like this.

One for the Cutters 4:41

The music -- a mix of baroque harpsichord and echo-chamber guitar in jazzy 6/8 time -- is Mozart meets Brubeck. The lyrics follow a rich girl who parties with "townies" and gets caught up in a knife fight. The result: One of the most original songs in the group's catalog.

Navy Sheets 3:23

A howling '80s synth intertwines with choppy guitar, more twisty time signatures and religious iconography. As for the rest of the lyrics, well, your guess is good as ours.

Lord, I'm Discouraged 5:08

"I mostly just pray she don't die," confesses Finn, beseeching heaven for help with a drug-addled girlfriend. Set to a grim waltz, this could almost be the Hold Steady's version of Wild Horses.

Yeah Sapphire 3:37

Another classic piece of heaertland rock laced with jangle-crunch guitar and tinkly piano. The lyrics are a phone call from a guy to his estranged lover -- we won't spoil it by telling you why.

Both Crosses 4:35

Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis plays banjo on this dusty folk-rock tale of crucifixion and hallucination -- which also comes sporting vibes and an unforgettable refrain: "Baby, let's transverberate."

Stay Positive 2:59

Craig gives himself a little pat on the back for keeping his fiery punk idealism alive. A chugging guitar tiff, a swelling organ and some fitting whoa-ho gang vocals add fuel to the flame.

Magazines 3:09

Fuelled by a ringing piano and a chiming guitar, this midtempo rocker is about a New York woman with a bad drinking habit and "daddy issues." Magazines, issues, get it?

Joke About Jamaica 4:36

Yep, the title is a Zeppelin reference. But the rest of the song is a sparse, understated rocker about an aging barfly and unfulfilled dreams. Stay tuned for the Framptonish talk-box solo.

Slapped Actress 5:19

Finn borrows from John Cassavetes' Opening Night for this gritty, slow-grind rocker about how "we make our own movies" -- but life usually ends up calling the shots.