''Almost Killed Me'' is the debut studio album by

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

-based rock band

the Hold Steady The Hold Steady is an American rock band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), ...

, released on March 16, 2004 on

Frenchkiss Records Frenchkiss Records is an independent record label based in New York City. The label was started in 1999 by Syd Butler, bassist and founder of Les Savy Fav. The label's first purpose was to release Les Savy Fav's second album '' The Cat and The C ...

. It is considered by many to be a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. So ...

, with several recurring themes such as

near-death experience A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death which researchers claim share similar characteristics. When positive, such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detac ...

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

and the fictional character Charlemagne. Its concept album roots are further explored with the recurring characters in '' Separation Sunday'', the Hold Steady's second album, which uses the same characters introduced in ''Almost Killed Me''. ''Almost Killed Me'' was ranked number 99 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

''s 100 Best Albums of the Decade. While not a full-time member of the band at this time, future keyboard player Franz Nicolay makes a guest appearance on the album alongside the World/Inferno Friendship Society bandmate Peter Hess.

Track listing

#"Positive Jam" ( Craig Finn) – 3:19 #"The Swish" (Finn, Tad Kubler) – 4:11 #"Barfruit Blues" (Finn, Kubler) – 3:31 #"Most People Are DJs" (Finn, Kubler) – 5:50 #"Certain Songs" (Finn) – 3:54 #"Knuckles" (Finn) – 3:46 #"Hostile, Mass." (Finn, Kubler) – 3:42 #"Sketchy Metal" (Finn, Kubler) – 4:17 #"Sweet Payne" (Finn, Kubler) – 4:33 #"Killer Parties" (Finn, Kubler) – 5:48

Australian edition bonus tracks

"Milkcrate Mosh" – 5:56 #"Hot Fries" – 3:37 #"Curves & Nerves" – 2:40 #"Modesto Is Not That Sweet" – 3:12 #"You Gotta Dance" – 2:00

References

2004 debut albums The Hold Steady albums Frenchkiss Records albums {{2000s-indie-rock-album-stub