On July 11 Soul Asylum, the band that got its start back in 1981 as the garage-punk Loud Fast Rules, released The Silver Lining. The album is their ninth studio release and breaks an eight year lull. Along the way the band changed its sound and its name before winning a Grammy in 1994 for "Runaway Train." With the new album comes the first single, "Stand Up and Be Strong;" a recent appearance on The Tonight Show; and a tour.
The Silver Lining was recorded in the band's native Minneapolis during a difficult time. Bassist and founding member, Karl Mueller, was diagnosed with throat cancer and eventually lost his battle in July 2005. The Silver Lining serves as a tribute to Mueller's dedication to his music and Soul Asylum, a majority of the tracks on the CD being his last. Steve Hodge and John Fields co-produced the album.
The album is as diverse as their three decade long career, delivering some tracks that are politically charged and others that span a wide range of emotions. All of them are delivered in the quintessential rock style that Soul Asylum has come to be known for, but with an aged maturity.
"Stand Up and Be Strong" is the fist single from the album and has been doing well, breaking into the top 30 at AAA radio and the top 40 at mainstream radio. The song is a positively charged pop rock ode to standing up to the blows life can throw at you. It's a fitting tribute from a band who is continuing on despite their losses and changes. In the video shown, they performed the single on a July 11 appearance on The Tonight Show.
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