Separation Sunday

Separation Sunday is the second studio album by the American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released on May 3, 2005, through Frenchkiss Records. A concept album, Separation Sunday follows the interconnected stories of several fictional characters: Craig (the narrator), Holly (short for Halleluiah), a sometimes addict, sometimes prostitute, sometimes born again Christian or Catholic (and sometimes all three simultaneously); Charlemagne, a pimp; and Gideon, a skinhead, as they travel from city to city and party to party.

Separation Sunday is lyrically dense, full of Biblical allusions, self-reference word play, and puns. Vocalist/songwriter Craig Finn typically delivers these lyrics in a distinct flavor of sprechgesang.

Musically, Separation Sunday touches on elements of Classic rock: guitar solos, riff-based structures, use of piano and organ, and guitar harmony. Structurally, however, most songs eschew the standard verse-chorus-verse song structure, frequently foregoing choruses or refrains altogether. In a review of the album, Blender described the Hold Steady as "sound[ing] like the best bar band in the world."

The album cover was photographed at the corner of Maspeth Avenue and Conselyea Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The song "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" was featured on the video game Tony Hawk's Project 8.

Critical reception
The album received an 8.7 on Pitchfork, and ranked at number eight on the 2005 Pazz & Jop critic's poll. The album was named the number ten album of the year by Spin. Punknews.org ranked the album at number 18 on their list of the year's 20 best releases.

Track listing
All songs written by Craig Finn and Tad Kubler, except where noted.
 * 1) "Hornets! Hornets!" – 4:48
 * 2) "Cattle and the Creeping Things" – 3:47
 * 3) "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" – 3:54
 * 4) "Banging Camp" – 4:16
 * 5) "Charlemagne in Sweatpants" – 3:59
 * 6) "Stevie Nix" (Finn, Kubler, Galen Polivka) – 5:28
 * 7) "Multitude of Casualties" – 3:06
 * 8) "Don't Let Me Explode" (Finn, Franz Nicolay) – 2:23
 * 9) "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night" (Finn, Kubler, Nicolay) – 3:20
 * 10) "Crucifixion Cruise" – 1:51
 * 11) "How a Resurrection Really Feels" – 5:32

2016 CD reissue bonus tracks

 * 1) "212-Margarita" – 3:58
 * 2) "The Most Important Thing" – 3:57
 * 3) "Cattle and the Creeping Things" (demo) – 3:50
 * 4) "Charlemagne in Sweatpants" (demo) – 3:58
 * 5) "Crucifixion Cruise" (guitar demo) – 1:38
 * 6) "Crucifixion Cruise" (piano demo) – 1:46

The Hold Steady

 * Craig Finn – lead vocals, guitar
 * Tad Kubler – guitar
 * Galen Polivka – bass guitar
 * Franz Nicolay – keyboards
 * Judd Counsell – drums (1-4, 11)
 * Bobby Drake – drums (5-10)

Additional musicians

 * Nicole Wills – vocals
 * Peter Hess – horns
 * Tim Byrnes – horns
 * Alan Ferber – horns

Technical

 * Dean Baltulonis – producer, engineer, mixing
 * Dave Gardner – producer, engineer, mixing, mastering
 * Tad Kubler – design, layout
 * Seth Jabour – design, layout