The Hold Steady

In between a throbbing Wurlitzer and massive, hug-the-guy-in-the-next-seat power chords, indie-rock’s boozy poet laureate Craig Finn tackles young love on the band’s third and best album. The Hold Steady’s unlikely mix of arena-rock exuberance and Finn’s sloshed-professor rambling was fresh at first but felt contrived by the second album, “Separation Sunday.” “Boys and Girls,” however, is packed with forceful, nuanced songwriting that makes room for face-melting guitar riffery, lovelorn Midwestern teenagers and even, by Hold Steady standards, a bit of actual singing.