Finch “Back to Oblivion” Album Review
Yes, they’re still an active band. I saw Finch perform live with Fenix TX almost a year ago (photos here) and I thought it was strange that they were making this reemergence without any new album or anything but…. here we are! After almost nine years since their last release, Finch has released Back to Oblivion via Razor & Tie. The album dropped September 30th but I’ve been meaning to review it, so here it is!
1. Back To Oblivion
2. Anywhere But Here
3. Further From the Few
4. Murder Me
5. Picasso Trigger
6. Play Dead
7. Two Guns To the Temple
8. The Great Divide
9. Us vs. Them
10. Tarot
11. Inferium
12. New Wave
I will admit that I was never a Finch fan back in their glory days. I know the band, I remember Finch t-shirts in high school and hearing about them here and there, but I just never got into them or gave them a chance. Lucky for them, I have been feeling nostalgic for the last few months for whatever reason (maybe because I am about to turn 30………….). I received this album to review and it was the first time I really gave them a listen. My first thought was this record sounds like a mix between Incubus and the Deftones. Now I know someone wants to punch me for comparing them to the Deftones but chill out- just hints of the record are reminiscent of the Deftones’ sound, they definitely come to mind. Everything about the record reminds me of the 90’s, but that’s not a bad thing. The first track happens to be the title track, Back To Oblivion, and it really sets the tone for the entire album. Rolling into Anywhere But Here keeps the same pace going. They really have a strong 90’s radio rock feel, but not in a shitty way honestly. I don’t hate it, as much as I expected to. I was always an old Incubus fan (even back when Brandon Boyd had those stupid hippy ass dreadlocks), and so far the record is really reminding me of Incubus.
Okay that was a really long paragraph so I will just bluntly end it and start a new one. Further From the Few has a solid 90’s feel that really takes me back. I mean… I will say this about every song. I’ve also listened to this record so many times in preparation for this review that every song just sounds so familiar to me already. If you are around my age, I think you’ll get what I’m saying better than most.
Murder Me is the “ballad” of the record I think. Not so much in the sense of being a love song but in the sense that it’s the slowest, most mellow song on the entire record. I couldn’t tell you what this song was about honestly. It could be about a girl? Who knows… and I don’t know if anyone really cares. So anywho- the song does eventually break into a more powerful chorus and still sounds like the other songs. I guess that is one thing I will comment about the record is most of the songs all have a similar sound, which is common in many bands. As I mentioned, I am not really familiar with Finch before this album so I’m not sure if they’re always like this or if this album even sounds like their old stuff.
Picasso Trigger is the first song on the album that really made me think of the Deftones. I dare you to tell me different! Pretty much everything except the chorus (and some other random parts of course) sounds like it could straight up be a Deftones song from their White Pony album. But anyway, this song probably sounds the most different of all the tracks I’ve heard so far. The following track, Play Dead, is definitely my least favorite. I thought that Murder Me was the mellow song but it’s in a close tie with this track. It has a dragging beat that gives me anxiety just waiting for it to break. It tricks you into thinking it will get louder and faster and then it DOESN’T. I’m not implying all songs have to but come on. It finally does go into something a bit bigger almost two minutes into the track and the rest of the song really picks up from there.
So that I don’t make this review anymore painfully long than it already is, I will just give you the general gist of the album: I don’t hate it like I thought I would. For some reason I like to have it on in the background as something different. I’m someone that listens to the same albums over and over again for years, I don’t usually get tired of music but hearing this record was something new to me that felt old. It’s a nice change of pace from the stuff I usually listen to and gives me a warm, nostalgic feeling that I simply can’t deny. Not bad, I say! Check out the record on iTunes if you’re interested.
Check out the band’s upcoming tour dates below.
October 29 – San Antonio, TX – Backstage Live
October 30 – Austin, TX – Red 7
November 1 – Tucson, AZ – TBD
November 2 –Phoenix, AZ – Joes Grotto
November 5 – San Francisco, CA – Slims
November 6 – Sacramento, CA – Slims
November 7 – Los Angeles, CA – Roxy
November 8 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Theatre
http://finch-music.com/
https://www.facebook.com/officialofficialfinch
https://twitter.com/officialfinch
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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