Search - Finch :: What It Is to Burn

Bridging the gap...

Candice Elise | Los Angeles, CA | 08/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Think of all the possible stereotypes that come along with pop-punk, (melodic)hardcore, and emo. Think of all the bands you know that fit these genre/labels. New Found Glory? The Deftones? The Starting Line? Saves The Day? Thursday? Good. *Now forget them all*. I present to you the ultimate cross-genre band, Finch. Hailing from Temecula, California, Finch has a distinct sound that is almost impossible to accurately define.On their debut LP (produced by the always magical Mark Trombino) Finch serve the public up with something practically unheard of these days: originality. Absolutely insane guitar riffs, piercing vocals, and obviously heartfelt lyrics run a rampage throughout the aptly titled debut, "What It Is To Burn." Unlike Thursday, Finch have discovered the perfect blend of screaming and singing (listen to "Without You Here" and "Untitled").Here's a quick run-down of the album:1-New Beginnings - Excellent opening track. Great double-bass pounding with an amazing breakdown
2-Letters To You - Debuted on the EP, "Falling Into Place." One of the "pop-punkier" songs on the album. The production on this transforms it into a completely different song than previously heard on the EP.
3-Post Script - Genius guitar work. The last part of the song will *take your breath away*
4-Grey Matter - Guest vocals by Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw fame. Daryl contributes the perfect amount of vocal insanity to this track.
5-Perfection Through Silence - Yet another from the EP. Excellent guitars (sensing a trend?). Once again, a completely different song with the production.
6-Awake - One of the oldest songs on the album according to Finch frontman, Nate Barcalow. Sounds like nothing else on the album, but has a appeal all it's own.
7-Without You Here - Starts off slow, goes into a gloomy chorus that seems a bit overbearing at times, but breaks into an ASTOUNDING breakdown/bridge. The guitar work and vocals during the last part of the song will make you want to cry.
8-Stay With Me - The only other "pop-punkish" sounding tracks on the record.
9-Project Mayhem - Yet again a contribution by Daryl of Glassjaw. The screams on this track will make you want to do the same...in a good way. With almost a trace/house like feel, this is definitely a different sound than any other track.
10-Untitled - One of the best songs on the album. The build-up before the bridge will have your heart pounding in your ears. "It's sharpening beneath me, beneath my feet. The earth opens up to swallow me. Take my hand and lead me on." The song launches into Nate's screaming vocals at the song's end, leaving you speechless.
11-Three Simple Words - Intense lyrics on this track. "With my hands around your neck, who will stop me now?"
12-Ender - A perfect album closer, with more amazing guitar work. Leads into an acid like sound filler between the end of this song and the bonus track.
13-What It Is To Burn (bonus) - Possibly the best song on the album. Why it's not a single continues to baffle many of Finch's fans. The lyrics are unlike anything I've ever heard, and the chorus throws the listener into a different realm.In summation, Finch sets the bar for all new acts. Try and label them all you want: punk, melodic hardcore, a Deftones rip-off band. In the end, only one label matters: Truly Amazing."

Yet another Great band off Drive Thru Records

D. Keusch | MIchigan | 08/31/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I generally buy cds from Drive Thru bands now before I've even heard more than one or two songs off the cd simply because all the bands on the label are so good. Finch is definetly not an exception. The first song I heard by these guys, What it is to Burn, blew me away. Its quite possibly the best song on the cd, the epic that is the perfect ending to the album (which is why im confused as to why its only included as a bonus song on some cds, thankfully my version has it). Intensely emotional, it contrasts loud, powerful choruses with emotional verses and great lyrics.
The cd as a whole is superb. The first three songs are probably my favorite, although it's incredibly hard to pick favorites here. Post Script is the song that Drive Thru is using to promote the band and one listen will show you why, the ending in which they declare "the worst is over for now..." is amazing. Daryl Pulombo from Glassjaw makes a guest appearance singing vocals on grey matter, another solid song that has been stuck in my head more than once; in fact, I could say that about every song on the cd.
For the most accurate depiction of Finch's sound I would say that you should imagine a much more hard rock version of Jimmy Eat World (or at least of their recent stuff-Bleed American). They have a few songs that are pure pop-punk (like Letters to You) and some much harder fare (see Project Mayhem) but the majority of their songs is a fusion of the two styles, and it makes for a really cool, unique sound; i suppose you could compare them to Linkin Park, only with more talent and without the rapping. At any rate this is a cd and a band that pretty much any fan of rock will enjoy greatly. Dont be folled by the fact that I didn't give it 5 stars, I give 5 stars very very rarely. This is a great album that any fan of rock will want to own. Highly recommended."

Wow!

Christopher Padalinski | 07/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Finch on the Dragging the Lake CD and "Post Script" instantly became my favorite song on the CD. I really got into them so I went to the Drive Thru Records website and found out more about them. Finch is a mix of my two favorite types of music: Punk and hard rock. They mix in the elements of both types to make their own style and it works perfectly. Unlike many other bands out today, they are very talented musicians. They don't just play three chords throughout the whole album. Nate Barcalow's lyrics are written beautifully. You can tell that there is a lot of feeling put into each song. Glassjaw's Daryl's vocals are a great addition to the songs "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem". All together this CD is practically perfect. I'm in love with every song on this CD. Not one of them is written badly. "What It Is To Burn" deserves more than just 5 stars. Also, check them out this fall on tour with New Found Glory. They put on an excellent live show."