Finch - "What It Is to Burn"
Label: Drive-Thru / MCA
Rating: 
 

When judging by the music alone and not looking at sales and popularity, Finch are one of the leaders of the "punk-pop" world. Where most bands that fall into the punk-pop or "emo" category tend to have a cookie cutter sound that's fairly predictable, Finch sets themselves clearly apart from the rest of the pack by focusing on the heavy side of the spectrum which really lands them in between the world's of modern rock, hard core and punk-pop. This isn't power-pop with a punk edge; this is heavy rock with a melodic twist. 

The quality of the music and songwriting is undeniable, Finch's full-length debut, "What It Is to Burn" sounds like a veteran band with years of gigging and songwriting under their belt produced it. When in fact, they have been together a short period of time and their climb to success has been rapid. It's an instance of the right musical personality getting together and finding a magic spark that few bands are able to latch onto. 

Nate Barcalow's vocals really win the day here, while not overly distinct, Nate is a rock solid vocalist, applying aggression where it is needed and countering the heavy intensity of the music with melody the rest of the time. 

Finch's music has some of the elements you have come to expect from punk-pop groups but they take things to a much deeper level than their counter parts and in all honestly at times sound like a heavy modern rock band or nu-metal group. Instead of a collection of radio friendly hits, the band mixes things up and aren't afraid to go hard-core like we hear on a song like "Grey Matter", which is three parts hard-core and one part melodic heavy rock. The musicianship is anything but simplistic, yes you get more power-chords than you can handle but the songs also have competent rhythm tracks and some memorable guitar leads. This is most clearly heard on a track like "Awake" which contains a wall of sound that would make Phil Spector stand up and take notice. 

Finch are clearly a few notched above their contemporaries and their debut album is far more than anyone could hope for. They are a band to keep a keen eye on and not one you can easily dismiss. Finch are the genuine article and do themselves proud with "What It Is to Burn", it's hard to imagine them topping this album so we will just have to wait and see what they come up with next, but if this CD is any indication, whatever they decide to do as an encore will rock!