Customer Reviews

Finger Eleven

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Finger Eleven's new album is more thoughtful and softer than The Greyest of Blue Skies or Tip. It still keeps to the F11 style, only gone on a more emotional adventure than their previous albums. Of course, TGOBS is my favourite CD by these guys, but they are still progressing so you have to give this album a chance. Here is my review of their self-titled album.

1. Other Light- Short, but a good way to open the new CD. 7/10
2. Complicated Questions- One of my favourite songs on the album. Scott does an amazing job on the vocals. 9/10
3. Stay in Shadow- Another awesome song. It's like the Drag You Down, except it's not as heavy. 8/10
4. Good Times- Like every CD when it comes out, this was the first single so I tend to skip over it, but still a cool song. 6/10
5. Absent Elements- Definitely in my top three. This song blows me away, I can't think of any way to describe it. The lyrics are really deep. 10/10
6- Thousand Mile Wish- Pretty good song 6/10
7- Conversations- One of my least favourites 4/10
8- Last Scene of Struggling- Haven't heard it enough, but it's pretty cool. 6/10
9- Panic Attack- AMAZING SONG!!!! 9/10
10- Therapy- Probably my favourite song on the CD. This song is so deep. I loved it the first time I heard it. 11/10
11- One Thing- A great softer song. 8/10
12- Obvious Heart- it doesn't have the same closing impact as Stay and Drown, but it's a good song nonetheless. 8/10

Like I said it's not as good as their last, and it's much softer, but in a good way, like White Pony was to Deftones.

This is a great release from start to finish, but I'm still not quite sure of how I feel about it. It's got its songs that are truly amazing, but it's also got its songs that are relative duds. I would write them off as just another new band trying to be something they're not, but there's just too much diversity on this CD to be another typical rock band. This band has depth, which a lot of bands nowadays don't. When Finger Eleven is on, they're on. When they're not, it's nothing great. But luckily for us, they're on for about 90% of this CD.

The thing that sets this band apart from others is their range. They have songs that can make you rock your head, but then they have songs that are heartfelt and touching. One Thing, their single as of now, is one of those heartfelt songs. The simplicity of this song is why I like it so much. It's just emotional enough that you can feel the pain of the lyrics, but it's not sappy enough to make you cringe when you hear it. Thousand Mile Wish is another slow song that pushes the boundaries of sorrow. It's really a touching love song, and the acoustics make the song that much better. Complicated Questions is one of the harder songs on here. The guitar work is ear-catching, and the vocals are extremely original. Definitely one of the best on here.

A few of the best songs on here are Complicated Questions, Absent Elements, Thousand Mile Wish, and The Last Scene Of Struggling. All in all, this is a solid release. There are two duds on this CD, and that's really about it. All the others have something that makes it great. Finger Eleven have a very distinctive sound, and that's why I think they'll be around for quite a while.

Finger Eleven are one of those bands that has been under the radar for years. Their first two albums barely could crack the charts and it took almost 6 years for them to finally breakthrough with the single "One Thing." Over the past 8 months, this CD has steadily become a favorite of mine. It is extremely addictive and the songs get stuck in your head for days. To further my appreciation and newfound respect for the boys in F11, I saw them live last night, as support for Trapt & Smile Empty Soul -- those two bands delivered exceptional performances, but in their meager 5 song set, Finger Eleven totally blew them out of the water. They hold up just as well (maybe even better) live as on CD. I own all three Finger Eleven albums, and I must say, this is their best to date. It is full of infectious hooks, deep and often clever lyrics and accomplished musicianship. To say they sold out is just ignorant. The band have opened the door on a whole new sound; and if anything, the music on here is more intense than before. Hard rockers like "Stay In Shadow" and "Other Light" build on ear-catching riffs and are complimented nicely by slow ballads like "One Thing" and "Thousand Mile Wish." The closer, "Obvious Heart" stands as a favorite track, as do "Good Times," "Absent Elements" and "Complicated Questions." If you've been a fan of Finger Eleven for a while, give this disc a chance. If you ignore it because it is getting radio attention, you're only depriving yourself of a great piece of music. For anyone that can appreciate alternative/hard-rock, I recommend this. Hopefully Finger Eleven aren't dropped by their label like other bands that aren't instantly platinum sellers, but have been mainstays at their labels (the recent Cold/Geffen Records departure comes to mind). This band deserves to be heard.

Alright, so I first heard "Good Times" on the soundtrack of EA Sports' SSX3, and fell in love with "One Thing" on the radio. The problem is, people don't like to admit that songs like these two are melodic, catchy, and just plain good. "Good Times" and "Other Light" still have the feel of a not-so-mainstream rock album, while some of the others, mainly the two acoustic songs, have the ability to catch the ears of those who previously were not Finger Eleven fans.

My main argument is that people today are selfish, because they want a band all to themselves. Finger Eleven used to be your band, right? And then they sold out, right? WRONG. Just because they're on the radio does not mean they are any worse than they were before. It means they are icreasing their range of sounds and their number of fans. It's a matter of growth.

Get the cd, it's worth it. It's ok to buy it because you heard the songs on the radio...geez.

I like music. A lot. Particularly rock music. I'm always looking out for some band to grab me by the throat with some huge, awesome album that I can waste my money on; hence my purchase of FINGER ELEVEN. The band came extremely well-recommended, and there I was with a wallet-full of cash in my pocket, so . . .

First things first: Scott Anderson is incredible. The strong emotion in his voice is just lovely throughout the entire album, giving his words meaning rather then making them obsolete. He can make agonizing screams like a frikin hyena on `the Last Scene of a Struggling', and then turn around and sing with such passionate elegance on `Thousand Mile Wish' that you can FEEL his hope and love surging within your own heart. His work on this album is the only reason it's getting the 3 stars I'm giving it.

Unfortunately though, nothing else on this album is quite as good. The guitars, for example, are too CLEAN. They're not RAW. They don`t have the heaviness that it seems like they should have. There's not enough distortion or volume or SOMETHING, but that SOMETHING is what's holding back EVERYTHING else. The bass lines and guitar riffs are interesting, but on the whole, while the music seems to be trying so very hard to take you to hell and back, there just isn't enough power to make it past the gas station at the end of the street.

To their credit, the band's sound is much different then most of the stuff you hear on rock radio. The album's filled with hard rock tracks, each different from each other and retaining their own diverse identity, something Smile Empty Soul doesn't do well. Some tracks DO get somewhere: the aforementioned `Last Scene of a Struggling' is a strong implication of this, as well as the blistering `Complicated Questions', the truly powerful lead single `Good Times', and, of course, the magnificently riveting `Panic Attack'. Each of these songs are very well constructed, hard-hitting, and the most downright rockin' tunes on the entire record!

But since the music often doesn't compliment Anderson's vocals enough, this album suffers. `Stay in Shadow' is the absolute perfect example of this. The opening riff is undoubtedly awesome, but the guitars sound soooo weak, and throughout the song it just all feels tired and sorry . . . the vocals on this song are soooo intense though, and while the brutal lyrics seem be brutal just for brutality's sake("I wanna watch it drown!"), Anderson's voice is what totally saves this song. The emotion is strong and feels genuine. . . all of which could be said for the entire album, really.

The most emotional point on FINGER ELEVEN is revealed in track 6, gracefully titled `Thousand Mile Wish'. This song displays exactly what Finger Eleven is capable of. Containing beautiful lyrics("Maybe stars know why we fall, I just wish they were thinking out loud . . . oh, I could wish all night . . ."), gorgeous musical work from the band, and superb, gentle singing from Anderson. This is a wonderful expression of soulful love, something all of us feel, and is sincerely is the most touching piece on the album, and very well deserving of a my great love for it.

The final track "Obvious Heart" deserves comment as well, containing a seriously wicked bass-line and haunted, echoing guitar chords with wonderful vocals, giving this song a great feel and gives the album a great ending.

FINGER ELEVEN has it's own sonic identity, and even if their lyrical topics aren't extremely original(hey, what band`s lyrics IS these days?), the lyrics themselves are mostly strong and uniquely stated, helping to influence the tone of the album. These factors, added to Scott Anderson's undeniable talent, make an album that, while definitely not mind-blowing, remains a worthy addition to most rockers' collection. If the album is cheap, go for it. And here's to hoping there's less blandness and more then just a few memorable moments on Finger Eleven's previous works.

I've known Finger Eleven was THERE but I never really cared that much for them. When I heard Drag you Down, they really stuck out for me. So... I accidently fall upon this CD instead of GOBS. But I was pleasantly suprised when I gave it a listen. The songs could go heavy to melodic and both at the same time in one song. I see a lot of originality in this band. And suprisingly this band has managed to keep it up for three CDs! Bands like Korn can fall apart after a few CDs but aparently not Finger Eleven. They have gotten a tad bit less heavy when compared to their previous albums but in no way diminished. If you like any of Finger Elevens previous work I strongly reccomend this CD for you.

And BTW the live performances really bring out the band and make the price oh, so much more worth it.

Notable tracks: Good Times (worthy of radio time)
Stay in Shadows
Last Scene of Struggling
Conversations (great bass from Sean)

Finger Eleven have definately dug deeper and produced what is in my opinion one of the most original albums i've heard in a few years. Finally a band that has a distinct sound that writes really quality music. Nu-metal is on the way out (at last) and Finger Eleven is one of the pioneers of the new sound of rock.

Other Light - a great opener, throws the listener in the deep end and gets right in your face. 8/10

Complicated Questions - awesome groove to this song with really diverse but flowing parts. 9/10

Stay in Shadow - this song is much closer to the finger eleven sounds of their older material. Kinda halfway between 'Tip' and 'TGOBS' style, rocks nicely but nothing inspired. 7/10

Good Times - a good throw yourself around the room song. High energy and probably the most powerful song on the album. 9/10

Absent Elements - amazing song. So strong without being overly heavy. Great vocals and some really different guitar ideas make this song quite dark and moody while still being punchy. 10/10

Thousand Mile Wish - my favourite of the two acoustic songs. Really atmospheric and smooth with great work between the guitars creating many emotional highs and lows. 10/10

Conversations - bright and upbeat and quite a suprise when first listening to the album. Kinda cheesey but grows on you. 8/10

Last Scene of Struggling - very dynamic feel changes in this song makes it very interesting song to listen too. Not one of my favourites but it's growing on me. 8/10

Panic Attack - powerful song and with frantic sounding verses (as the title suggests) and an amazing chorus which sounds full of desperation. Very emotional for a song that's so rock heavy. 9/10

Therapy - A really cool groove to this song with typically powerful emotional Finger Eleven style choruses. Quite dynamic parts like 'last scene of struggling' but quite different at the same time. 8/10

One Thing - starts out very simple and develops nicely with strings toward the end. Hasn't much much of an impression on me really. Cool ideas but it just doesn't come up to par with the emotion of the rest of the album. 7/10

Obvious heart - sounds a bit like older finger eleven in parts. Very powerful song and a great way to end the cd. Has an awesome bridge where the song just explodes and then breaks right down to end. 8/10

In all, a great musical experience and hopefully the trend of music to come in the future with bands moving away boring powerchord riffs on every song on their albums. There's definately a strong element of 80's influence translated in a very modern way. It's also a nice change from the Linkin Park style bands of the world that aren't capeable of writing a song over 3 minutes. Lots of musical talent, maturity and real emotion shown in all songs.

I was surprised when listening to this band to acutally hear melodies yet nu-metal riffs at the same time i thought it sounded pretty good not many bands can pull it off as good as the old days..........Finger Eleven is far better than Disturbed, Three Days Grace, Trapt, Linkin Park, and lately Korn has been going to hell so yeah Finger Eleven even outdo Korn in many ways......The singer sounds like a blend from the singer from Disturbed only he doesnt shout all the time so that makes this album enjoyable........its a mixture of disturbed/pink floyd yes that may sound werid but its true its good stuff it sticks with you and makes you want to spin it again and again in the cd player.......Landmark songs on this album would have to be Good Times, Thousand Mile Wish, and the Short adn sweet opener Other Light, but every song is worth multiple listens so get this and let it soak in

I don't know what it is. I love this album. I just want to play it over and over again. I love it, I love to sing to it. I love the lyrics. Thousand Mile Wish really strikes a chord in me..it's a painfully beautiful chord. I also love the song Good Times "careful what your feeling on the inside..you should try to remember the good times.." All of the songs are awesome. I love the lyrics. R0ck 0n Finger 11!

Finger Eleven is amazing as we know from their previous releases, and my opinion is that their self-titled is the best out of them all. They are finally getting recognized for their music and this a band thats well-deserving of it. This album is so much more than the slower songs they have made vids for "One Thing" and "Thousand Mile Wish." It has certain influences from their old albums and a new finger eleven sound. I think they have gotten better with each album and continue to grow as an awsome band. No way this band has sold out.