Customer Reviews

What It Is to Burn

5 star:		(215)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

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.

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.

I can't even begin to describe this album so I'll walk it through song by song.
1. New Beginnings - This is the perfect song to start an album with, it jumps right into the good stuff, one of the best choruses on the album.
2. Letters to You - This song is probably the reason you're considering buying the cd so I'll assume you've heard it. Stop considering and just buy it, you won't regret it. I've heard about four different versions of this song and this one is by far the best.
3. post script - The guitar part for the chorus on this song is pretty cool, Nate Barcalow's screaming voice gets a five star rating at the part where he yells "then we'll be fine" listen for it, it's saweet!
4.Grey Matter - This song is incredible. Glassjaw lead singer Daryl Palumbo guests on this one and him and Nate trade off in an almost dualing style. They do this again in song number 9. I love the part right after the first chorus where they do like an 8 secong slow part and then jump right back in, it's great.
5.Perfection through Silence - This song has my personal favorite Finch moment. It's the part during the breakdown that starts with "fold the corners, break the silence..." and ends with Nate and Derek screaming "when weakened, when will you rise?" a simple but perfect drum roll takes you right back in to the chorus. Now I wanna go listen to it.
6.Awake - Awesome time signature couresty of Alex Pappas (drummer)that is only made better by a simple two chord progression during the intro, one of the more progressive sounding songs on the album.
7.This song is SOOO GOOD. Starts aout slow, gets harder. It's been done before, but not this good. This song rocks hard, what do they feed these kids?
8.Stay With Me - More punk sounding, more pop sounding, but still really really good. Nate shows again that to be a really good singer, you pretty much have to be born a good singer, and he was.
9.Project Mayhem - the second and final collaboration with the Glassjaw frontman on the album. The title says it all, this song is chaos. A very unique chorus is the high point of this song but even it's low points really aren't low at all. During the second half, producer Mark Trombino did some sampling and programming to give a complete out of control feeling to the song, this song is seriously crazy.
10.Untitled - Possibly the best guitar riff on the album, this song stood out from the get go. You just have to hear it.
11.Three Simple Words - My least favorite song on the album, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's an awesome song, but not as good as the others. Nate gets violent on this little number.
12.Ender - This song is somewhat in the style of "the new Kid" from their Ep, soft for a while and then gets harder. But this song steps it up a few hundred notches by just plain being a better song. Plus the extremely high production value doesn't hurt.
13.What it is to burn (bonus) - I don't know why they made this a bonus track. they should have made it the single. This song kicks the ... out of me. The best song on the album. Period

Overall, I would recomend this CD to anyone who likes punk and harder music. I'm excited to see what finch is capable of doing in the future. If you don't have this cd yet you need to get it. I have to buy a new one because I wore my first one. just kidding, it's a cd they don't do that.

When I saw this CD it had a small note on the plastic cover that said something to the likes of, "Finch is the group that will bring fans of the Deftones and Blink-182 together." This note seemed pretty ridiculous, but after a listen it seems almost as if it was correct.

The sound of Finch is definitely tuned to the hard rock ear, featuring dissonant, distorted guitar chords and fast bass lines. What sets this band apart and gives it that "Blink-182" feel is that the songs are incredibly melodic and light. Track 2 "Letters to You" reminds you of a poppy punk group singer whose band was handed the equipment of the Deftones to play on. The quick driving guitar is there, but it sounds more like a metal tuned guitar than a punk tuned one. Combine this with lighthearted vocals in the verse and you get a great "hard punk" sound. When the chorus kicks in, you get your more "poppy metal" sound with an almost serenading scream backed by definitely metal thrashing. All in all, it makes for a very cathcy and interesting experience.

My only problem with the album are a couple of tracks that go way beyond their talent in the metal genre and sound downright obnoxious, as well as some badly times wailing during some of the lighter songs. But trust me, the vast majority of the album, especially the practically epic finale track makes up for it.

I think they're right...if you like either Blink-182 or the Deftones, you could easily enjoy this album.

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.

So, a friend of mine showed me this album. I fell in love with it. The music, the vocals. EVERYTHING about this album is amazing. I cannot say one bad thing about it, because it seriously is one of the best things I have EVER heard in this music genre.

I'd like to call it "harmonic punk" or something like that. The guitar riffs all hit your hard, the drums are loud and thumping, but the voices, and harmonys and simply....the EMOTION put into the songs blow my mind.

Everytime I listen to "Letters to You" I get chills up and down my spine. I almost start to cry even. That's how much, at least, I get into the music. I am drawn in, and I can feel those heart wrenching lyrics, it truly affects me.

Other amazing tracks are "Post Script" and "Ender". Both, send chills up and down my spine and cause me to tear up. It can be embarrassing at times, but oh well. It's amazing.

You truly should go get this album. It's different and I can't really find anything else like them. No one sounds like them!!!!

Finch have always been and still are one of the best signings Drive-Thru's ever had. Many people label Finch as "screamo," which is the dumbest word I've ever heard. Finch are one of those bands where there really is no word to accurately describe the music, especially since most of the songs on this CD have very different feels to them. Nate Barcalow's voice fits perfectly with the music, and he has one of the best screams around. It is because of this Finch has become my favorite band, and this CD is my favorite CD ever.
***I know most people are not big fans of the song-by-song reviews, but guess what, I'm doing one.***

1 - New Beginnings - Perfect opening song. Very upbeat, gives you a good idea of what's to come.

2 - Letters to You - The first single from the CD. Very catchy, especially the chorus.

3 - Post Script - Another upbeat song. Good song to jump to, and it leads right into...

4 - Grey Matter - Features Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw. This song is one you either really love or really hate. (I love it.)

5 - Perfection Through Silence - This song has a lot of energy in it, especially towards the end. I love Pappas' double bass.

6 - Awake - The first song Finch ever wrote as a band. The guitar harmonics are awesome, and it has a really kickass breakdown. Leads right into...

7 - Without You Here - One of the slower songs on the CD, not much screaming, but the chorus is pretty catchy.

8 - Stay With Me - The song that could have been a single but never was. The poppiest sounding song on the CD, even more than Letters to You.

9 - Project Mayhem - Daryl Palumbo is also on this song. Another song that you either LOVE or HATE. (Love this one too, save for the techno breakdown.)

10 - Untitled - Another song with lots of energy. It has every element of what makes Finch all rolled up into one song, lots of screaming at the end. Finch has said their newer songs will probably sound more like this.

11 - Three Simple Words - My personal favorite, lots of energy. Lyrically it has become my theme song. Another song with lots of screaming towards the end. After this song is a minute or so of sound effects, and then...

12 - Ender - This song is 13:28 long, only half of which is the actual song. First 3 minutes are quiet and slow, then the distortion kicks in. At about 6:40, the song becomes just guitar effects which Finch have said represent the soul leaving the body (the song is about suicide), and the last 2 minutes are weird "evil carnival" music.

13 - What It Is to Burn - The title track. They said it was a limited edition thing, but every copy I've ever seen has it, even the re-release. The re-recorded version of this (on the UK release) became their second single. The UK version also has an acoustic version of Letters to You.

I saw these guys on the Drive Thru records homepage, so i downloaded a couple songs. I was completley blown away by this band. I got started getting into punk about a year ago, so i am always look for new bands. I first heard stuff from their EP and by the time the cd came out, i grabbed it and listened to it the whole way through. I can honetley say that every song on this cd is good. There are some slow songs which are well worth your listening, but the songs that grab you are the fast sounds. The guitar riffs aren't just power chords - this band has talent. The lead singer is intensely amazing. Post Script, Letters to you, and Perfection through silence are my favorite songs on this cd - at least for now. Tell your friends about finch, they need much more credit. If you've heard of New Found Glory, Blink 182, the movielife, mest, fenix tx, then Finch is similiar, but with a heavier sound thats more harmonic. The sound is polished, but not fake. If you like those bands,Finch will blow you away. After you listen to a couple songs, you'll see what i mean.

I've owned this CD for about a year and a half now and it's still every bit as good as when I first listened to it. After listening to this CD for so long, I've noticed something: "Stay With Me" isn't a very good track. It feels somewhat weak, but I know that there are people out there who enjoy it. Maybe the emo kids need a break from excellent hard music or something. What DOES make me happy is that immediately afterwards, "Project Mayhem" kicks in and proceeds to blow out one's life.

But in all reality, I'd say that every other song on this album is very good to amazing. Some of my favorites: Untitled, Project Mayhem, Perfection Through Silence, Three Simple Words, Post Script, Ender, Grey Matter, New Beginnings. I know I've just listed like 70% of the album, but this album really is that good. If you're a fan of hardcore, metal, hardcore punk, emocore, whatever they call music now, and you don't have it yet, what are you waiting for?

Oh yeah, one more thing. I just heard on the radio a few days ago that Finch has committed to Warped 2004. They're going to own that tour.

Ok too start off I definetely love Finch. But they aren't some great new band thats the most original thing ever, like everyone claims. This is just standard emocore thats been done a million times already. However, Finch is just BETTER than all of those other emocore bands (besides their big brother Glassjaw). They just have a certain something that sets them apart from all of the other bands. It could be music diversity. It could be the superior songwriting. It could be the fact that they have lyrics about things other than skateboarding and having your girlfriend dump you or being an anarchist in the summer. Me raving about Finch is saying alot because I hate emocore (besides Glassjaw). However, the two bands are definetely going places.