Finister: Suburbs Of Mind

Hailing from the city of Florence in Italy, Finister are a young outfit cleverly combining genres to present something immediately current in sound and retro in approach. Debuting with three EP releases, Suburbs Of Mind is the band's first full length effort and they haven't wasted any time in setting out a clear path of what they want to explore. Psychedelic is the word most commonly bandied around the band and with a broad set of influences employed to create sounds which dance and shimmy in an ethereal manner, it's easy to hear why. Yet I'd be more likely to suggest that a cursory glance at the Finister direction will bring comparisons to The Pineapple Thief, or a less grandiose Muse. In truth both suggestions are true, leaving tracks such as the sweeping "Everything Goes Black" to have less obvious but still apparent mainstream appeal, "Oceans Of Thrills" to have the ability to bring in the proggers and with its unexpected burst of alto sax, violin and cello, an avant-garde crowd who would be willing to play it straight for a while. Incorporate the angry snarl of "Bite The Snake", the dark melancholy of "The Way (I Used To Know)" and the dark, eerie and yet accessible "My Howl" and the only issue might just be the diverse nature required to engage this collection as a whole. Yet, while Finister do veer in a controlled manner from approach to approach, each of the songs sound linked.

For some singer Elia Rinaldi could maybe do with sharpening up his English pronunciation, the little whispers during "My Howl" tough to decipher, although his accent does add a certain mystique that heightens the enigmatic nature of that track and in general his pleasingly difficult to tie down vocals are a huge plus point. Some of the external influences do play large in this band's sound but not to the extent that it becomes a distraction but again compared to most acts starting out, this isn't the issue that might have been expected, the likes of "Levity" both relying on The Pineapple Thief for basis, but differentiating through a synth solo and bulging beat. Considering these lads are in their teens, their ability to cross genre pollinate is to be commended, especially when you factor in how effortless it all sounds. The future of the suburbs looks to be in safe hands.

Track Listing
1. The Morning Star
2. Bite the Snake
3. The Way (I Used To Know)
4. A Decadent Story
5. My Howl
6. Levity
7. Oceans of Thrills
8. The Key
9. Here the Sun
10. Everything Goes Back

Added: June 12th 2015
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Finister on Facebook
Hits: 2084
Language: english

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