Music Reviews category interest

The Finalists, a jangle-pop band living in Sydney Australia have just released their full length First upon the world and it stands as a reminder that where we came from seems to be where we could be going. In a world of protest and division, The Finalist have found a way to remind us to smile, enjoy life and take it as it comes. In the same way that Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever conjure the Beach Boys and the Beatles, The Finalists take us back to an era ruled by the likes of Elvis Costello, Apples in Stereo, Teenage Fanclub and Dream Syndicate, where 60s psychedelia brushed across the inner thighs of 90s guitar pop, teasing but never penetrating.

Their single "Learn To Live Without You" calls to mind that single by the Foo Fighters called "Big Me", you know the one, it kind of doubled as a Mentos commercial. It's a two and a half minute pop song meant to sing along to, in the car, with the top down, need I say more? By contrast, the other single from the album "Ignore All The Hate (On Your Telephone)" comes in at about three minutes thirty with a heartfelt plea to a downtrodden someone, somewhere, that kicks off strictly acoustic before the brushes and keys come in to place some extra emphasis on the lyric "You don't wanna be like me, I can be the worst kind of company", a refrain which comes off sounding a bit like modest self depracation wrapped in a cheshire smile. 

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The rest of the album seems to follow a bit of the same path while veering off a bit here and there into the Rickenbacker weilding Johnny Marr world of The Smiths on tracks like "Hollywood" or the swirly styles of The Feelies or Aztec Camera on tracks like "Cool Keith" and "Ten Seconds". Overall, it's a nice piece of work from a band who seems to wear its heart, and its influences, on its sleeve. We look forward to keeping an eye on these fellas. Enjoy.