FINN – The Waterfall
Founded by brothers Mark and Luke Finn on guitars and vocals, FINN crafts a sound that’s fresh and unique, all the while tapping into the core of quality and echoing a familiarity with the canon of exceptional musical. They can deliver a hushed atmospheric folk song that borders on contemporary dreamscapes and repetition one minute, then dive straight into a meditative jam with electric guitars and syncopation the next, blending these pieces into their own unique sound, and highlighting their style on their new album Waterfall.
The album starts out with “Young Love” and its triumphant energy “young and in love” and images of carefree love in the summertime: “catch a wave out on the sea, you know you mean everything to me.” “Brooklyn Girl” is sonically ambient and lyrically sweet: “I’m yours, all yours, Brooklyn girl.”
Next in line, the title track takes a turn and delves into a deeper pool. “Waterfall” has a little bit of a softer, folksier ZZ Top style vibe, and the hushed vocals that sound like the thoughts in your own mind “gotta go, gotta go, down to the waterfall / gotta swim, gotta swim, with you.” This song takes a detour into a nice, psychedelic style jam and comes back out again – showcasing what FINN music must sound like in a live show. With an interesting touch there’s lap steel keeping pace with the spirally jam.
“Midnight Wind” again takes electric guitar melodious journeys, and “Genevieve” sets up a jaunty countrified tale and calls out for Genevieve: “Where are you? You’ve been out on the town, wandering around, and you ain’t got nothing to lose.” But it continues this down through several layers of musical jam.
On “She” is an acknowledgment that sometimes things go along as planned: “She got it all figured out.” “Forlorn” is a march style rhythm and is a ruminative self-reflection. This album is 18 songs in a deep bench of tight, relatable songwriting. This group can make music that’s a Jerry Garcia / Billy Gibbons / Jay Dee Maness blend, and turn around and showcase a rumination with horns, and then it’s beachside music, and it all makes sense. FINN’s music covers a wide range, all the while reining it into one recognizable style, demonstrating a unique songwriting approach all their own. Ingtrigued? Give it a listen. Find the music here: https://finn.ffm.to/thewaterfallalbum
The Waterfall was recorded at Woodstock Studios in Melbourne, Australia. It was engineered and mixed by Terry Hart of Maestro Sound Productio; and mastered by Gavin Lurssen of Lurssen Mastering.
Songwriting (music & lyrics) is courtesy of Mark Finn.
Musicians on the album are Mark Finn on lead vocals and guitars; Luke Finn on lead vocals, guitars, and backing vocals; Josh Koop on drums and percussion; Jeremy Staples on bass; Terry Hart on guitars, keyboards, piano, horns and backing vocals; Shane Reilly on lap steel guitar and mandolin; and Mike Hart on backing vocals.