Joe Finstrom – Mountains EP
This showcase is the first solo EP by Minneapolis multi-instrumentalist Joe Finstrom, which effectively mixes alternative nooks with modern Americana crannies. The set’s primarily personal songs that explore the changes of life & resiliency. Joe’s prior music under the name Vincent van Beethoven was more indie-pop oriented, but this toss of the dice has a more mature folky element.
5 musical trails lead up to the Mountains (Drops July 29/Independent/25:18) written, performed & produced by Joe with an added violin by Shannon Frid-Rubin. Finstrom, to my ears, has a defining vocal style far better suited to a rootsy, folky groove than pop music. “Do You Know Me” is a simple song, but Joe arranges it with variable levels of instrumentation & sound. Slow, fast, slow, an invariable cool tempo, with a narrative that’s compelling, & actually could’ve gone on a little longer like a bolero. Adding a penetrating guitar sound to the splendor of his laid-back melody is effective.
Track 2, interestingly enough, has a hint of Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground in “I Love It Anyway.” It’s fairly spare, though there are layered instruments throughout. Joe keeps the song basic. “Long Time” features Shannon on violin, & the song is more upbeat. There’s a definite style to Joe’s showcase, & he seldom comes off sounding like many other singer-songwriters from the past.
His warm, expressive voice makes every economical lyric count. It’s a well-conceived style. No rushing to get all the words out as quickly as possible, or in a slurred manner. He allows the flavors in the song to settle as the tune builds. Again, the guitar is penetrating over a melancholy melody, & it’s an enlivened performance.
While “Love Is a Simple Thing” isn’t ear-candy in a commercial sense, the musical break is the seller. Laid down with character & drive, if not a bit bass-heavy (could be the recording itself). On this EP, this is the closest to his mainstream pop affiliation. And it is worth it.
This is a good preliminary intro to the new Joe. The finale “When Did You Get In?” is a fine Tim Hardin-styled ballad that showcases Joe’s warm, deep & sincere voice. The words are savored like most of his pieces.
Joe isn’t going to grip a listener the way Nick Drake or Townes van Zandt did. His songs aren’t as instantly catchy as Mickey Newbury, as cutting as Randy Newman, or as deeply poetic as Leonard Cohen. But Joe’s material isn’t silly, excessive, or deficient in any manner. There’s a quality to his compositions that makes him an interesting artist.
Highlights – “Do You Know Me,” “I Love It Anyway,” “Long Time,” “Love Is a Simple Thing,” “When Did You Get In?”
B&W image courtesy of Joe’s Bandcamp site. CD @ Bandcamp & Apple + https://joefinstrom.com/