Finger Eleven, formed in Burlington, Ontario in 1994, released their fourth and s/t album in 2003. Letters From Chutney was the first release from Finger Eleven, who were known as Rainbow Butt Monkeys at the time. They changed their name to Finger Eleven upon the release of Tip (Mercury Records) in Canada in 1997, and re-released by Wind-Up Records in the states in 1998. Following the release of Tip, drummer Rob Gommerman left the band and was replaced by Rich Beddoe. In 2000 they released The Greyest of Blue Skies. Their latest release is 2003's self-titled album Finger Eleven which was a commercial success, spawning the single "One Thing" which reached #16 in the US.
Other Light--This is a decent opener, which starts out a little slow, but is packed with energy during the chorus. This song doesn't have much buildup to it, it could of done with some, this track could of been more exciting. It has a bit of a build up during the bridge, the chorus is repeated quite a bit, but it works well with the song. 3/5
Complicated Questions--This is one of the very average songs on the album, kind of boring until the chorus. The guitar and drums are fairly strong on this song, i find the vocals to be a little weak though. A very repetitive song. 2.7/5
Stay In Shadow-- One of the strongest songs on the album. The guitar is very catchy during the chorus, the bass is pratcily unnoticable, excpet for the begining. The solo is the strongest part of the song, may not be too complicated, but sounds good. The vocals are average as well, but nonetheless a pretty good song overall. 4/5
Good Times-- A very appropriate first single, very upbeat. The drumming is very evident in this song, Rich plays the toms very well. The chorus is very catchy, which is good for the first single. The bridge slows things down, and builds up to the guitar "solo" i guess you can call it that. There is more of a solo at the end of the song while the chorus is being repeated. The ending pretty strong as well, the storngest fast-paced song on the album. 4/5
Absent Elements--This song actually bores me, the intro takes too much time to build up into the verse. The beat of this song is probably what stands out, the bass may be simple but works well with the song. The chorus is probably the weakest part of the song. 3.3/5
Thousand Mile Wish-- One of two slow songs on the album, this was the third single for the album. Ya, i didn't even know there was a third single either. I guess they tried to repeat the impact "One Thing" had accomplished, but had barely made a ripple in the water. This isn't tha bad of a song, it just goes on for way too long, if they shortened it by a minute I could have enjoyed it more.
Conversations--Strong tom playing again, makes you want to tap your fingers on your desk. The guitar riff sounds really cool too, the way Scott seperates his lines sounds really good. The chorus isn't nor strong, just mediocre. The bridge is without a doubt the strong part of the song. 3.5/5
The Last Scene of Struggling-- The verse really builds up well to the chorus in this song. The chorus is pretty good, the drums are once again very evident in this song. The bridge is once again the best part of the song. There isn't anything that special about this song, another pretty good song. 3/5
Panic Attack-- The verse in this song is pretty annoying, it just drags on too long, but builds up nicely to the chorus. The chorus is the strongest part of this song. It seems to me that all of the guitar riffs in this album sound remotely the same. This song ends very energetically, the ending saved the song from being very mediocre. 3.8/5
Therapy-- Starts off very slow...builds up a little more...picks up the pace a bit more, changes tempo...slowly builds up to the chorus. This song builds up beautifully into the chorus. The song isn't all that great itself, but the build up is amazing. The flow of this song is amazing, it isn't choppy, it's very smooth. A very good song, due to the flow of the song. 4/5
One Thing-- The song of the album, it became very popular. Some people may hate it now, but if they listen to it now, without the frequent radio play, they may enjoy it. It took me a couple years to truly appreciate this song. The vocals are very good, not amzing, just great. The ending is the strongest, when all the instruments are playing, it sounds so complete, an amazing song. 4.5/5
Obvious Heart-- The worst song on the CD, and why they would end the CD with this song, I have no idea. Why they would put this song on their album i don't know. They should have finished the CD with "One Thing". The only O.K part is just before the outro. I have nothing to say about this, but horrible. 1.5/5
The CD sounds the same in almost all of the songs, they may be good songs, but they needed to put songs that didn't sound the same in between them.
Pros--
-One Thing is an amazing song, and probably saved the CD
-There are some solid songs on this CD
Cons--
-Some songs sound the same
-The ending song was horrible
Recommended Tracks--
One Thing (although I'm sure you've heard it)
Good Times
Therapy
Stay In Shadow
This CD is good, I wouldn't by it, unless there was a deal on it. Just download a few songs, and you'll pretty much get the whole album. I hope their next album is a lot better.
