Finn Riggins VS Wilderness VS Yukon Jack -- Photo by Dustin Verburg
Here’s a short synopsis of Finn Riggins VS Wilderness: “Wake” is a Sunday Drive, “VS Birds” is a costume party, “Furs” is the first cocktail of your weekend, “Antoinette Pt. 2″ is the last beer before your work week begins, “Rush of Animals (Prelude)” is your first conscious breath when you wake up in the morning, “Battle” is taking a long look in a speckled mirror, “Rush of Animals” is your mind racing around in drunken spirals just before you fall asleep, “Dali” is a flamboyant celebration of danger and free choice, “Antoinette Pt. 1″ is closing your eyes and seeing a clenched fist, “Mahoney” is knowing you’re right without even having to consult Wikipedia and “Shaky” is the daydream you wish you could remember a little bit better.
These song descriptions might seem too abstract for a seemingly-concrete band like Finn Riggins, a tight-as-a-murder-glove musical unit that’s recently been showered with local and national praise. Concrete compliments almost seem like sabotage when dealing with Finn Rggins, however, since they are only concrete because they are humans that play conventional instruments. Writing prhases such as VS Wilderness is “more willing to take risks” or “more immediate and less sentimental” than A Soldier, A Saint, an Ocean Explorer seems like downright subterfuge. Each note is a freshly opened wound, vitality and life ooze out after every sound and they all pool together into something at once familiar and strange– much like the sight of your own blood.
Finn Riggins tends to be proggy, but they use their musical proficiency in the name of creativity; not in the name of flash. Like all good “progressive” music, VS Wildnerness races from one end of the sonic spectrum to the other, often within a single song. Finn Riggins’ most impressive quality is that they are simultaneously progressive AND interesting (think cool and poppy 80′s King Crimson instead of cloudy and dramatic 70′s Genesis). Aggressive, light, poppy, dissonant, weird and charming: they move from carefree indie pop to moody post-punk to spacy stoner rock to swaggering psychedelia effortlessly. They walk on and off trails trodden by Husker Du, Jawbox, Crazy Horse, Pavement, My Bloody Valentine, Smart Went Crazy and Blood on the Wall without lingering too long on any one of them. Finn Riggins’ unique pathfinding skills render their transitions from one style to another something both admirable and otherworldly.
Commenting on individual techniques and textures contained in VS Wilderness would serve no purpose. Each note on keyboard or guitar is as vital as every male/female vocal harmony– each is a necessary component of the album. Indeed, to remove any single overdriven chord, spastic drumbeat or lush keyboard run would send the entire VS Wilderness Jenga tower tumbling into oblivion. Simply put, this is an album that’s just as relevant to restless punks as it is to fresh-faced indie rockers.
There’s no pretense or condescension contained in this album– everyone’s invited to be in on the secret. VS Wildnerness is not a great rock album because it tries too hard to be difficult to please an elite audience, or tries too hard to be palatable to please broad audience. VS Wilderness is a great rock album because it only tries to be one thing– VS Wilderness by Finn Riggins.
Local Musicians – If you would like to submit a new album for a review, drop us a line at soundcheck@theboisebeat.com.
