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Punk Planet
Review It's always cool when you come across an awesome band that you've never
heard of before. From the opening guitar part of their first song, I knew
I was going to like these guys. Blatant Finger play strong, melodic punk
that instantly conjures up memories of bands like MIA, Naked Raygun, Kraut,
The Freeze and a multitude of classic SoCal punk bands. You can expect
instantly Under
The Volcano This is quite an interesting release for Pelado, for it veers slightly
from their usual successful formula of straight-up Rock n' Roll. Blatant
Finger would most definitely be considered a Rock n' Roll band (heard
blatantly in the singer's vocals, which display some serious Mike Ness-envy),
but they also incorporate a more melodic, midwestern tone in their sound,
akin to that of Alkaline Trio and earlier Chicago greats Pegboy. It's
really a great combination, and one I'm surprised hasn't been experimented
with in the past, or if it has, at least not with the success that Blatant
Finger has achieved here. Moving Forward is a solid album, and though
not every song is as original as the one before it, each tune, regardless,
is instantly memorable and catchy in its own right. The
Columbus Alive-December 16, 2004 Though around in varied forms for 10 years now, local punks Blatant Finger only solidified the line-up that now makes up the band a couple years ago. Now with BF originator Tom Barrett on vocals and guitar, Fred Sarginger on lead axe, Jim Stiers on bass and John Nincehelser on drums, the band issued its second record earlier this year on California-based independent Pelado. The record, fittingly titled Moving Forward, improves on the sounds heard on their debut, Sit and Spin. Reminiscent of Social Distortion, both in the Ness-ness of Barrett’s vocals and the band’s brash mix of melody and vitriol, the record’s an enjoyable fanning of the flames of punk’s yesteryears. With Sarginger’s fluid guitar lines leading his cohorts throughout most of the album’s cuts, though, the band distinguish themselves by tapping a synergy that makes every song sizzle. Even when they sidestep for the downcast (and mostly acoustic) “Just This Eulogy,” the versatility only further emphasizes their prowess. Blatant Finger loses some punk, gains some chops After a decade of emo wimps infiltrating and co-opting the punk scene, it’s surprising to find a band that still makes music that you’ll want to mosh to. Thankfully, Columbus has Blatant Finger to wave the old school punk flag high. At least that’s the way many would like to pigeonhole the band. Frankly, Moving Forward does just that, showcasing a band that sounds like it has outgrown its blue collar, three chord punk roots and evolved into a tight, four-man stick of rock ’n’ roll dynamite. The band has the chops to outgrow the limited confines of punk rock. The slinky, intertwining guitars of the opener, “So This Is Saying Goodbye,” plays like an unpolished Bob Mould demo. It’s a poignant broken heart kiss-off punctuated by Tom Barrett’s pack-and-a-half-of-Newports growl. Good? Yes. Punk? Uh...maybe? “Loaded Gun” and “Five Day Weekends,” which pay more than a tip of the hat to Joe Jackson and arena rock respectively, also show a more mature band. Best of all is the somber, acoustic “Just This Eulogy,” which proves that bassist Jim Stiers may have a Chris Isaak record or two in his collection. Admittedly, these are the exceptions. The disc still has plenty of what the kids with the tattoos and no jobs would call punk. Despite the studio flourishes, songs like “Down in Flames” and “Independence Day” are about on par with what you’ll find on the Warped Tour this year—catchy little barnburners with melodic, singalong choruses. Moving Forward isn’t some sort of cosmic leap that’s going
to change the way you think about music. It’s not the White Album.
It’s just a tight little slab from some vets who can play their instruments
and write songs better than most punk bands. Moving Forward is probably
a little too grown up for the Bernie’s crowd, but still a little
too punk rock for just about anyone else. If they keep showing off like
this, however, a couple of years from now, Blatant Finger may no longer
be so blatant. Now Wave Magazine Moving Forward, the new album from Ohio’s Blatant Finger, can be summed up with one word: solid. This veteran band plays a streetwise brand of melodic punk rock highly reminiscent of One Man Army, the U.S. Bombs, and later Social Distortion. You know the sort of sound I’m talking about: gritty, mid-tempo tunes with guttural, frog-throated vocals, lots of strong guitar leads, and pronounced rootsy leanings. Tuneful, blue collar type stuff. Fred Sarginger’s guitar work is nothing short of sensational, and Tom Barrett’s Mike Ness-ish bark oozes heart & sincerity. All in all, this is a decent release. But over the course of a whole album, Blatant Finger’s Midwestern punk attack begins to grow a little monotonous. It’s not that these fellows aren’t terrific musicians. All the pieces are there; but the puzzle just doesn’t seem to come together the way it should, you know? Besides “Moving Forward” and “Baby Steps”, none of the songs really grab me or suck me in. None of the choruses stick in my head or make me want to sing along. Besides the lead guitar parts (which are, as stated above, absolutely outstanding), this album is pretty much devoid of bona fide hooks. Too many songs plod along at a medium tempo, and the ones that do break the mold (the rockabilly rumbler “Drinking With Number 3” and the acoustic ballad “Just This Eulogy”) are just so-so. I hear Barrett’s vocals and imagine he’d be better off singing material that was a little more, uh, raucous. These guys are supposed to be great live, and I’m thinking that this album would have been much better had it captured some of the frantic energy this group surely displays on stage. My final verdict: solid, but nothing special. These fellows have the chops and definitely play from the heart; but I’ve heard other bands play this musical style much better. ---Josh Rutledge, opinionated asshole
In music, imitation leads to failure. Because music is inherently exploratory,
the most valuable sounds are those which we have never before heard. So
with a front-man who initially appeared to be trying much too hard to
sound like Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Blatant Finger seemed destined
for failure on their latest album, Moving Forward. But that being said,
a small amount of imitation proved to be one of the only blunders on the
disc, and Blatant Finger did an admirable job of overcoming this one fault. There’s really nothing remarkably fresh on the album, but neither
is there anything that will seriously detract from its enjoyment value.
This is an album that pop-punkers will relish, and hardcore scenesters
will listen to in their own private cars with windows rolled up. One gets
the feeling that a lot of people will like this disc, but some will enjoy
it more openly than others. After all, music is simple; you either like
it or you don’t. Moving Forward is nothing to write home about, so
to speak, but it’s nothing to turn up your nose at either.
ADD
Magazine Whenever I get a package from Pelado Records I always stick the disc in immediately because I know it's probably going to be a scorcher, but when I popped in this disc by Blatant Finger I was totally unimpressed. Looking back my attention must have been somewhere else or I must have been slightly high on household cleaning products or something, because Moving Forward is actually pretty good. Not earth-shattering good, but definitely quality pop-punk the likes of which has and probably always will be a rare commodity. Blatant Finger tend to move along at the pace of a jobless, trust-funded surfer dude, which immediately makes their music recall the glory days of Social Distortion, F Word, the Crowd and the other great bands on Posh Boy Records' late 70s roster. In the formal sense, the tunes are pretty much straight-up late 70s British punk a la the Buzzcocks, Generation X, etc., but the songs are delivered with so much attitude and aggression that one is tempted to say that Blatant Finger have some hardcore leanings. My favorite tracks on Moving Forward are songs like "The Circuit" and "Five Days Weekend," both of which have great, laid-back guitar riffs that have exactly the kind of casual cool that the Strokes nailed on their first album with some degree of success (though it's important to note that Blatant Finger's music isn't nearly as retro-sounding as the Strokes, nor as much as most '77-inspired punk bands for that matter). While Moving Forward isn't as totally essential as the early British and Californian punk records that so clearly inspired it, if you're down with that genre it might be worth your time to check out a few mp3s and, if you dig them, pick up the whole thing. Posted by Daniel at 03:33 PM |