Review Summary: Heal me by degrees
The words that first come to mind are: cheesy, maybe pure, when the line “When do you want my love?” swells in the opening seconds of “Long Gone.” It would be easy to write it off as cheesy if it weren’t so sincere (and didn’t sound so damn pretty.) Who else can pull off lines like, “I’m blushin’ a shade of licorice”?
Finch is a childlike record, and although striving to portray childlikeness often results in cruel parody, it somehow manages to pull it off. There are lines here so pure, sung so earnestly, you’d think they were cribbed from a daycare.
To walk the line between sincerity and parody is no easy feat, and not an artistic accomplishment to be taken lightly. Lines like “Heal me by degrees” are stunning in their brevity and often have the weight of rich context behind them (to attribute the line to Bishop Myriel adds a depth of grace that lingers.) They sound clean and right, offered, but not forced.
That’s what Penny and Sparrow are all about on Finch. Andy and Kyle are both incredibly gifted at the oft attempted, little mastered, art of simplicity. Kyle’s progressions and melodies sound purposeful. They are intentional in their restraint and tonally perfect, “Stockholm’s” strumming pattern being a perfect example of how to be dynamic with a little instead of becoming overbearing.
Andy’s voice is warm. His lyrics are poignant. It’s the perfect marriage for authenticity. He sounds like he believes what he’s written and it’s easy to be invited into his world. Whether he’s singing about romance or playfully pondering reincarnation, there’s real joy and truth in everything that he’s singing.
Together, they’ve written an album that is as lyrically and sonically complete as you could hope to hear. Most importantly, it’s true to what it sets out to be, and, if I might be so bold, each song is a journey unto itself to be healed by degrees.
