Crooked Fingers - s/t
(Warm/Sonic Unyon)

Crooked Fingers is the solo project of Archers Of Loaf front man Eric Bachmann. This is also the first release on the new Warm label run by ex-Man Or Astro-Man? Brian Causey who also appears on the album. This is what drew my attention to the album. Being a large Man Or Astro-Man? fan, I was curious to hear Brian Causey’s (known as Star Crunch to Astro-fans) next project. What I got was something very different, but still worth while.

The record contains ten compositions, all of which are made up of complex instrumentation and a wide array of sounds including violins, cello, and an electro chime played by Causey. Bachmann also makes use of sound loops to create an ambient atmosphere behind the clean guitar sound. The vocals on this album can at times be compared to Neil Diamond, which works well with the melancholy tone of the songs. The album is distributed in Canada by Sonic Unyon. Releases like this are a definite sign of the Hamilton indie labels growing success and good taste.

I wouldn’t say this album would make my top ten list of this year, mainly because it isn’t really a style of music which I am really into, but it does have an interesting enough sound to keep my attention and find a permanent place in my cd collection. — Jay