New Music Review: Craig Finn-Clear Heart Full Eyes

Craig Finn-"Clear Heart Full Eyes"

Vagrant

Grade: 8.14 (B-)

Available at: Amazon MP3 & CD, NPR

Official Site: steadycraig.tumblr.com

Giving the celebratory vibe a breather, lead singer of the Hold Steady, Craig Finn, makes his solo debut this week with his introspective "Clear Heart Full Eyes". For fans of the band's exhilarating catalog, this stands as the morning after antidote. Finn brings down the intensity and muses about his surroundings, paints some desolate landscapes (Apollo Bay, Honolulu Blues, Western Pier) and talks here and there about Jesus, Freddie Mercury and the Sex Pistols. And the results are mixed to good.

A comparison in the arrangements that comes to mind is the storytelling efforts from the Drive-By Truckers. Finn uses that blueprint on most of the songs here. He gives tales about the wounded hearts and troubled people he sees and then lets slide guitars or whatever any other instrument fits the scene fill in the breaks in between. It works for atmosphere perfectly, but yet never catches fire to completely draw the listener in (you're almost begging for a major guitar riff at times).

What does work best is with the tone brought down twelve notches from the Hold Steady's raucous anthems, you get a chance to focus in even more on Finn's lyrics. "Jackson" works because you as the listener really wants to know what happened to Jackson in the threesome he muses about. "Honolulu Blues" also works as he wearily talks about searching for panoramic views and "souvenirs to prove that we were there." He touches on Jesus again and again on "Clear Heart Full Eyes" as on "Honolulu Blues" you don't know if Finn's found a renewed faith "the cross reminds us that He died for me and you" or he's lost it "And you?ve got to maybe think that maybe Jesus isn?t getting through". The most lighthearted campfire song on "Clear Hearts Full Eyes" is "Friend In Jesus" and again Finn wrestles with religion. "Got a new friend/And my new friend?s name is Jesus" or the just wrong "People say we suck at sports/But they don?t understand/It's hard to catch with holes in your hand" (Just wrong). But these lyrics and stories are what will keep you interested the most.

"Rented Room" works best for me here. It's eerie and just sparse enough that you feel like you're in the same desolate, empty room with Finn. And while I wish all of "Clear Hearts Full Eyes" either touched the same lonely vibe as "Rented Room" or picked up the intensity, I still can't say I'm completely dissatisfied. A good if not essential pick. Hold Steady fans should eat this up.

JHO Picks: Rented Room, When No One's Watching, Honolulu Blues, New Friend Jesus

Source: http://www.jhostation.com/2012/01/new-music-review-craig-finn-clear-heart.html

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