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Finger Eleven

Life Turns Electric

Written by: PP on 04/12/2010 04:12:52

Finger Eleven used to be one of the best bands putting out music around the release of "The Greyest Of Blue Skies", one of the greatest hard rock / alternative rock albums of this century. The record was filled with painstaked, passionate screams and quiet/loud dynamics of the kind that allowed modern post-hardcore to take off a couple of years later, aside from being jam-packed with beautifully executed, supremely saddened, painful croons of their vocalist, that in songs like "My Carousel" or "Sick Of It All" created a special place in my heart for this band for years to come. Years, which have been exceedinly painful with the release of albums like "Finger Eleven" and "Them vs You vs Me", both of which were mainstream monstrosities that relied on soft, radio-friendly singles whilst completely abandoning the band's origins in a blend of original post-hardcore and alternative rock.

And now this, "Life Turns Electric". Just what in the hell is this? Why does a large majority of the record sound like a poor man's version of Goo Goo Dolls, who, by the way, are still putting out solid albums just like they were in the past? Post-grunge has taken over the Finger Eleven sound with heavy influence from fellow Canadian bands like Nickelback, from whom the lessons learned appear to be consistent with "a few hit singles, rest can be filler" for the last couple of albums or so. "Life Turns Electric", however, is the worst so far. The songs here are mainstream to the bone, alternative rock-radio tuned semi-hits that aren't interesting in the slightest, and portray the band as a shadow of the shadow of their past. Yeah, it's really that bad. Of course, if you like commercial hard rock / alternative rock anthems that are about as textbook as they get, there's a few solid hit singles here that'll appease your discomfort with the band not living up to their enormous potential as display on "The Greyest...", but even in that case songs like "Stone Soul" should have you ready to vomit over the extent that Finger Eleven have sold out over the years. Can you imagine inserting this song in between "Drag You Down" and "My Carousel"? I know it's not fair to compare all the way back to what the band was doing ten years ago, but once you set a standard within a genre and influence a ton of bands, you'll always spend your time underneath that microscope from anyone who has followed your career from start to finish.

And that's why, my friends, "Life Turns Electric" is such a devastating listen for a long-term fan. The songs are predictable, arena-oriented, straight-forward alternative rock that's near-identical to at least fifteen other bands playing the same sound for the time being. There are no screams, no build ups, no creative dynamics that once were the core of this band. Just simple, straight forward radio rockers that you can play on your favorite radio station to acceptable response from the listeners, but never more than that. Stuff that we all hear on the radio day in day out, essentially background music that's fine but what will never capture your interest and make you ask your colleague "hey who is this band, I wanna check them out". Please, I beg you, if you're new to Finger Eleven, go back to "Tip" or "The Greyest Of Blue Skies", for those are essential rock albums to own for any fan of the genre's modern manifestation. Don't base your opinion on this crap.

Download: Pieces Fit
For the fans of: Goo Goo Dolls, Nickelback
Listen: Myspace

Release date 05.10.2010
Wind Up Records