Finger - 20th Century Masters: The Singles Collection (1991-93)

In the annals of North Carolina indie rock histroy, circa the 1990s, much has been discussed about such Tar Heel luminaries as Superchunk, Polvo, Archers of Loaf, and for that matter Ben Folds Five, yet one of the states finest exports from Raleigh, Finger, rarely materialize in the conversation.  Hopefully this worthy, but perhaps none-too-urgent matter is about to be rectified with the release of a Finger anthology cd, Still in Boxes, issued this spring on Second Motion Records.  A crackling quartet that fit in with just about any of the aforementioned success stories, Finger's brand of punky, crunch-ridden guitar rawk offered an earnestness their hipster contemporaries couldn't hold a candle to.  Furthermore, Finger genuinely sounded like they were a product of the south, due largely in part to a noticeable dialect and a smidgen of twang that put them more in league with say, Snatches of Pink.  To cut to the long and short of it all, between 1990-94, a self-titled album, a clutch of singles and compilation appearances (one documented on these very pages) were unleashed to an indifferent public, save for local aficionados. 

While the a-sides to these three 45s make an appearance on Still in Boxes, the b-sides (including a snarling Dead Boys cover) do not. Once again, Wilfully Obscure comes to the rescue.  To the uninitiated, let these seven tracks serve as an introduction to Finger, and moreover an incentive to investigate some of the band's equally, if not more potent material on their new retrospective album.  BTW, guitarist/windpipe Brad Rice has since gone on to record and/or tour with The Accelerators, Backsliders, Ryan Adams, Tift Merritt, Son Volt, and more currently Keith Urban.  For further info on Finger, head over to We're an American Blog for a nice write-up.  

01. Another State of Mind

02. Rotting in a Cage

03. Hey Benny

04. Ship Full of Holes

05. Al l This and More

06. Wedding Boots

07. Do It Feel
08. Gravitatin' Home
09. Needle in a Haystack
10. John Genzales Blues (Johnny Thunders medley: Chinese Rocks/Personality Crisis/Blame it on Mom)

Note 1/28/15: Tracks 8-10 just added today!

1-3 from Moist Records 7" (1991)

4 & 5 from Jettison Records 7" (199?)

6 & 7 from Third Sister Records 7" (1993)

8-10 from Radiation Records 7" (1993)

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