Finger - s/t (1992, Skyclad)

In terms of cutting edge cachet in North Carolina, Chapel Hill was where it was at during the '90s bar none.  The renown college town was residence to forward thinking figureheads like Polvo and Archers of Loaf, exemplary singer/songwriters like Ben Folds, and of course the par excellence Superchunk.  But down the road a spell in Raleigh there was Finger (not to be confused with the Ryan Adams offshoot, The Finger).  I did a piece on a clutch of their singles about five years ago (new, improved and expanded as of today I might add).  Theoretically, Finger could have drawn from both the indie punk pool and the much bigger mainstream pond, bearing a no-frills panache that should have crossed over to fans of the Georgia Satellites and Americana leaning acts of the day.  To their detriment, Finger's music was the providence of small indie imprints, meaning that even well intentioned "alternative" types simply weren't wise to these boys.

No indie rock airs here.  This endearingly humble foursome kicked out the proverbial jams with grit, earnestness, and more than a little punk seasoning at times.  The everyman dilemmas presented in their songs were a little too by-the-book, but never precious.  Finger was their first and only proper album, housing such staples and fan favorites as "Gravitating Home," "Daddy-Oh," and "Vessel."  A Finger anthology, Still in Boxes was issued in 2010, and still very much available, so if you like what you hear please consider throwing a little coin there way.  You can check out my self-curated comp of Finger singles here.

01. Alice
02. Talkin' About You
03. Daddy-Oh
04. Shipwrecked Dress
05. Still in Boxes
06. Drive By
07. Gravitating Home
08. Vessel
09. (So) Long
10. Another State
11. Headlock
12. No Solution
13. untitled

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