Fingertight - In The Name Of Progress

Name: Fingertight
Album: In The Name Of Progress
Year:2003
Style: Emo, Rap-Rock
Similar Bands: Generic Emo Bands, Tool
"One-Word" Review: Fake-whiny-emotal
Based Out Of: Martinez, California
Label: Columbia Records, Sony Music, 

In The Name Of Progress - Cover, Insert, CD & Tray

In The Name Of Progress - Lyrics & Liner Notes, Back

In The Name Of Progress(2003)

1. Fear In Me 4:00
2. Bellevue 3:39
3. Guilt (Hold Down) 3:46
4. At War 3:58
5. Speak In Tongues 3:49
6. 515 Mellus 0:35
7. Nathaniel 4:26
8. Things Have Changed 4:13
9. Emo This 3:49
10. Shut Up 4:05
11. Surface 3:34
12. Resurface 4:17
13. The Orient 0:57
14. Bla Bla Radio 3:27
15. Magical 4:19

Album Rating (1-10): 2.5

Members & Other Bands:Sergio Reynoso - Guitar, Recording, Mixing, Piano
Jesse Del Rio - Bass, Piano
Scott Rose - Vox (Sleep In Fame)
Kirk Shelton- Drums (The Few)
Tobias Miller - Produced & Recorded
Bill Appleberry - Produced & Recorded, Piano
Miles Wilson - Asst Engineer
Figora "Fig" O'Brein - Asst Engineer
Johnny K - Additional Production & Engineering
Neal Avron - Mixed
Alex Reverberi - Asst. Mix
Steven Marcussen - Mastering
Geoff Garnett - Piano
Lenny Castro - Additional Percussion
Jeff Soto - Artwork
Ken Schles - Photography
Dave Bett - Art Direction
Matt Pinfield - A&R
Andrew Brightman - Management

Unknown-ness: So I saw this album when it came out, on the shelves of Tower Records. I loved the artwork, and as it was conveinently located near the Flaming Lips, who had similar artwork on their album Yoshimi a year before, I had to think they were on a similar musical track. A few years later and removed from the fascination with the Flaming Lips, I came across the album again in a dollar bin. I decided to take my chances on the CD. Shattering my hope and imagination, they were nothing musically like the Lips to my dissatisfaction. I do not remember what they were like, only that I never got around to listening to the album again...it must not have been very good. So here I'll try to see if there is any salvagable material on the album. Perhaps I just overlooked them, chalking it up to "they were not what I expected" at the time.

Album Review: “Fear In Me” starts out with hushed emo vocals, and blanketed acoustic guitars. And the song quickly transitions into an emo-hard rock musical backdrop to fast talking rap-rock vocals. The quiet emo comes back in the breakdown, and it fake-angrily comes back, with shouting vocals behind the lead. And the end is a chaotic mix of the shouting vocals trying to upstage the lead vocals in a circular tunnel of sound. “Bellevue” takes its cues from Tool: at least in the verse. The chorus has more angry energy, but it still seems forced. And the shouting background “hard core” vocals are used toward the end of the song, but even they are laughable. “Guilt (Hold Down)” this again sounds like everything that is wrong with mainstream radio…I can’t even describe it, but it sounds so manufactured, like the songs are just made to propel the band into the mainstream of what is popular now…that is…going back to 2003. “At War” starts more shouty and faster than the band has shown. The verse has concentrated rap rock vocals, and the chorus is just the extended emo yelling. It is actually laughable; I am chuckling to myself when the backing shout-vox come in. “Speak In Tongues” blasts off with muffled shouting. Then there are the provocative lyrics like “Systematic, Automatic annihilation of every nation, until we find ourselves fighting all alone” there are changes in the music’s pace, but it feels terribly predictable. “515 Mellus” is a small snippet of warbling sound effects and piano. “Nathaniel” begins with the Tool-like structure. Then it picks up and abandons all creativity. It ends in the same tag team shout & sing vocal melee. I guess they think that is the only and best way to finish off a song…coming to this grand finale of confusion. “Things Have Changed” is a slower emo song, with strings in the background? Does that make you more mature and give you cred to have a couple of notes played on strings? Afraid not. Still sucks.

And now for the song I’ve been waiting for, “Emo This” it is a whiney, shouty, head nodding tribute to what all an emo song should be about. It is, of course, about some girl. My god, it sounds like the guy is gonna throw up tears. “Shut Up” has a nice pleasant start to it, but it is quickly ruined by the strained and whiny vocals. Over all, it is more listenable than the rest of the album, but that does not mean it is good. “Surface” open with a very metal guitar intro, and some shivering vocals. It evolves into shouting back-up vox with rap-rock lead vox. This is their song that says, “See? We can be hard-core too!” in hopes that they are convincing someone (anyone?). “Resurface” slows it down, and he tries to sing melodically, but there is still an underlying whisper screaming background. And he’s trying to be angry but calm or something in the chorus…it is very confusing. “The Orient” is a minute long instrumental piece with pianos, which sound vaguely oriental in style. “Bla Bla Radio” has a nice drum beat, and wailing guitars, and the vocals are still forced and consist of yell-singing. And in the chorus there is the background screeching vocals, saying “bla bla.” It is actually quite funny. And as this is the shortest song, I think I may use this as the stand out track. It actually is the most listenable. “Magical” is the piano ballad. Which wants to prove they are not all shouty emo, they have a tender emo side…this is their monster-ballad application.

Stand Out Track: Bla Bla Radio

Links:Wikipedia
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Maximum Ink 7/03
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