Crooked Fingers "Dignity and Shame" (Merge)
By Tim Den
Wednesday. Jun 01, 1:01 AM
Best parts of acoustic songwriting paired with a uniquely post-indie rock aesthetic.

It’d be unfair to call Crooked Fingers (aka Eric Bachmann) “singer-songwriter” or his latest work – Dignity and Shame – “acoustic folk.” Sure, there are characteristics of both genres in these tunes, but consider previous albums such as Red Devil Dawn and songs such as “Destroyer”: the Mediterranean flair, the darkness bred out of indie rock grime (Bachmann, as if you didn’t know, led cult heroes Archers Of Loaf till the early 2000s), the sense of strength that doesn’t subtract from the melodiousness… hardly deserving of comparisons to Joan Baez. So how do you describe this guy and his new album, then? Wait, I think I just did. It’s delicate without neutering itself, the best parts of acoustic songwriting paired with a uniquely post-indie rock aesthetic. Just because the mood is mellow doesn’t mean you can’t sense the turbulence underneath.

At first listen, Bachmann’s strange (almost Neil Diamond-like) delivery of “to”s (pronounced “tuu” as if he’s spitting a loogie) and his tendency to saddle every word with an “eh” overtone (“tuu seh,” “eh-weh,” etc.) will make you grind your teeth, but once you get used to such traits you will be floored by the universality of “You Must Build a Fire.” Repeating a simple refrain of “where are you love?”, Bachmann sums up everything about one’s quest in life and romance. And it’s such moments that take Dignity and Shame beyond diary entries and pinning puppy dog. These songs walk tall, hold their heads up, but also understand their own mistakes. Indeed worthy of the album title.
www.crookedfingers.com
www.mergerecords.com

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Tim Den

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