New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Cut Throat Finches. An ironic name for a tiny bird, and conversely, for a
Texas band with a giant sound. Singer-songwriter Sean Russell, a proud resident of the Ft Worth music scene, formed the band mid-2015 with a group of much-lauded players from the area. Cut Throat Finches lay out a songs that bring to mind a soundtrack to an epic film in a style inspired by their heroes in the British rock scene and American roots music. The band, signed to the critically acclaimed Hand Drawn Records, a cutting edge pressing plant and record label in Dallas, will release Polite Conversations (their 2nd album) on May 25th, celebrating with local area release parties and summer touring. Russell tells us the tale of the making of the record for the first time.
"When I was a kid and I broke a neighbor's bird feeder, then lied about it to my mom even though she already knew I had done it. She delivered the soul crushing words to me that I will never forget, the classic "I expect more from you". Well, I expect more from this country. I love this country, and I served in it's Army. I refuse to believe that my friends who gave their lives, did so for this broken, paranoid State. It would be a disgrace to believe that the country we have become is the best we can do and not to expect more. Just as my mom expected me to behave better than I had, it would be insulting to believe that our behavior as a nation should not be better, and we cannot rise to a higher standard. This rotten feeling, the discontent, the consternation rose late in recording our first record, Reality. Sometimes literal hours would be lost where Taylor Tatsch and I would be reeling from the shock of what we were not only seeing from our panel of presidential candidates, but from the conversations around the politics.
This album took over a year to write and record. It was written over the 2016 Presidential Campaign, the shame of political scandal when Sanders was betrayed by the Democrats, the bathroom bills,
Black Lives Matter movement, the Charlottesville Alt Right Christian racial violence, and the #metoo movement which breaks my heart to this day. People demanding that their truth is absolute, their ideology becoming a religious crusade, and no person would be spared the wrath. Politics and ideology before persons. Everyone has learned to scream, demand to be heard, and yet no one is listening to one another. The album does not propose solutions. It is snarky, witty, and meant for listeners. The politics of the day, and the behavior witnessed around it all, is simply the emotional landscape this album is written on."
The album opens with "
New Age", which explores the ignorance, fear and stubbornness of the current discourse, and jabs at the apathy of a self-absorbed society that is resistant to compromise, but as Russell points out, it's extremely danceable. "War Cry" is a song to encourage those who protest, or conversely fear standing up for themselves in life in general. It's psyche rock style sets up lyrics that use water metaphors to depict a world where standing up for ones beliefs can be alienating. "Head in the Clouds" addresses the #metoo movement, with vocal phrasing/melodies reminiscent of
George Harrison. The album diverts from politics and culture when the Finches deliver a dynamic, poppy tune about the difference between being in love with infatuation and being committed to understanding and intimacy and support for the object of one's affection. "
Trouble" explores the ways people deal with illness and loss in life and on social media.
Cut Throat Finches Live:
5/31 Dallas, TX Spinster Records 8pm
6/1 Ft Worth, TX Shipping and Receiving 9pm
6/22 St. Louis, MO San Loo
