Liam Finn

I stumbled across Liam Finn some time this fall, maybe in October, and I really wanted to see him during CMJ festival. His show was scheduled for 1am on a Thursday, and I am masochistic sometimes, but I mean seriously...So needless to say I missed it. He may have played in New York once or twice since then, but alas, I have yet to see him.

His sound is similar to everything else I like, it features guitar and some synth and a surprisingly smooth, soft voice. I can't help but draw a comparison between Finn's signature sound and that the late Elliot Smith, not only in the timber of his voice, but also in the sighing background vocals. There is somewhat of a sixties rock sound in there too, or perhaps I am just getting a British vibe from his sound. That would be offensively inaccurate, since he grew up in New Zealand. The original song that I tortured my roommates with was Second Chance off of his I'll Be Lightning.

Since I don't hate the video, here it is...



Liam Finn plays with Laura Veirs May 22 at Bowery Ballroom