SWEET FINGERS

A really promising Mexican band!

Last year I could attend to a progressive rock festival in Mexico City, in which this (then unknown to me) band named Sweet Fingers, coming from the city of Queretaro were scheduled to play in the last day. Since the first notes I knew they were special, and while the minutes passed I confirmed that; their music and their live performance left me totally satisfied because they are a band full of talented musicians with the hungry of a wolf, with dreams and with the will of creating first class music. Since then I was terribly interested in them and this year I could fortunately see them again, now with the inclusion of a flute player.

So Sweet Fingers are a Mexican band whose music cannot be pigeonholed because of their original, challenging and unique content; in one song we can listen to some krautrock atmospheres, in other some symphonic keyboard-oriented rock, or even some post rock hints; that mixture is what caught my attention. Their self-titled debut album consists of eight compositions that make a total time of 56 minutes of a fresh and original progressive rock.

It opens with "Good Night Robots", a song whose sound is particular because it seems to be a bit dissonant, but that's its charm. The track is flowing, with an excellent piano, cool drums and wonderful strings that in moments are accompanied by some vocals (no lyrics). After three minutes the intensity increases and finishes with a very strong sound. One of my favorite Sweet Fingers' song comes next "W_ _ d _ _ h _ _ _ _ _ _ _ s _" or Woodenhouse Mouse, which has a peculiar vocal tone with lyrics in English a very clever musical structure, with some cool changes in time and mood. I love the keyboard work here and how it opens the doors to the explosion. The nuances and atmospheres created in these eight minutes are wonderful, and a clear example of the quality of these guys.

The symphonic prog arrives with the bombastic beginning of "Cliness Matter" whose keyboards are once again a highlight, however, it is pertinent to mention that all the musicians with their respective instruments are essential for the music's success; they all are the pieces that need to be gathered in this puzzle named Sweet Fingers. "Beau a jouer" starts with soft vocals followed by drums and strings, making a mellow sound. The song has some changes within, however it is not their best or at least my preferred piece.

"Regenbogen flöte-tropfen" is a superb composition which a rich variety of nuances, atmospheres, colors and textures that can be appreciated during the whole seven minutes. The music never loses its charm, though they rhythm does not really change, that constant sound is what mesmerizes me, along of course, with the excellent inclusion of a flute. "Turkey" is another spectacular track that shows since the first moments how big this band can be, how high their compositional skills are, and how talented they are. This song is a feast of instrumental magnificence, and what is better is that here we can listen to a combination of progressive rock sub genres. Now, imagine this song on stage, they are terrific!

"Screamed the Queen" is the longest song here, reaching more than ten minutes. It is also the most post-rock oriented one, and that can be appreciated since the first moments due to the guitar sound and the whole structure the band creates. It perfectly flows and reaches a climax, later it slows down and becomes a mixture of a bluesy tune with melodic and post rock. "New Forniture" is a nice track with some hints of Radiohead and with a mellower sound at least for the first three minutes because later it explodes and becomes more intense and better, finishing this excellent album in a good way.

Now I am eager to see the upcoming Sweet Fingers album, which hopefully will come soon because as I've said, they have the talent and strength to create a successful path and musical career. I hope they also gain more exposure here in Mexico, and of course around the globe.

My final grade will be 8 out of 10.

Enjoy it!