What do you get when you put a trio together where all members have music degrees from the University of Idaho? Well, the short answer is Finn Riggins. Finn Riggins hails (now) from Sun Valley, Idaho and is made up of keyboardist Eric Gilbert, guitarist Lisa Simpson, and drummer Cameron Bouiss. And their debut full-length A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer is more than just a technical showcase; it is actually really good as well. Just imagine starting with a base something akin to the off-kilter indie-slacker-pop tendencies of Pavement and/or Bound Stems but with male/female vocal trade offs and a whole lot of layering to differentiate the band.

Seemingly everything here including jangly jazzy guitars, noisy electronics, piano-based indie pop riffs, space-brain prog-rock synths, furious drumming, and even steel-drum interludes is combined to make A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer one hell of a musical ride. Heck the group almost even gets a little alt-country on us and sings about life in Alaska on “Pannin For Gold.” All in all, the album is an unusual mix of non-standard rhythms and interesting arrangements that showcase the bands knowledge of theory as well as songwriting ability. Sure, it can be a little “jammy” at times, but that doesn’t bother me. This is honest and adventurous music that still manages to be fun. A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer is out now on Tender Loving Empire.

MP3 | Finn Riggins – Glove Compartment A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer
MP3 | Finn Riggins – Box Elder A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer

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