The first thing I ever heard about New Zealand’s Liam Finn was that he was trying to be the happy version of Elliott Smith. Whenever someone is compared to Mr. Smith, I feel an obligation to check out their music, though it’s always matched by my expectation that it won’t be up to par. However, in Mr. Finn’s case, there is actually some merit to these comparisons. If his voice was more similar to Smith’s, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to pass off the song Second Chance as an obscure Smith b-side. But regardless of comparisons, this is a pretty strong showing for a debut album. With songs like Second Chance, Energy Spent, and Music Moves My Feet, he is certainly one of the more talented songwriters I’ve come across this year.
From I’ll Be Lightning
Second Chance – (MP3, 3.4 MB)
Remember When – (MP3, 2.8 MB)