What It Is to Burn

What It Is to Burn
Studio album by Finch
Released March 12, 2002
Recorded June–July, August–September 2001
Studio Big Fish Studios, Encinitas, California
Genre
Length 61:13
Label MCA, Drive-Thru
Producer Mark Trombino
Finch chronology
Falling into Place
(2001)Falling into Place2001		 What It Is to Burn
(2002)		 Say Hello to Sunshine
(2005)Say Hello to Sunshine2005
Singles from What It Is to Burn
  1. "What It Is to Burn"
    Released: January 2003
  2. "Letters to You"
    Released: April 22, 2003
  3. "New Beginnings"/"What It Is to Burn"
    Released: August 25, 2003

What It Is to Burn is the debut album by American post-hardcore band Finch.

Background and production

Finch originally formed under the name Numb with Nate Barcalow on vocals, Alex Linares on guitar, Derek Doherty on bass and Alex Pappas on drums.[1] Guitarist Randy Strohmeyer was invited to join Finch after they witnessed him play with his band Evita Fresh.[2] Strohmeyer became friends with Drive-Thru Records owner Richard Reines[1] following a fan letter he had sent in a few years prior. When he mentioned this to the other members of Finch, they were enthusiastic about potentially signing with the label. Reines offered the group a chance to perform and subsequently invited his sister, and co-label owner, Stefanie to the performance. The pair were impressed and signed the group.[2]

Pre-production and demos were done at DML Studios in Escondido, California[3] in February and April 2001.[4] They began recording What It Is to Burn in June[4] at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino.[3] They started tracking guitars in July.[5] Strohmeyer used Fender guitars and Marshall amplifiers. Linares used ESP guitars and Mesa amplifiers. Trombino did guitar effects for the album,[6] earning him a programming credit in the booklet.[3] Recording subsequently continued into August and September.[7] Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw performs guest vocals on "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem".[3] The group had met Palumbo at a Deftones show and had kept in contact with him. When recording, they asked if he wanted to participate.[6] Trombino mixed the recordings at The Robot Factory in Los Angeles, California, while Stephen Marcussen mastered them at Marcussen Mastering.[3]

Musically, the album has been classed as emo,[8][9][10] hardcore punk,[8][11] pop punk[8][9][11][12] and post-hardcore.[12] The writing process revolved around the group jamming. Linares said they could write a song in two hours, and other times take a whole day.[6] Collectively, Strohmeyer said it took a year to write all of the material on the album.[13] "Awake" was one of the group's oldest songs. Barcalow said it was about a couple resolving an argument.[6]

Release

A music video was released for "Letters to You" in January 2002.[14] Doherty said the video was "[a]trocious", while Linares called it "[b]asically a piece of shit."[6] What It Is to Burn was released on March 12[15] as a joint release between MCA and Drive-Thru Records.[3] The artwork features an ice bucket and measurements. The back cover features a beaker with boiling liquid. Doherty said they "just wanted some cool imagery".[6] The art direction and design were done by P.R. Brown, who also did the photography with Kris McCaddon.[3] Initial pressings of the album contained a demo version of "What It Is to Burn", produced by Chris Fuderich. It was replaced on later pressings with a re-recorded version, produced by Trombino.[16] These later pressings were available from June onwards.[17] The UK edition, released on June 2,[6] included an acoustic version of "Letters to You" and the demo of "What It Is to Burn" as bonus tracks.[18]

Following the album's release, the group went on tour with Moth.[7] The group filmed another music video for "Letters to You" in mid-April[19] in a hostel basement in Hollywood.[20] It was directed by Richard Reines and Brad Scott.[21] In April and May, the group went on tour with Brand New and The Starting Line.[22] Following this, the group went on a UK tour with New Found Glory.[23] The video for "Letter to You" premiered on Refused TV on May 24.[24] Between late June and mid-August, the group performed on Warped Tour[25] as part of the Drive-Thru Records Stage.[26] In late August, the group performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK.[27] In September, the group performed a few shows in Japan.[28] In October and November, the band went tour across the US alongside New Found Glory, Something Corporate and Further Seems Forever.[29]

In November and December, the group went on a UK tour[30] with From Autumn to Ashes and Coheed and Cambria.[31] Around this time, the group signed to MCA Records.[11] MCA had a distribution deal that allowed them to acquire Drive-Thru Records' bands over a period of time.[32] In January 2003, "What It Is to Burn" was released as a radio single[33] and a music video was filmed for the track.[11] It was directed by Alexander Kosta.[34] The band toured with From Autumn to Ashes[35] across the US in January and February. Allister were initially planned to support before being replaced by Steel Train.[36] In February, the band went on a co-heading US tour with The Used.[37] While on the tour, the "What It Is to Burn" music video was posted online on February 21.[38] Following this, the group continued touring with The Movielife, Senses Fail and A Static Lullaby[39] until early March.[40]

In March, the group went on a tour of the UK with Brand New.[41] Later in March, Punknews.org held a contest where fans could win a copy of the album on vinyl.[42] In April, the group performed at Skate and Surf Fest.[43] On April 22, "Letters to You" was released as a single.[44] In early May, the band performed at two shows as part of MTV's Campus Invasion tour.[45] In June, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live![46] and performed at KROQ's Weenie Roast festival.[47] In early July, the group appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly.[48] In August, the group performed at Furnace Fest,[49] before playing on the main stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.[50] Following this, "New Beginnings" and "What It Is to Burn" were released as a double A-sided single on August 25.[51]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
CMJ New Music ReportFavorable[52]
Drowned in Sound4/5 [53]
Exclaim!Mixed[54]
FasterLouderFavorable [55]
Kerrang!Favorable[56]
LAS MagazineFavorable [57]
Los Angeles Times4/5 [58]
Melodic [59]
Ultimate Guitar Archive10/10[60]

The album received a generally positive reception. AllMusic rated the album with 4 out of 5 stars, commenting "Finch's full-length debut is a phenomenal account of a band riding the thin line between hardcore and pop-punk while retaining a trademark sound that stands out from the crowd", as well as being an album pick.[8] Ryan Flatley of Sputnikmusic praised "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem" for their energy, but states that the album turned out to be a bit of a disappoinment due to the large amount of hype surrounding the release, giving it an overall 3 stars.[12]

What It Is to Burn charted at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Heatseekers Albums charts.[61][62] It also charted at number 177 in the UK. "Letters to You" charted in the UK at number 39.[63] "What It Is to Burn" charted at number 15 on the Alternative Songs chart[64] and number 35 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[65] By April 2003, the album had sold over 200,000 copies in the US.[66] By October 2007, the album had sold over 400,000 copies.[67] Metal Hammer ranked the album at number 17 on their best of 2002 albums list.[68] Shezhaad Jiwani of Chart Attack said the album was one of emo's landmark releases, leading the genre alongside albums by Glassjaw and the Used.[10] In 2013, the group celebrated the album's 10th anniversary by performing it in its entirety. It was initially for one show,[69] before being expanded to two US tours,[70][71] a European tour,[72] and performances in Japan and Australia.[73] The album has been a massive influence on Saosin's Saosin (2006), Young Guns' All Our Kings Are Dead (2010), A Day to Remember's What Separates Me from You (2010), D.R.U.G.S.'s D.R.U.G.S. (2011), and The Amity Affliction's Chasing Ghosts (2012).[74]

Track listing

All songs written by Finch.[3]

No.TitleLength
1."New Beginnings"4:02
2."Letters to You"3:20
3."Post Script"2:50
4."Grey Matter" (featuring Daryl Palumbo)2:40
5."Perfection Through Silence"3:12
6."Awake"4:49
7."Without You Here"4:10
8."Stay with Me"4:05
9."Project Mayhem" (featuring Daryl Palumbo)5:19
10."Untitled"4:13
11."Three Simple Words"4:39
12."Ender"13:28
13."What It Is to Burn"4:29

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[3]

Chart positions

Chart (2002) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[63] 177
US Billboard 200[61] 99
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[62] 1

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Seida, Linda. "Finch | Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Bio". Finch. Archived from the original on August 13, 2001. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 What It Is to Burn (Booklet). Finch. MCA/Drive-Thru Records. 2002. 113 039-2/DTR #28.
  4. 1 2 "Finch - home". Finch. Archived from the original on May 16, 2001. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Journal". Finch. Archived from the original on August 13, 2001. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rahman, Zarek (June 27, 2002). "Finch - Interview". Kludge. Archived from the original on August 10, 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Band profile: Finch". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on May 5, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "AllMusic review". Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  9. 1 2 "Live". Salt Lake City Weekly. John Saltas. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Jiwani, Shezhaad (June 7, 2005). "CD Releases: Coldplay, The White Stripes, Black Eyed Peas, Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir, Finch And More!!!". Chart Attack. Channel Zero. Archived from the original on May 11, 2006. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Finch: Emotion Is Their Middle Name". Chart Attack. Channel Zero. August 11, 2004. Archived from the original on December 8, 2005. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 "Sputnik review". 27 June 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  13. ↑ MTV Staff News (July 9, 2003). "For The Record: Quick News On Avril Lavigne, Coldplay, 3 Doors Down, Christina Aguilera, Weezer, Hanson & More". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Updates". Finch. Archived from the original on November 2, 2001. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  15. ↑ "What It Is to Burn- Finch | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  16. ↑ "What It Is to Burn!". Finch. October 30, 2002. Archived from the original on February 11, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  17. ↑ "New What It Is to Burn!". Finch. June 26, 2002. Archived from the original on July 2, 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  18. ↑ "What It Is to Burn [UK Bonus Tracks] - Finch | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  19. ↑ "New Video!". Finch. April 9, 2002. Archived from the original on December 5, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Off the Wall Video Shoot!". Finch. April 15, 2002. Archived from the original on February 15, 2003. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  21. ↑ Finch. Letters To You - Finch. Vevo. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  22. ↑ Heisel, Scott (April 9, 2002). "Iodine Fest: rock out with your socks out". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Tour Dates Cancelled". Finch. March 20, 2002. Archived from the original on July 19, 2002. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Video Premiere Friday!". Finch. May 22, 2002. Archived from the original on February 15, 2003. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  25. ↑ D'Angelo, Joe (January 30, 2002). "Warped Tour '02 To Feature Bad Religion, NOFX, New Found Glory, More". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Drive Thru Records Takes Over The Warped Tour". Kludge. January 10, 2002. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Finch in the UK!". Finch. July 7, 2002. Archived from the original on December 4, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Fall Tour Dates!". Finch. July 30, 2002. Archived from the original on December 4, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  29. ↑ Heisel, Scott (August 13, 2002). "New Found Glory/Something Corporate/Finch/Further Seems Forever tour". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Finch Dates". Metal Hammer. Future Publishing. October 2, 2002. Archived from the original on February 28, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  31. ↑ "UK Openers!". Finch. October 30, 2002. Archived from the original on December 4, 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  32. ↑ Billboard 1999, p. 74
  33. ↑ "What It Is to Burn!". Finch. January 21, 2003. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  34. ↑ Finch. What It Is to Burn - Finch. Vevo. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Headlining Tour!". Finch. November 21, 2002. Archived from the original on December 4, 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Allister's Replacement!". Finch. December 23, 2002. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  37. ↑ Lee, Andy (February 14, 2003). "Finch: Don't Use The "E" Word". Chart Attack. Channel Zero. Archived from the original on March 5, 2003. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  38. ↑ "What It Is to Burn!". Finch. February 12, 2003. Archived from the original on February 15, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  39. ↑ "4th Band!". Finch. January 22, 2003. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Tour News!". Finch. January 3, 2003. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  41. ↑ Heisel, Scott (February 28, 2003). "Brand New tour change". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  42. ↑ Heisel, Scott (March 24, 2003). "Contests: Finch". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  43. ↑ Heisel, Scott (April 3, 2003). "Finalized Skate and Surf Fest lineup announced". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Letters to You [UK CD #1] - Finch | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  45. ↑ Moss, Corey (April 9, 2003). "Fabolous, Talib Kweli, The Used Coming To A Campus Near You". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  46. ↑ Heisel, Scott (June 2, 2003). "Bands on TV - week of 6/2/03". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  47. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (May 30, 2003). "Evanescence, Staind, Deftones, Stripes Headlining Weenie Roast". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  48. ↑ Paul, Aubin (July 7, 2003). "Bands on TV - Week of July 7th, 2003". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  49. ↑ MTV News Staff (July 31, 2003). "For The Record: Quick News On Sean Paul, Metallica, Mary J. Blige, Bjork, Deftones, Travis Barker & More". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Finch At Reading And Leeds!!". Finch. July 1, 2003. Archived from the original on July 16, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  51. ↑ Diver, Mike (August 13, 2003). "Single Review: Finch - New Beginnings / What It Is To Burn / Releases". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  52. ↑ Sciarretto 2003, p. 13
  53. ↑ White, Peter (2002). "Review: What It Is To Burn - Finch". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on March 20, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  54. ↑ Authier, Amber (February 1, 2003). "Finch What It Is to Burn". Exclaim!. Ian Danzig. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  55. ↑ Anson, Robyn (February 9, 2004). "Finch – What it is to Burn". FasterLouder. Junkee Media. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  56. ↑ Travers, Paul (April 2002). "New Releases & Reviews". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on June 7, 2002. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  57. ↑ LAS Magazine review Archived 2017-02-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  58. ↑ Lecaro, Lina (March 4, 2003). "Finch's primal 'screamo' is heavy on the melodrama". Los Angeles Times. Ross Levinsohn. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  59. ↑ Wippsson, Johan (May 6, 2002). "Finch - What It Is to Burn". Melodic. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  60. ↑ UG Team (July 25, 2003). "What It Is To Burn review by Finch". Ultimate Guitar Archive. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  61. 1 2 "Finch Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  62. 1 2 "Finch Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  63. 1 2 "Chart Log UK: Adam F – FYA". Zobbel. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  64. ↑ "Finch Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  65. ↑ "Finch Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  66. ↑ "Breaking & Entering". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. April 23, 2003. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  67. ↑ "AP Exclusive: Finch to reunite this Thanksgiving". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  68. ↑ "Metal Hammer". Rocklist.net. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  69. ↑ Paul, Aubin (October 19, 2012). "Finch to reunite for 10th anniversary of 'What It Is to Burn'". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  70. ↑ Paul, Aubin (February 18, 2013). "Finch / The Almost / The World Is A Beautiful Place". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  71. ↑ Paul, Aubin (July 16, 2013). "Tours: Finch / Dance Gavin Dance ('What It Is To Burn')". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  72. ↑ Childers, Chad (January 24, 2013). "Finch Expand 'What It Is to Burn' 10th Anniversary Tour + Announce Support Acts". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  73. ↑ Paul, Aubin (December 16, 2013). "Finch not breaking up, debut new song live". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  74. ↑ Kelham 2013, p. 42

Sources

  • Billboard (September 11, 1999). "Newsline..." Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (37). ISSN 0006-2510.
  • Kelham, Andrew (April 2013). Patashnik, Ben, ed. "Hall of Fame: What It Is to Burn". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (172). ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Sciarretto, Amy (April 22, 2002). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. 71 (759). ISSN 0890-0795.
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