Finn Riggins

When I moved from the D.C. music scene to Farmington, NM I expected close to nothing in the area of “good music.” I got less than that. In my most recent move to Pocatello, ID, home of Idaho State University and a handful of fantastic bars, I expected at least a little more. That little more quickly turned into a lot more as Finn Riggins kicked off their set at Flipside Lounge on Friday night.

While Finn Riggins isn’t from Pocatello, they ARE from nearby Boise, a place you East-coast snobs might not expect to find good music. But the trio can knock you out cold (musically-speaking). Their mix of swirling keys, sharp guitar and tight drums comes off as a sort of cross between dancable jams and intense compositions. Imagine Matt & Kim if they made more intricate songs and toned things down juuuust a little bit.

The band is infectious live. I found myself so enamored by Finn Riggins that I spent a full song just staring at Eric Gilbert’s work on the keys. A guy at the table next to me spent that same song telling everybody that drummer Cameron Bouiss was the best he’d ever seen. This was all done to the awesome soundtrack of Lisa Simpson’s off-and-on singing/chanting vocals.

I’m not one to “learn things” at shows, but if I was, one thing would have been immediately apparent: Finn Riggins knows how to captivate an audience. The band apparently does A LOT of touring, including a stint with fellow Idaho-natives Built To Spill. They have two recordings available on Portland-based Tender Loving Empire, most recently 2009’s engrossing Vs. Wilderness. If their merchandise saleswoman is to be trusted, we can expect another full-length from Finn Riggins sometime soon. “Soon” isn’t enough for this new Pocatello resident starved for more wonderful music.

Finn Riggins – “Dali” [MP3]

Finn Riggins – “Mahoney” [MP3]

Finn Riggins on Bandcamp | Website

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