John's Track of the Week: "What Never Comes"

Song: What Never Comes

Artist: Crooked Fingers

Album: Forfeit/Fortune

Year: 2008

Admittedly, I hated Crooked Fingers' Forfeit/Fortune on the first listen.  In fact, I even hated it on the second one.  However, over this past weekend, I decided to give it one more shot, and I was not disappointed.  The entire album is a great display of emotion, hitting on both the highs and the lows, while employing a broad and interesting range of instrumentation that only helps to convey the mood.  Though I enjoy many of the tracks, to me, it all starts with the intro, "What Never Comes".  I can always respect a good mood-setter, and this song seems to accomplish that quite well.

With a steady guitar riff, to counter an active and building keyboard selection, as well as the occasional influx of horns, the track is busy, but the pieces fit nicely.  The song is grasping for something, but due to its abrupt end, it would seem it's never reached, except maybe at the album's conclusion.  In a full album of contrasting styles, I think "What Never Comes" possesses one of the more interesting approaches, even making the male-female vocal dynamic which can sometimes grow stale, an exciting and intriguing section that makes for the best part of the song.  With all of that in mind, I can't make any guarantees on the first listen.  However, if you give it a chance, perhaps you'll experience the same effect I did.