Album review from The Southeast Performer
(March '07):
"The old proverb warns us not to judge a book by its cover. The artwork on the
CD label alone is enough to warn of doom and gloom ahead. With cryptic song
titles printed in an eerily scrawled font, there appears to be a number of dark
places this album could go. Is it your garden variety morbid death metal? Will
there be lots of screaming and depictions of bleeding fetuses? The fears are
threatening and numerous.
But as soon as the opening track rolls in, all concerns are quelled as quickly
as they came. Lush, melodic layers of guitar and piano subdue wary ears. As if
to second the feeling, one-man show Justin Curfman chimes in, singing “fills my
mind ... with relief.” Exactly.
Here lies a noble attempt at traditional gothic beauty. With an obvious nod to
bands like The Cure, Curfman’s mournful cries echo in the distance, veiled in a
gauze of reverb. Swirling around him is a variety of minimalist accompaniment,
ranging from guitar and piano to electronic beats.
While The Feeding Fingers perform live as a three-piece, the material presented
here is all Curfman, from writing to production. It’s an extraordinarily
ambitious undertaking for a young artist.
Curfman is certainly capable of producing those more exciting moments. The
evidence is buried deep within the record on tracks seven and ten. “Swallow Me”
showcases Curfman’s true vocal prowess and range of emotion for the first time.
Standout track “Fireflies Make Us Sick” might as well have been written by
Depeche Mode themselves, as it touches on all the elements that typify their
sound. Most notably, the signature percussion echoes heavily, punctuated by
rapid-fire electronic beats. Showing unusual versatility for a solo project,
Curfman proves he can wallow with the best of them or move you to the dance
floor.
-Michelle Gilzenrat
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Feeding Fingers
ISP Studios
Atlanta, GA
November 4, 2006
Nestled into a tiny venue birthed just a few short months ago, The Feeding Fingers headlined a show in the chill of a November Saturday night, stirring up a haunting atmosphere that escalated with each passing hour.
The mastermind behind the music of The Feeding Fingers, Justin Curfman quickly moved the audience, delivering the title track “Mouth Filled with Sand” with a wretchedly unique vocal technique carefully derived. Todd Caras blended in a mixture of pulsating bass lines, accompanying the refreshing percussion of Danny Hunt to help the trio produce a complete and sharply hypnotic effect.
The audience of twenty-somethings, friends and locals in the Little Five Points area, were treated to a dazzling set: a group of densely packed, instrumentally laden tunes, fully toned with varying echoes and delays, making the music that much more enriching and gratifying.
Curfman’s genius is not well known, yet his courage and gift for reaching deep inside the darkest wells of our hearts and minds will not be buried or easily forgotten. He is a true artist, as his award-winning work in stop-motion animated films attests, and it is apparent that this brand of music is laden with emotional resonance. When one is feeling the darkest depression, anger or remorse, just experiencing this kind of music — dark and grotesque, mysterious and haunted as it may be — can help assuage the pain.
-Shawn M. Haney
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"... Wound In Wall is a very addictive album..."
Stomp & Stammer -Short Review "Wound In Wall"
"Minimal and shadowy,
yet not necessarily pop-averse, Feeding Fingers are a goth-leaning trio,
although the credits to their new CD, Wound in Wall, cite leader Justin Curfman
as the sole writer and performer of the 14 track disc. Traces of early Cure,
David Bowie and Joy Division abound, but despite the derivations, the
piano-heavy, distant-sounding recording makes for perfect post-midnight hours."
- Jeff Clark, Stomp &
Stammer - July '07
