VINYL REVIEW: Finch – ‘Say Hello To Sunshine’ (SRC Exclusive)

June 12th, 2014

Brian Leak

Artist: Finch
Album: Say Hello To Sunshine
Original Release Date: June 7, 2005

As a huge fan of What It Is To Burn, I’d argue that Finch‘s 2005 followup, Say Hello To Sunshine, is the superior album. Now, don’t get me wrong, WIITB was a huge deal to me. It was an influential gateway drug that transitioned my tastes into much heavier bands that I was yet to experience at the time of its release. I’d still consider it one of my favorite to this day, and when Say Hello To Sunshine dropped in the summer of 2005, it- well, it caught me off guard. In the scope of what I was listening to at the time, I hadn’t really experienced that kind of growth and evolution in a band from one album to the next, apart from a select few artists (Blink-182 comes to mind with their self-titled). The album was noticeably more polished, dynamic, and mature. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that. I mean, I had just got out of high school. I wasn’t any of those things myself.

Say Hello To Sunshine took some time to grow on me, but after processing it all, we became attached. Ever since, I’ve always felt that the album was underrated and under-appreciated as many fans that fell for the WIITB Finch didn’t give Say Hello the time it deserved based on its initially jarring unfamiliarity.

When I started collecting records, I made lists–as I’m wont to do with most things–like ‘White Whale Albums’ and ‘Albums I Wish Would Be Pressed On Vinyl For The First Time.’ Say Hello To Sunshine was high on the latter (or both for that matter), and here we are 9 years since its original release date with my obsessive lists one album shorter.

Pressing Info

As mentioned before, this is the first time Say Hello To Sunshine has ever been pressed on vinyl. Shop Radio Cast have two 180g 2xLP variants available, both priced at $29.99 that were officially released on June 10.

I went with the more limited variant (500 copies), which was labeled as ‘180 Gram Yellow.’ To my surprise, that simple description doesn’t even begin to do it justice. The discs are slightly translucent and are (very appropriately) more of a marbled yellow-orange sunburst with white accents.

The other available variant is limited to 1,000 copies on ‘180 Gram Blue.’

Packaging & Presentation

I’m so pleased with how this release turned out. The album’s artwork has always been so memorable to me so when the details were announced that this was to be a 2xLP gatefold release, my excitement grew. The colors on the jacket, inside and out, look amazingly vivid. Anyone that owned the original CD will recognize all the art. The front and back are the same and the inside gatefold image is what was found on the fold-out lyric sheet in the CD version. Inside, we’re given an 11×22 insert with further art on both sides–the lyrics are on the inside of the fold. Both the lyric insert and the entire jacket have a wonderful matte finish that really adds allure to the art style and packaging.

The discs themselves come in standard white protective sleeves. They’re pressed on beautiful, translucent 180g discs with a yellowish-orange marble effect that accentuates the album art perfectly. As an added benefit (or incentive), two bonus tracks have been included on the D-side; “Gak 2” and “Spanish Fly,” from the original UK and Japanese releases, respectively.

Also, SRC shipped the record opened, with the discs outside of the jacket which I was very pleased with as it decreases the chance of seam splits and unnecessary damage. They also included a jacket sleeve for added protection.

Sound Quality

This release of SHTS sounds exactly as I had hoped; crystal clear with all the beefiness of the drums and guitar tones shining through with Nate Barcalow’s memorable vocal performances. Turn this one up loud, kick back, and get transported to a simpler time.

Wrap-Up

I’ve read a lot of comments from collectors expressing their hesitance in purchasing this due to the price. I was admittedly right there with them once the initial excitement wore off upon discovering that this was to finally be released. The $30 tag felt like a little much but I pulled the trigger–somewhat nervously–and I can honestly say that now that I’ve received it, I don’t regret the decision one bit. To have this record on vinyl at all is a great feeling. I owe a lot to Finch and this record (along with What It Is To Burn) for the effect it had on my musical exploration in my formative years. But to own it on this format and have it be such a great package inside and out is a huge bonus of course. The variant is far more attractive than I had anticipated and the gatefold jacket is beautiful. I always really enjoyed Jeff Soto’s artwork. In fact, I’ve been toting around a poster for the album for the past 9 years through various moves, and it’s been on at least one wall of every home I’ve lived in since.

To any that were deterred by the price and couldn’t bite the bullet, I say this: if you’ve ever been a big fan of Finch or loved this album at any point since its release and were considering picking up a copy, do it! SRC did a great job on this album and I feel confident that you won’t regret the purchase.

If I wanted to dig deep for negatives, I guess it’d have been nice for some variation on the center labels (all 4 are the same and the minuscule font can be difficult to read), and I think that black protective sleeves would have accented the album art nicely. Apart from that–two things that are incredibly minor–I’m a happy camper.