Finger Eleven’s ‘Last Night On Earth’ Proves It Was Worth The Decade-Long Wait

By: Philip Sayblack

Veteran rock act Finger Eleven ended a wait of roughly a decade for new music this Friday when the band released its brand-new album, Last Night on Earth.  The band’s seventh album and first since the release of 2015’s Five Crooked Lines, it spans 11 tracks and is also the band’s first for its new label home, Better Noise Music.  In celebration of the record’s release, the band and also released The record’s fourth single, ‘The Mountain’ alongside the album.  That song and its three predecessors – ‘Last Night on Earth,’ ‘Blue Sky Mystery (ft. Filter),’ and ‘Adrenaline’ are all featured in the first half of the roughly 40-minute album.  To that end, they are collectively only part of what makes the album worth hearing.  The album’s second half offers just as much for audiences to appreciate.  ‘Perfect Effigy,’ the album’s seventh track, is just one of the second half entries that makes for plenty of engagement and entertainment.  ‘Laughing at the Storm’ and ‘Body and Mind,’ the album’s ninth and 10th entries, are just as much of note.  All three songs combine with the album’s singles to further show how much the album has to offer.  When that whole is considered alongside the rest of the album’s entries, the whole makes Last Night on Earth one more welcome addition to this year’s field of new rock albums.
Last Night on Earth, the latest full-length studio recording from Finger Eleven, is a worth that proves it was well worth the wait.  Its current singles make the crystal clear.  They are only part of the whole picture that is Last Night on Earth, though.  The record’s second half offers audiences just as much to appreciate as its first half, as is shown in part by ‘Perfect Effigy.’  This song, which is clearly about a really bad breakup (there’s that all too familiar topic again), boasts a musical arrangement that is just as infectious as anything Finger Eleven has crafted since the days of its 2007 album, Them Vs. You Vs. Me.  The hard-edged approach taken here is right there along the lines of songs, such as ‘Paralyzed,’ ‘Adrenaline’ and the band’s standalone single, ‘Together Right.’  At the same time audiences can also hear influence of songs featured in the band’s surprise 1997 debut album, Tip.  The punch that the band offers here makes it a surprise that this song has not yet been tapped as a single, too.
Going back to the song’s lyrical theme, it is as noted, a song about a relationship that has gone quite south.  This as front man Scott Anderson sings, “When you’ve taken everything you need/When you’ve become everything to me/When ours is the love that you leave/I’ll be burning the perfect effigy/I’m not the jealous kind/And I would never try to change your mind/And if you go I won’t stop you/I won’t even try/Why would I/For worse or for better/Well, just remember/When you’ve taken everything that you need/When you’ve become everything to me/When ours is the love that you leave/I’ll be burning the perfect effigy.”  This is controlled fire (no pun intended).  This is someone holding in so much anger, saying on the outside, “hey it’s ok, yeah, go” but on the inside knowing “I’ll be burning the perfect effigy.”  This is something that will resonate with plenty of audiences.  This because it is a blend of emotions that plenty of people feel when relationships reach that point.  It is hardly new lyrical territory for any rock band.  To that end, the familiarity therein and the accessibility of said topic pairs with the song’s musical arrangement to make it yet another example of the album’s strength.
‘Laughing at the Storm,’ the ninth of the 11 tracks that make up Last Night on Earth, is another example of how much the record has to offer.  This song is notable because of its contrast to so much of the rest of the album’s compositions.  In the case of this song, established audiences will hear a clear throwback to the stylistic approach taken by the band throughout its 2000 album, The Greyest of Blue Skies.  It is an approach that was far less commercial than what is presented in most of the band’s catalog and honestly is welcome.  From the use of the electronics in the song’s opening bars to the immersion ensured through the overall instrumentation, the whole makes for a work that holds its own easily against the rest of the album’s entries.
The musical half of ‘Laughing at the Storm’ is just one part of what makes the song notable.  The song’s lyrical theme builds on that success, making for even more interest.  From what can be inferred, the theme here would seem to center on the message of working through life’s difficult times.  This is inferred through the metaphorical language used throughout the song, comparison those tough times to the coming storm and a carnival.  As Anderson sings here, “So there’s trouble in front of me/It’s tearing up the skyline/Now it’s getting tough to see/Clouds are blocking out the sunlight/There’s trouble in front of me/And it’s messing up my timeline/I’ve waited half my life, it seems/To feel something fully realized/From the big sky/here comes the carnival/I’ve been laughing at the storm/For one rainy day too long/But I’m not leaving here/Til the hurricane’s gone/I’ve been laughing at the storm/Always knew it would come/But I’m not going anywhere/Til the end has begun.”  Here in the chorus is that firmest statement inferring the noted seeming message.  This is someone who is going to see those difficult times through; who is not going to just abandon the situation.  Anderson’s refrain that, “I’m not going anywhere” in the songs closing verses hints even more at that seeming theme.  If in fact the considered message is actually what the band is aiming to deliver herein, then message delivered.  When it is delivered alongside that noted contemplative musical arrangement, the whole makes ‘Laughing at the Storm’ another clear example of how much Last Night on Earth has to offer in its own right.
‘Body and Mind,’ the album’s penultimate entry, is yet one more example of how much the album has to offer.  The song stands out in part because of its own deeply emotional musical arrangement.  Once more, the band has, in this case, reached back to its early artistic style, going even more contemplative with a simple guitar and string arrangement alongside Anderson’s vocals.  The inclusion of the bluesy guitar line and vibraphone late in the nearly four-minute composition, fittingly hints at a Pink Floyd influence, too.  This should come as no surprise, considering that in 2023, the band took on Pink Floyd’s timeless hit, ‘Welcome To The Machine.’  That cover was intense in its simplicity.  This original , by comparison conjures thoughts of works from Pink Floyd’s 1994 album, The Division Bell.  To that end, that influence on display along with the band’s own original composition makes the song all the more engaging and entertaining.
The lyrical content that accompanies the record’s musical arrangement adds to the appeal.  In this case, the theme seems to center on the matter of mental health.  This is inferred as Anderson reminds listeners that those difficult emotional times “won’t last long” and that “the situation’s looking up.”  In more depth, he sings of the topic, “As the numbness grows/You do your best to stay calm/But the feeling’s gone/Yes, it’s pain that grows/And it’s never felt so strong/But it won’t last long/Part of you thinks/The wounds are healing/And part of you thinks/They’re still bleeding/Give it time/Remember I’ll be here/In your body and your mind/You could laugh it off/But the situation’s too messed up/It’s just your luck/But you’re strong enough/And the situation’s looking up/It won’t last long.”  This positive reminder, alongside the song’s equally emotional musical arrangement makes for such a rich, unique presentation in its own right.  To that end, it makes ‘Body and Mind’ yet one more example of who much the album has to offer.  When this song and the others examined here are considered alongside the album’s singles, and that whole with the album’s remaining songs, the whole therein makes Last Night on Earth in whole a complete success.
Last Night on Earth, the latest album from Finger Eleven, is a solid new offering from the veteran rock band.  The album’s musical and lyrical content alike make that clear, as each of its now four singles have shown.  Those sings are, however, just part of the album’s picture, being that they are all pulled from the record’s first half.  The album’s second half offers its own share of engaging and entertaining songs that are certain to resonate with listeners, as the songs examined here show.  When that trio is considered along with the album’s singles and that whole alongside the record’s remaining entries, the whole therein makes Last Night on Earth a record that proves it was well worth the decade-long wait.
Last Night on Earth is available now through Better Noise Music.  More information on the album is available along with all of Finger Eleven’s latest news at:
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