Stinky Fingers by Craig Johnstone

Dark humor aside (and it is present often), this is utterly one of the most interesting Rock albums you will ever come across, as uniqueness encapsulates several multifaceted elements within the infrastructure of a dynamic extended composition. It is difficult to categorize the entirety of this musical outing because of the diversity of its approaches and methodologies. But it resembles folk music, significantly intertwined with a distinct heavy blues / hard rock implementation.

Stinky Fingers reveals an archetypal personality that is conveyed freely and shamelessly throughout the rich artistry of the overall performance, looked at as such.

The exceptional lyrical complexities evoke both curiosity and wonder pieced together in a carefully orchestrated fashion. The compression of witty, thoughtful lines which spring forth with dense meaning is a rather rare component of these songs that cannot go unnoticed. The unique overall brand of creative expression comes through this condensing of meaning in the words, carried forth by deliciously gritty, yet vibrant frequencies, both vocally and instrumentally.

The melodies and harmonies oscillate in a symbiotic dance of fortitude, which keeps the collection both stimulating and poignant. The impeccable story telling faculties possessed by the writer have to be respected on a fundamental level, paying homage to antecedent industry icons with parallel mindsets, though few they be.

Stinky Fingers fluctuates in energy throughout and possesses a signature sound that unifies all the constituencies in a cohesive manner. Johnstone has successfully trenched out a niche that works both within and despite the confines of an oversaturated music industry of copy/paste musicians. Furthermore, Stinky Fingers is not something that would be found in the mainstream, nor is it intended to be. This is instantly clear in the song titles, which are very clever and evocative on their own.

In addition to two Beatles covers and one Hank Williams interpretation, both the original straight-up rockers and the more darkly ambient soundscapes on this collection are sporadic with gnarly vintage guitar tones and flagellated chord progressions that move fluidly throughout the compositions.

If you want to hear conscious and innovative music that consistently pushes the envelope of creative expression, scope Craig Johnstone’s latest album, “Stinky Fingers” to experience something groundbreaking and incomparable to anything else on the market.

-Kris Rembrandt, Aural Fixations

Craig Johnstone is a passionate and dedicated artist/photographer and Indie singer/songwriter living in or near Calgary, Alberta (Canada).
He began as a hard rock drummer, and developed a passion for songwriting and recording, and learned to play guitar.
Johnstone’s wonderfully unique Alternative Country Rock album "We Humans" is a cohesive, raw, gritty and enormously amusing collection of songs.