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This self-released, six-track EP by the Brooklyn-based quartet Finespun has some strong strengths and weaknesses going for it. Let’s start with the strengths. The compositions are strong, the band has a strong sense of dynamics, and the musicianship is competent. They are somewhat reminiscent of Pearl Jam, somewhere between grunge and metal, particularly on the opening track, Hourglass, and all of the tracks, without exception, start out strong and grab the listener’s attention, and keep it.

The problem is that the vocals aren’t in sync with what is going on with the music. Guitarist/vocalist Oren Barak sounds all too often like he’s straining to get his voice where he wants it to go. To put it another way, his range is limited; that’s not the knock it sounds like; one of the dirty little secrets of rock music is that not every front man has the range of Michael Crawford. Anyone who has heard Chris Cornell on an off night knows what I’m talking about. There are ways around this, the chief of which is to keep the music in the range of the vocalist. A good producer can do this; I can think of a bunch of bands who had problems with this (Everclear, The Wildflowers among them) whose debut discs have been long forgotten and buried. So too, here.

It’s too bad, because Barak’s vocals are not lacking in expression and the songwriting here is sharp and memorable (Bulletproof is a particular favorite of mine lately). While Finespun may not be ready for prime time, at least as far as their recorded work is concerned, there’s some promise and potential lurking here and it will be interesting to see what they do on future projects.