It’s May, and down here that means New Zealand Music Month, a celebration I grow increasingly fond of every year. For such a wee little country at the bottom of the world, NZ has a rich and diverse pop music history.
Anyway, so like FOUR YEARS ago I spotlighted a handful of my favourite kiwi musicians here for NZ Music Month and optimistically called that “Part 1.” Here’s part two, with another group of fantastic Antipodean sounds for anyone who wants to learn more about the way-out tunes from down under. This time I spotlight seven young newer bands that are doing outstanding work, and together they do help show that New Zealand pop is very healthy.
Dictaphone Blues
I’m always a sucker for power-pop, and Dictaphone Blues ably follow in the footsteps of acts like Big Star and Badfinger with a bombastic, melodic range of songs on their latest, “Beneath The Crystal Palace.” Shredding guitar solos, heaven-sent harmonies cloaked in a pristine production style, they’re retro in the best possible fashion and well worth a spin.
Snarky and charmingly ramshackle, this combo filters rockabilly through a bit of punk attitude. I’ve read them described as sounding like music from a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack, and can’t quite think of a more apt description. Their songs like “Juggernaut” and “I’m Depressed” roar past you in a snide burst and are a rollicking good time.
To be fair, I do work with the lead singer in this band, but hey, they’re still pretty darned good – a sweeping Kiwi take on Americana that evokes the lonesome open road and heartbreak on the way. “Alt-country” isn’t something that seems very common in Kiwi music but Great North bring class and a distinctive voice to the genre. I’d listen to these guys even if my mate Hayden wasn’t in them.
Recommended if you like: Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen
NZ-raised Kimbra has hit stardom on the back of her duet in Goyte’s inescapable Sting sound-a-like tune “Somebody I Used To Know,” but she’s a very formidable talent on her own merit. Even The New York Times thinks so. Her debut album “Vows” is pretty charming, bouncy dance-pop that has just enough strangeness and style to it that it sounds quite fresh – and her voice is remarkably versatile, moving from be-bop scatting to a banshee wail.
The Finn family hold a mighty sway over NZ pop music – Neil Finn’s Crowded House and Split Enz with his brother Tim, and the up-and-coming dazzling songcraft of Neil’s son Liam Finn. But the true heir of “Beatlesque” pop in NZ right now has to be Lawrence Arabia, whose warm, inviting sound is utterly, effortlessly catchy. His tunes combine nostalgic psychedelia with a dreamy wisdom. The songs are light and airy, with lyrics that are subtly amusing and world-weary at the same time.
Arch and witty, this young new band have lyrics so sharp that you find yourself rewinding songs to catch the bits you missed. Frontman Anthonie Tonnon writes songs about being young, confused and broke, but with a poet’s eye. Not every band can pull off a song about how a landlord has ripped you off (“Marion Bates Realty”) and have it come off as a sweeping existential ode.
Recommended if you like: The Smiths, Elvis Costello
Born from the ashes of the late punk-pop combo The Mint Chicks, UMO offer a bent and elastic take on psychedelic pop. I already named their debut one of my favourite albums of 2011, and still adore it – splicing together elements of psych and funk to make music that skitters about into unexpected corners. There’s a shaggy-dog beauty to this highly rhythmic, yet weirdly melancholy music that sticks in your head.
I zipped on down to Auckland's mighty Real Groovy Records for a couple hours today for Record Store Day 2011, celebrated worldwide as a way to help draw attention to the sadly struggling independent record store industry.
It's been a grim year for these kinds of places -- both the other two Real Groovy stores in New Zealand have announced closures (one thanks to the Christchurch earthquake), and I'll do anything I can to keep RG Auckland going strong by grabbing up some more music for the ever-escalating collection. (But honestly, I really needed those Dead Milkmen and Oingo Boingo discs. And that rare Rykodisc Big StarLive album I've been hunting for forever? Score!)
In the last 6 months I've been happy/sad, because I've grabbed dozens of CDs and books from huge clearance sales at Auckland stores -- the Borders chain for instance pretty much got rid of all their CDs so I picked up stacks of bargains back around Christmas. It's awesome for bargain hunting, but kind of grim in the big picture -- these sales offloading stock are because half these places are in receivership or bankruptcy, after all. I don't even know how many of the great book and music stores, corporate and independents alike, will be around in another five years.
Ever since I've been a little kid, one of my favorite pastimes in the world has been shelf browsing. Ask my parents -- when I was 7, my idea of a treat was being taken to the library. And to this day, I get a nice sense of peace and happiness simply browsing the shelves of bookstores and record stores, hunting around for whatever I might happen to find. It's like a treasure hunt, and while sure, I can download that book or record now I might be looking for, I'm just a stickler for the tangible sensation. There's a certain way an old book smells, for instance, which sounds kind of freaky fetishistic to say. I've got a million fond memories of browsing in book and record shops from New York City to San Francisco to Sydney. Real Groovy is one of the greats and a lot of fun to spend time at.
Anyway, Record Store Day is an awesome thing. Take a chance wherever you are today to remember the thrill of browsing the stacks, of finding that rare gem, of supporting these endangered places. I'm all for the digital world, but man, I'll never stop being a fan of musty old second-hand books and previously owned albums.
OK, I know it's only a week into the new year, but last night's show is going to be hard to top. Picture Neil Finn, leader of Crowded House, jamming on stage with folks from The Smiths, Radiohead and Wilco and more. That was 7 Worlds Collide, an all-star three-night concert going on at Auckland's Powerstation and one of the biggest music events to hit this little island in years.
It's a benefit for the charity OxFam and a sequel to a similar 2001 event organized by Finn, who it's safe to say is New Zealand's most famous musician. The gang of stars are working on an album of new material and debuting their work and a whole slew of their own classic material over three nights of shows. I snuck in for Tuesday's event.
This was just about as much musical talent as I've ever seen on one stage at once -- Neil Finn, son Liam Finn, Jeff Tweedy and several other members of Wilco; Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway of Radiohead; the legendary guitarist Johnny Marr, co-founder of the Smiths; kiwi singers Bic Runga and Don McGlashan and many more. As a fan of Crowded House, Wilco, Radiohead and the Smiths, it was pretty much a dream show at a very intimate venue where you're rarely more than 20 feet from the stage.
The night was like an awesome sandwich with awesome salad on the side, smothered in awesome sauce. There was so much cool stuff to process that it's all a bit of a blur. That said, highlights were multiple:
* Neil. The man. The New Zealand Paul McCartney, who's written so damned many classic pop tunes they're spilling out of his ears. I've never seen him live, and the ringmaster of events here was in perfect form, bouncing between vocals, guitar and piano. Particular greats included him opening with "Distant Sun," and awesome sing-along takes on Crowded House classics "Weather With You" and "Four Seasons in One Day." Also great to hear one of his underrated solo tracks, "She Will Have Her Way."
• Johnny Marr singing and playing throughout the night, but especially on an utterly lovely "Please Please Please (Let Me Get What I Want)", quite likely the nearest we'll ever get to hearing a Smiths reunion. (Overheard on way to toilet at break: "Who is the guy who sang the Morrissey song?" Argh.) There's nothing quite like hearing Marr's distinctive chiming guitar live.
* Wilco are of course one of my top bands playing these days, and I was psyched to see them again less than a year after their last show down here. They played favorites like "Jesus Etc.," "War On War" and "The Late Greats" and one of my all-time Wilco classics, their take on Woody Guthrie's "California Stars" complete with Don McGlashan on a honking euphonium. Marvelous, and Mr. Tweedy in a very good humour throughout (even tossing in a dash of an a capella take on "I'm A Wheel.")
• Neil Finn tackling a full-throttle cover of Radiohead's "Bodysnatchers," bellowing away Thom Yorke's electro-rock vocals in wonderful style, with Radiohead's Ed O'Brien on fire on guitar.
• Guitarist O'Brien and drummer Phil Selway of Radiohead were fantastic -- O'Brien (who's like eleven feet tall) provided wonderfully spooky, very Radioheady guitar accompaniment to several tracks with Wilco and others, and Selway got behind the mic to sing a nifty new song he'd written, "Family Madness."
* The lovely violinist Lisa Germano (who's played with John Mellencamp and has had a very underrated solo career) added awesome textures to "Jesus Etc." and several other tunes.
* I named Neil's son Liam Finn's debut album "I'll Be Lightning" as one of my tops of 2008, so I was really pleased to see him here -- and the kid nearly stole the show at several points, really throwing himself into takes on his "Gather To The Chapel" and "Second Chance" (which featured a fantastic guitar duel with Johnny Marr), and joining Wilco on several numbers.
• Kiwi icon Don McGlashan was extremely cool, adding eccentric instruments like ukelele and euphonium to several songs and providing very classy vocals (a highlight being a duet with Finn on "Throw Your Arms Around Me"). Kiwi singer Bic Runga was great too with a countryfied "Change of Heart" cover.
• Of course this entire assemblage has been working on new songs for their forthcoming album, and premiered several tracks, including a new Wilco song (I think called "You Never Know") and Marr singing a track written by Tweedy. Awesome stuff. Tunstall and Runga premiered a nifty little "murder ballad" they'd written as well.
• I wasn't familiar with Scottish singer KT Tunstall but she was a real find, bubbly with enthusiasm and doing several great tracks.
• The encore was totally awesome, of course, featuring what I counted as up to 13 musicians on stage at one point -- all-star takes on Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" (with a giddy Tunstall tackling vocals -- Tweedy had apparently sung it the previous night which would've been something to hear), Neil Finn and the rest of the gang tearing through The Smiths' "There Is A Light (That Never Goes Out)" and a full-band blast on the chestnut "Something In The Air" (which I know best from a Tom Petty cover).
I wish I'd brought my camera (I have borrowed the pics above from another attendee's Flickr page, and appreciate getting to see his pics). The only regret that I have is that for some reason I nearly didn't buy a ticket to go 7 Worlds Collide at all. I must be insane, I realised last night as the last stinging chords of Johnny Marr's guitar echoed in my brain. What an event.
Update: Totally grand YouTube footage of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" from the night I attended. Huge thanks to Youtuber lordez185 for the footage!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A Yank's Humble Guide to Kiwi Rock (Part I)
So May is New Zealand Music Month! New Zealand has its own big and diverse music scene, as sprawling in its own way as any other country's – pop, punk, R&B, rap, opera, Maori tunes, you name it, it's all down here down under.
Unlike my wife Avril, I didn't grow up with New Zealand music, and so I've been kind of exploring it with a prospector's eye. Recently tossing together a mix disc of some of my favorite NZ music songs got me looking at the spectrum of NZ music. A really cool set of 6 CDs that came out a few years ago are "Nature's Best," which is the top 100 songs of all time in NZ as chosen by kiwis. Great sampler of NZ music.
Here's a totally non-comprehensive handful of some of my favorite NZ bands that appeal to my narrow post-punk/indie rock kinda sensibilities – the ones I've discovered so far, that is. This is hardly all-inclusive – I'm not really into hip-hop or acts that are imitating limp top 40 American music , and there are a lot of acts who are quite famous in NZ music industry that I still barely know like Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Th' Dudes, Dragon and Chris Knox, to name a few. I'm still figuring it all out!
Crowded House - Basically, the Beatles of NZ music. I first heard Crowded House back in 1988 or so long before I really even knew there was a New Zealand and I've long loved their gently melancholy pop music. The one NZ band most Americans know, and songs like "Better Be Home Soon" and "Something So Strong" still play on '80s radio stations today. Frontman Neil Finn has a real gift for melodic hooks and has a fine solo career aside from the House as well. Crowded House's hits collection "Recurring Dream" is just about all perfect songs in my book. (Also related: Neil's older brother Tim Finn and the very influential band they both were part of, Split Enz - who might be the Little Richard to the Beatles analogy. Or Jerry Lee Lewis.)
The Chills - After Neil, my favourite NZ band I think. I first heard 'em on a tape my eventual wife made me back in 1993 or so, and they had a haunting, otherworldly quality. Fine pop music that was laced with an echoey, spacey aura that made it feel like amazing hit tunes from an alternate reality. Great songs like "Pink Frost," "I Love My Leather Jacket" and the self-explanatory "Heavenly Pop Hit" all muster up restrained elegance and a sprinkling of grit. Lovely stuff. Go get "Heavenly Pop Hits: The Best of the Chills" immediately.
SJD - A semi-veteran of the current alt-rock scene. Last year's album "Songs From A Dictaphone" won rave reviews and I picked it up recently. It's an eclectic, very '80s feeling kind of mix that's frequently quite beautiful, electronica-leaning tunes that have a confessional feeling, like "I Wrote This Song For You" or " Bad Karma In Yokohama." Kind of a distant cousin of Elliott Smith with keyboards instead of a guitar, maybe?
Shihad - Hard-driving alt-rock act that's quite big among the head banger crowd. I like some of their mid-90s work that my wife owns although not all of it's to my taste. Perhaps a NZ version of Soundgarden would be the best analogy?
Anika Moa - I saw her open for Ryan Adams a year ago, and she was great – doing the sensitive singer/songwriter thing, but with a wry and witty side. I only own her second album, and it's pretty good, although she was actually more spunky live I thought. There's a lot of similar girly singers here (Bic Runga perhaps the most famous) but Anika's the only one who's grabbed me so far.
Liam Finn - The son of Neil, so you know he's kind of like the Julian Lennon of New Zealand. Actually, his debut solo album, "I'll Be Lightning," is quite good, slightly askew power pop with a raw, garage-band edge to it. There's a lot of dreamy Finn/Crowded House influences, but run through an alt-rock filter and it's all a very promising, hook-filled debut.
Flight of the Conchords - Wrote about them quite recently, and just last week they stunned by having their first album debut at #3 on the US Billboard top albums chart - which turns out to be the top New Zealand artist debut ever there, even outdoing the mighty Neil! That said the album is good if not quite great - basically a soundtrack to their HBO TV series but not much new stuff, which is a bummer. It feels a bit more like contractual obligation than artistic leap. Great versions of folk-joke stuff like "Robots," "Leggy Blonde" and one of my favourites, the highly goofy "Bowie."
The Clean - The big grandaddies of the alt-rock NZ scene and their 2-disc "Anthology" is an excellent primer for anyone interested in post-punk; a big influence on bands like Pavement and Yo La Tengo. Formed way back in 1978, and their songs like "Platypus" and "Tally Ho" have a kind of ramshackle fuzzy beauty, like the Velvet Underground through an antipodes filter. It's got that kind of faraway strangeness the best of kiwi rock I've found has, like a pub-rock singalong composed entirely of arty rock fans. Definitely one to check out if you're interested in "the scene".
...And that's just a start, mate! I could easily put together a "part II" of this sometime soon as I delve more into the mysteries of Kiwi rock history. Cheers!
Monday, March 10, 2008
"Flight Of The Conchords" vs. "Tenacious D" -- the comedy cage match
So it's funny but one question I've been asked more than any other lately by my American friends is, have you seen "Flight Of The Conchords," the hit HBO TV series about the struggling New Zealander musicians in New York City. Embarassingly, until recently, the answer was no, because the series didn't air in New Zealand until months after it aired in the U.S., and then it aired at like 10.30 at night which is past my bedtime on work nights (blame NZ television, which actually passed on airing the show when offered at first, and will never quite live that down).
But now it's out on DVD here, we bought it and have been laughing our way through the first series. It's hilarious deadpan humor, with what I now recognize as a particularly Kiwi bent to it.
I have to admit, though, before I ever saw "Conchords" I was a bit put off by it, because it sounded startlingly familiar to another short TV series, which also just happened to be on HBO, about a two-man band struggling for success -- Jack Black and Kyle Gass' "Tenacious D," of course. And they are quite similar, no doubt about it, right down to having a single obsessed fan of each band. But then again, the theme itself is hardly new – mock comedy about fake bands goes back at least to "The Monkees" that I can think of.
And what's interesting having seen both "D" and "Conchords" now is the differences between them. They're both quite funny, I think, but in different ways that speak of the cultural humor gap between US and Brit/Kiwi style wit.
"D" is openly surreal and slapstick, over-the-top in the way live-action cartoon character Jack Black specialized in when he was starting out. The D meet Sasquatch, battle the Devil, kick each other's heads off in fights, and play a kind of acoustic heavy metal folk heavy on sexual bragging, yelping and boasting, made all the funnier because they're strumming it along on cheap two-chord guitars. It's a comedy based on excess -- how far will we take this? (The D's semi-successful live-action movie "The Pick of Destiny" tried the same style, only to sputter out a bit when transfered from 10-minute shorts into 90 minutes of film.)
The Conchords on the other hand are particularly Kiwi as they focus in on the idea of the Kiwi man, a stoic "bloke." They play on the image of Kiwis as unknowns in Manhattan (frequently they're mistaken for Australians or English), and Conchords Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are experts at the deadpan, Buster Keaton stoneface non-reaction reaction shot. The duo and their manager Murray are sometimes shown as gullible, easily fleeced and a bit confused by bustling Manhattan. So "Conchords" is simultaneously making fun of Kiwis in America while also knowingly nudging New Zealand in the side, saying "ah, this is what they think we're like, eh?" It's double-edged humour that's a fair bit subtler than Tenacious D, and the exotic Kiwi factor pays well to Americans who don't know much about this country on the other side of the world.
The Conchords' music is also a fair bit different than Tenacious D -- the songs are almost always in elaborate music video-style fantasy sequences, and tunes like "If You're Into It" and "Business Time" kind of parody hot R&B and indie pop but are also technically quite proficient music, with Jemaine's swooping bass delivery and Bret's velvety croon. The music is more varied than the D's, which possibly explains why the Conchords' first CD "The Distant Future" just grabbed a Grammy Award.
I think "Tenacious D" is about being big and refusing to acknowledge you're small, while "Flight Of The Conchords" is about being small and dreaming of being big. What that says about the two nations I'll leave to deeper thinkers than I! I tell you, though, now that I'm a fan of both shows, what I wouldn't give to see some kind of "Tenacious D"/"Flight of the Conchords" crossover, with a musical duel and/or cage fight to the death to see who the top parody folk duo in the world really is.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
30 Days of Bloggery: Big Day Out 2008
Whoa. To quote my wife, Big Day Out 2008 was "awesome." My first time at New Zealand's biggest concert of the year and Avril's first time in a decade, and we had an absolute blast. With more than 70 bands playing all day long in Auckland, you couldn't see everything, but we got to see the five acts we're quite big fans of, and despite (ahem) pushing 40 we didn't feel utterly ancient.
It's actually kind of fun to look at all the goofy young folks with their mohawks and tri-hawks and tattoos and such and not feel like you have anything to prove yourself anymore about your own coolness. The day seemed divided between fans of the other 69 bands and Rage Against The Machine punters (mostly young, male and shirtless). We skipped that act which we aren't big fans of because LCD Soundsystem was playing at the same time, but no worries, mate -- it was a fantastic show.
I haven't been to a ton of other big festival shows but everything combined here to make this work - hot but not scorching weather with nice breezes, crowds that were gigantic but rarely unruly and still had a bit of space; plenty of bizarre people-watching to be done. Oh, and of course, the music reviews:
Liam Finn The son of Crowded House's Neil Finn has been winning praise for his debut solo album, and while we only caught about half his set, it was pretty great stuff -- fuzzy pschedelic pop that felt like a cross between Dad's music and the Beatles, with a hint of My Bloody Valentine. Definitely going to pick up his disc soon. Grade: B+ Best song: "I'll Be Lightning"
Spoon I love this Austin, Texas pop-rock act and their midafternoon slot meant we had a great view. Frontman Britt Daniel has an excellent voice that goes between gravelly and silky, and the band's whip-smart pop anthems make for terrific stadium listening. Set was marred by a few technical snafus but otherwise grand. Grade: B+ Best song: "The Way We Get By"
Billy Bragg You gotta love Billy Bragg -- who else would tell the audience to "pay attention to the metaphors" in his next song? Fighting the fascists, modern folkie Bragg does half-lecture, half-singing, and is a hell of a lot of fun. His tone skirts the edge of being strident, but his lovely foghorn of a voice and utter lack of irony when he sings about the working man make him that rarity, a totally sincere voice. I'd love to see him do a solo show sometime. Grade: A- Best song: A rousing "New England" singalong with the entire crowd.
Arcade Fire Quite simply, the best show of the day and one of the most amazing concerts I've witnessed. This Canadian band's two albums of orchestral rock are dense, passionate listening, transformed live into a circus – all TEN band members taking the stage with instruments like accordions, violins, guitars, french horns and an entire bloody pipe organ, and proceeded to utterly blow us away for an hour with full-energy takes on their songs. It felt like everyone around us had the lyrics memorized, and there's nothing quite like being surrounded by 20,000 people singing "Wake Up." It almost felt like a religious experience, and the band's joyful energy resonated for hours afterwards. Extra points for the guy who climbed up into the stage rigging while still playing his drums. If Arcade Fire comes to your town, don't miss it. Grade: A+ Best Song: Geez, the whole damn set?
Bjork I love Bjork, but yet, her show was the closest to a mild disappointment. Her voice is fantastic, of course, but somehow it didn't feel quite right for her to be playing a stadium at the end of a long hot day right between NZ alt-metal Shihad and the mosh-pitting Rage Against The Machine. Her show had a dazzling visual look, with back-up dancer/singers looking like giant Tibetan prayer flags. But her song choice had too many slow, crooning numbers that just seemed out of place, and too many songs had a really distorted fuzzed-out bass drone that was overpowering. In some ways her show would've been better in a more intimate theater setting where could really see the details. But still, nothing quite like her unearthly Icelandic wail of a voice. Grade: B Best Song: A very cool fuzzed-out reworking of "Army Of Me"
LCD Soundsystem Oh yeah. I knew the man who put out my favorite album of 2008 was going to be fun to see. A perfect way to to end the day, crammed into a humid circus tent and dancing to James Murphy's dance-punk ultra-hip groove. Terrific semi-ironic showmanship, with Murphy backed by a full band (including one of the Arcade Fire) and looking a bit like a big teddy bear howling away on stage. Fantastic propulsive takes on all his hits, backed up by giant video monitors and -- oh yes! -- a hint of the cowbell. As excellent to see live as I'd hoped; the band does a terrific job translating Murphy's studio creations into thrashing live music. I do wish I'd worn my earplugs for the last part of the set, though, because the buzzing still hasn't quite stopped. Grade: A (minus just a fraction of a point from Arcade Fire because, well, no pipe organ. However, they did have cowbell.) Best Song: Tie between a stomping "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" and a 10-minute screaming take on dance anthem "Yeah" that practically sent me into another state of reality.
Truly, a fantastic day and one of the best overall concert experiences I've ever had.
* Photos taken from the New Zealand Herald website, all rights them mate.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Music: the return of Crowded House
The first time I heard Neil Finn's voice was on a mix tape an old high school girlfriend made for me, nearly 20 years ago now. She put together a tape that was one half Finn's group Crowded House, one half Elton John. It was the Crowded House that stuck with me – a selection of tracks from the band's first few albums, songs like "Better Be Home Soon," "Something So Strong," "Into Temptation."
Long after I lost track of the girlfriend and our days together were just memories, I kept the tape, and the hopeful beauty of Finn's voice was always a comforting thing to summon up. Years later, I now live in Finn's homeland of New Zealand myself, and I have to admit Crowded House's music has long been one of the things I've identified this country with. Whenever I hear a classic Crowded House tune, I think young love, full of potential and peril. When he's firing on all cylinders, Finn is one of the better songwriters we've got.
Crowded House had a run through global fame in the late '80s and early '90s, but called it a day in 1996 when Finn embarked on a successful solo career. They left four fine albums, but hopes for a reunion of the original lineup were sadly dashed when drummer Paul Hester killed himself in a Sydney park in 2005. The death of Hester – an extroverted, mercurial character who apparently had some serious sadness beneath the smiles – was a terrific loss, but perhaps one point of light in it came the spark that led to the reunion of Crowded House for the first time in 14 years.
Finn had been working on a new solo album, but in the wake of Hester's death he asked founding Crowded House bass player Nick Seymour to join him. After recording the entire album, Finn decided it should be a Crowded House project. The duo went back into the studio with multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart, who performed on Crowded House's last two albums, and drummer Matt Sherrod, who's worked with Beck, to record four more songs. The result became Time On Earth, the first Crowded House record since 1993's Together Alone.
Whether intentionally or not, Hester's spirit haunts Time On Earth. "I think there's a lot of heart and spirit in the album which is connected with the loss of our dear friend Paul but also an attempt to try and make sense of it and move forward," Finn said in an interview for his record label. Loss and death are a constant in the lyrical imagery – angels, saints and heaven are recurring motifs. Thankfully, Finn has one of the finer voices in music to tackle this tricky territory – he's always managed to combine sentiment and soul without slipping into overwrought Michael Bolton realms.
Finn draws on famous friends – Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr pops up to play guitar on two tracks, including the buoyant first single, "Don't Stop Now," which marries a wistful chorus to Marr's distinctive guitar riffs. Marr also co-wrote "Even A Child," which may be the most upbeat track on Time On Earth, a jangle-pop guitar track married to Finn's urgent singing. Elsewhere, the tune "Silent House" was written by Finn with none other than the Dixie Chicks.
The album's beating heart seems to be in "Pour Le Monde," which could be Finn's ode to Hester ("He's the best that you ever had / he's so low you'll never know"). It's a grand, swelling track that combines heartbreak and hope with an anthemic touch. The welcome, jaunty "Transit Lounge" starts off combining airport random sounds with ambient tones in a way that brings to mind Brian Eno. Album closer "People Are Like Suns" is a kind of graceful benediction to the album's fears and dreams: "People are like suns / they are burning up tonight."
Is it like old times? Not precisely. Its peculiar genesis means Time On Earth doesn't quite "feel" like a Crowded House record. If anything it's far more similar to Finn's solo work, brittle and often melancholy, gorgeous and ruminative, but perhaps a bit lacking on the hooks. There's nothing along the lines of earlier Crowded House raucous rockers like "Knocked Out," for instance. Perhaps sensibly, Finn and co. haven't tried to pick up like it was 1993 – this is the work of an older man, who's been around the block a few more times since. Most of the songs on Time On Earth are slow builders, ones that reward repeat listening.
The thoughtful drift of Time On Earth lingers like the best of Finn's work, heavy of heart and hopeful despite the odds. This house is a welcome one to visit again.
The first time I heard 