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. 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.
Article comments
1 - kirsten
Great review, Nik.
My favourite track on the album is Silent House -- I hadn't realised he'd written it with the Dixie Chicks.
And how are you finding life in the Land of the Long White Cloud? (I'm a displaced kiwi -- home is Montreal, Quebec, these days...)
2 - Buzz
JUST downloaded the album from iTunes last night. I am BLOWN away! Some of the songs will take a few more listens but I'm sure will grow on me as Crowded House tunes always do, BUT there a few songs on this album that are STUNNING! Songs that demand you listen to over and over. Dare I say....Beatle-esque. Way to, CH!
3 - Mike in PNW USA
I agree that it sounds more like a Finn CD than a Crowded House CD, and in describing it to a friend, I used the same comparison with the absent rocker, except I called it "Locked Out."
4 - Jeff Wallace
Excellent review! Right on the money. I have been listening to this new work for a month now, and it has been hard to decribe due to its complex evolution. You captured it very well. Thanks!