Release Date: June 1998
Review Date: 3 October 1998
Neil Finn's debut album, a quiet masterpiece.
First Impressions
For any huge fan of Crowded House, Neil Finn's debut album may be a huge
shock to the system! It sounds different, having little of the
lightness that seems to be in most Crowded House songs. Neil Finn's songs
are more darker, the lyrics as introspective as ever, a direction Crowded
House were definitely taking in their final album Together Alone.
Personally, the album has a similar feel to the Finn recording,
the album Neil did with brother Tim three or four years ago. I could almost
imagine Neil and Tim singing the harmonies in the song Addicted,
for example. And as with any recording of Neil Finn's, it takes a few
listens for the subtleties of the songs to sink in, but the time spent
is well worth it.
Fav Moment
Very difficult to decide here. I like Neil's songwriting as it is subtle
and quite unpredictable -- they don't always turn out the way you would
expect it to. Such is the case with the first single Sinner where
Neil uses samples and a groovy rhythm to good effect. The title track
Try Whistling This is wonderful and soft. The second single She
Will Have Her Way is the most "Crowdies-like" song of them all as
it is the lightest. But my current favourite is one of the last tracks
on the album, Truth. I first heard Neil play this song on a TV
music program a couple of years back, just after he had written it and
I remember wondering how it would turn out. He played the first minute
of the song just as he played it on the show -- acoustic guitar and voice.
And then the feel completely changes! I love the background vocal harmonies
here and how the various instruments are playing completely different
melodies, with only the voice and the rhythm to anchor them all. This
is Neil Finn at his best.
Rating
4 out of 5. It is a little masterpiece, and a change from all the pop-rock
or punk-rock of the Australian contemporary music scene. But then, Neil
Finn is no ordinary songwriter. |
