Crowded House: Neil Finn Talks About The New Album, Time On Earth
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*Almost business as usual*In terms of unbridled pop eloquence and charm, nothing much seems to have changed since Crowded House called it a day after 1993's Together Alone album, but events from their time apart can't help but inform their new music. Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour still know their way around a hook-laden radio-friendly hit, but are doing so without the sparky personality of original drummer Paul Hester, who took his own life two years ago.
Hester is remembered with reverence on the thoughtful balladry of English Trees and People Are Like Suns (the album as a whole is dedicated to him), although there's nothing downbeat about any of these extraordinarily attractive songs. Finn's Lennonesque voice cradles the chords beautifully on Pour Le Monde, his playful streak comes to the fore on She Called Up, while Even A Child is a classic-in-waiting thanks partly to a superb guitar riff from Johnny Marr. Finn's solo work, especially 1998's Try Whistling This, was certainly not without its merits, though it sometimes lacked the freshness and confidence of much of the material here. There was always a weightiness and maturity to Crowded House, even at their most frivolous, and Time On Earth is an abject lesson in how to grow old(er) with dignified grace.
*Neil Finn speaks to mogger Terry Staunton:This began as a solo album, so what prompted a full-blown reunion?*Nick was there right from the beginning of the recording, and it started to feel more like a band as we went on. We'd stayed in contact over the years, but probably reconnected more in the last 12 months, especially in the shadow of Paul's passing. I wanted to be in a band again, I really had the vibe for it. I've enjoyed being solo, it opened my mind to a lot of things, but I had a hankering for some company in other ways than just the music. You feel you're allowing somebody into the process a little more. This isn't just a one-off record, we're back together as a band for the forseeable future.*Fans are likely to be scouring the lyrics for references to Paul. Are there any specific songs relating to him?*I think there are threads in quite a few of the songs, references to what happened to him, but hopefully not from a maudlin perspective. It had a tremendously profound effect on our lives, so I inevitably found myself contemplating things which stemmed from that. There are themes on the record which definitely carry our thoughts about Paul, he's still a presence in that respect.*How did you hook up with Johnny Marr, who plays on the album and co-wrote Even A Child?*We've been good friends for some time, he came to New Zealand a few years ago to play on a show I organised called Seven Worlds Collide. We met up again about 12 months back when he was at the end of some work with Modest Mouse. I love his playing, he's got such a lyrical way with a guitar, and I think what he's done on the album is probably more "Smiths-y" than anything he's done for a while. There's a nice bit of jangle in places.*The last Crowded House album 14 years ago included a song, Pineapple Head, partly based on a poem by your young son, Liam. Has he followed you into a musical career?*Yeah, he's 23 now, and he's just made his own record. He's also been playing with us on stage, as an additional guitarist and harmony vocalist. It's great to have him along, he'll certainly be part of the set-up for the next couple of months and we'll take it from there.*A version of this article first appeared in the UK music magazine Record Collector*
Hester is remembered with reverence on the thoughtful balladry of English Trees and People Are Like Suns (the album as a whole is dedicated to him), although there's nothing downbeat about any of these extraordinarily attractive songs. Finn's Lennonesque voice cradles the chords beautifully on Pour Le Monde, his playful streak comes to the fore on She Called Up, while Even A Child is a classic-in-waiting thanks partly to a superb guitar riff from Johnny Marr. Finn's solo work, especially 1998's Try Whistling This, was certainly not without its merits, though it sometimes lacked the freshness and confidence of much of the material here. There was always a weightiness and maturity to Crowded House, even at their most frivolous, and Time On Earth is an abject lesson in how to grow old(er) with dignified grace.*Neil Finn speaks to mogger Terry Staunton:This began as a solo album, so what prompted a full-blown reunion?*Nick was there right from the beginning of the recording, and it started to feel more like a band as we went on. We'd stayed in contact over the years, but probably reconnected more in the last 12 months, especially in the shadow of Paul's passing. I wanted to be in a band again, I really had the vibe for it. I've enjoyed being solo, it opened my mind to a lot of things, but I had a hankering for some company in other ways than just the music. You feel you're allowing somebody into the process a little more. This isn't just a one-off record, we're back together as a band for the forseeable future.*Fans are likely to be scouring the lyrics for references to Paul. Are there any specific songs relating to him?*I think there are threads in quite a few of the songs, references to what happened to him, but hopefully not from a maudlin perspective. It had a tremendously profound effect on our lives, so I inevitably found myself contemplating things which stemmed from that. There are themes on the record which definitely carry our thoughts about Paul, he's still a presence in that respect.*How did you hook up with Johnny Marr, who plays on the album and co-wrote Even A Child?*We've been good friends for some time, he came to New Zealand a few years ago to play on a show I organised called Seven Worlds Collide. We met up again about 12 months back when he was at the end of some work with Modest Mouse. I love his playing, he's got such a lyrical way with a guitar, and I think what he's done on the album is probably more "Smiths-y" than anything he's done for a while. There's a nice bit of jangle in places.*The last Crowded House album 14 years ago included a song, Pineapple Head, partly based on a poem by your young son, Liam. Has he followed you into a musical career?*Yeah, he's 23 now, and he's just made his own record. He's also been playing with us on stage, as an additional guitarist and harmony vocalist. It's great to have him along, he'll certainly be part of the set-up for the next couple of months and we'll take it from there.*A version of this article first appeared in the UK music magazine Record Collector*
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