Crowded House - Time On Earth
The comeback album from the legendary New Zealanders who released classic album Woodface and Together Alone back in the nineties1. Nobody Wants To
2. Don't Stop Now
3. She Called Up
4. Say That Again
5. Pour Le Monde
6. Even A Child
7. Heaven That I'm Making
8. Silent House
9. English Trees
10. Walked Her Way Down
11. Transit Lounge
12. You Are The One To Make Me Cry
13. A Sigh
14. People Are Like Suns
Toward the end of the foreword to his 2001 published collection of lyrics, Love This Life: Lyrics 1978-2001, New Zealand’s greatest living treasure, Neil Finn, wrote, “I don’t hold these lyrics as poetry, but among them are sentiments and ideas in which people have found comfort, empathy and inspiration. I feel truly blessed and grateful for this magical exchange.” Those words immediately came to mind as I listened to the first track off Time on Earth, the first new studio album recorded by Finn’s most famous band, Crowded House, since 1993. “Nobody Wants To” opens an album so rich in harmonies, penetrating lyrics, and perfect instrumentation – alternately subtle or bold – that Time on Earth will quickly capture listeners new or already committed to Crowded House’s brilliant music.
After breaking up Crowded House and releasing a superb greatest hits compilation (Recurring Dream) in 1996, Finn recorded two albums with his older brother, Tim, as The Finn Brothers, and two solo albums. All of these records demonstrated the younger Finn’s ability to write songs that always connect with the listener, whether directly or through a more surrealistic approach. Yet, there were discernible differences between Finn’s work with his Crowded House band mates and his projects from the mid-90s to the early 21st century. After a long battle with depression led founding Crowded House drummer Paul Hester to suicide in 2005, Finn got together with bassist and album art specialist Nick Seymour to record a third solo album. That effort eventually became the fifth album of original studio recordings by Crowded House, with guitarist/keyboardist Mark Hart returning to the band and former Beck drummer, Matt Sherrod, joining the rhythm section.
As reunion/comeback albums go, Time on Earth is outstanding. But forget such specific classification. While there are some high profile bands that have never made a bad album, Crowded House is among the few who have gone far beyond and recorded only excellent LPs. The self-titled debut, Temple of Low Men, Woodface, and Together Alone each had their own personality and amalgam of emotions. The tragedy of Hester’s death impacts all of Time on Earth, and it’s neither surprising nor inappropriate that the album possesses less of the famous Crowded House humor which popped up on earlier releases, but the individual tracks and the new record as a whole rank among the band’s most moving and easily memorable work.
The clearest reference to Hester’s depression and suicide strikes immediately with the first track, “Nobody Wants To.” It is the saddest song ever released by the band, and its genius lies in the listener’s ability to appreciate the lyrics as a chronicle of the emotions both prior to Hester’s death and after he ended his life: “Down on the ocean floor / That’s where I’m heading for / Hold on to a sinking stone / Until the worst is known / Nobody wants to think about it / Nobody wants to talk about it / Nobody protects you / They make it go away / Pretending that it’s all ok / Broken pieces on the ground / Everyone’s tip-toeing round / Nobody wants to think about it / Nobody wants to talk about it / No one protects you / Are we losing something / We used to cry / We used to say why / For all I know / I might not get home / But I found out / If we open it up / We could work this out.”
With such a heartbreaking intro to the album, one might expect more melancholy, and it does come, but not without happiness and optimism blended in at Finn’s discretion. The first single released from Time on Earth, “Don’t Stop Now,” is built around vivid road-trip lyrics and a simple chorus with beautiful harmonies by the whole band. Later tracks, like the quirky “She Called Up,” with its keyboard flourishes and theatrical chorus, and “Even a Child,” co-written by Finn and Johnny Marr, are among the most buoyant moments on Time on Earth. Reflecting Finn’s stylistic approaches over the past 30 years with two of Oceania’s most popular musical exports, “She Called Up” recalls the more artsy moments of Split Enz, while quieter affairs like “You Are the One to Make Me Cry” and “People are Like Suns,” which close the 14-track album, bring up memories of the aforementioned Kiwis’ sweeping chamber pop.
Time on Earth is a perfect record, so it’s tough to single out specific songs without running this review into encyclopedic lengths. That said, let me point to the warm and wise French-inflected “Pour le Monde,” the cinematic “A Sigh,” and a different version of “Silent House” from that which appeared on The Dixie Chicks’ multi-platinum selling Taking the Long Way; Finn co-wrote the song with the female trio. The most atypical track on Time on Earth is the terrific “Transit Lounge,” notable for its electronic sheen, funky rhythm, and ethereal female vocals, courtesy of the terrific Beth Rowley.
More than 20 years ago, Crowded House set global charts on fire with “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” and with the death of its founding drummer, the band could have been permanently broken up. But Finn, one of the finest singer-songwriters since the late 70s and an excellent lead guitarist, decided to honor his old friend and rejuvenate this beloved and important pop quartet. Proclaimed “in memory of Paul Hester,” Time on Earth is filled from start to finish with topics and aural moods that form an affecting dedication to the much-loved drummer. As a record of love, life, the difficult times, and the overlooked joys of the human experience, Time on Earth is a classic of the new millennium. That the album ignites emotions and so easily implants its lyrics in the listener’s memory is further proof of Finn’s greatness when he collaborates with his multi-skilled mates in Crowded House.
Source : Adequacy
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