Crowded House Album: “Time on Earth”

Time on Earth is a masterpiece. Not as immediately accessible as the earlier Crowded House ablums, this one has so many very special moments. There is so much "home" to the new Crowded House. I continue to be amazed at what a great songwriter Neil Finn is. He allows his beautiful voice to show the pain he has suffered with the loss of Paul Hester. Listen to the gorgeous "Pour Le Monde" and "People are Like Suns", they are stunning and haunting lyrically, musically and vocally. Also, the background vocals throughout this album are remarkable and beautifully realized.

This is one of those albums which will be recognized as a classic many years from now. It is the Abbey Road for Crowded House (the Beatle reference is intentional). Great songs, gorgeous vocals, beautiful production, great band. Time on Earth is the album of the year and may be Neil Finn's masterpiece. Yes, it is that good.

This new Crowded House effort is simply wonderful. But, if you're after instant gratification, then this album is not for you. It is impossible to comment on this CD before at least half a dozen listens. It is darker and heavier than previous Crowded House sets and Paul Hester's presence is everywhere. While it may not have the same level of energy as you'd expect from typical Crowded House fare, it nevertheless has moments of pure Neil Finn genius. She Called Up is the closest thing to the boppy Crowded House of yesterday, reminiscent of Something So Strong. In part, Time On Earth does resemble one of Neil Finn's solo projects, but this is only logical because this CD began as Finn's next solo work until the suggestion of reforming Crowded House was raised. There are aspects of every part of Finn's career on this CD, with hints of Split Enz, reminders of the Crowded House we used to love (and now love again) and both his own work and that with brother Tim, as well. On first listen, you'll probably only like two or three tracks, but after half a dozen listens you won't be able to put it down. There's something to enjoy about nearly every track on this CD. The uptempo pop of the Crowded House of the 80s and 90s still exists on Time on Earth, the gorgeous ballads are haunting, the brooding rock of Silent House (co-written with The Dixie Chicks) fantastic, and the melodies, just beautiful. To all those doubters out there, you didn't really think one of the greatest songwriters of our generation would let us down, did you?

With 'Time on Earth' we see the return of a band, hailed by those who know a good song. Criminally underrated in their day, Crowded House sprang out of Neil Finn's time with big brother Tim Finn's Split Enz. When this band came to it's end, he brough drummer Paul Hester and new bass player Nick Seymour, to the US and the final result back in the mid 80's was Crowded House. Over the course of 4 albums, they brought us fantastic songs, wonderful lyrics, and pure quality, the likes we are not likely to see or hear often in the future of the music industry.

However, after a strained stint with brother Tim Finn on Crowded House, Paul Hesters moods became more and more difficult to handle, and while Hester left on his own accord, this left Finn feeling like the band had run it's course, and he disbanded it in 1996 after a wonderful farewell consert on the steps of the Sydney Operahouse. Finn would go on to record two fine solo albums, and a wonderful Finn Brothers album with brother Finn.

While touring with his brother Tim in 2004/05 Paul Hester commited suicide back in Melbourne. This event, along with the 10th aniversary DVD release of Farewell to the World, got Neil and Nick back together. It even drew in journeyman Mark Hart. Neil asked Nick to play on his new solo album in late 2006. It was during these recordings Neil felt like this was indeed like old times, and desided to resurrect Crowded House.

A few phonecalls later and Mark Hart was on board again, and after holding sessions, a new drummer was on board as well.

The resulting, and eagerly awaited, album is this, 'Time on Earth'.

At first a quite sombre afair, it might seem less 'right now' and more 'maybe later' than previous efforts. but listen intently right away, and you will find great pop songs that hit you right away, none more so that 'She Called Up'. But here are also deeply felt tremours like 'People Are Like Suns' recalling departed drummer Paul Hester. There are also those heavy pop songs, reminding us of the course the band had on their previous record, Together Alone. I'm thinking of 'Heaven that I'm making' in particular. And, to remind us of what he did during his experimantal 'One All' period, there is the wonderful 'Transit Lounge'.

This album demands it's audience to make an effort, but its reward far outweighs any first impressions. I think this is easily the best record anyone has made this year. It goes pretty much without saying really. We are dealing with a record made by Neil Finn after all.

I challenge anyone to come up with anyone, living or dead, who can match this man and his body of work.

If you're new to Crowded House, you should probably start with Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, but if you're a long time Crowded House/Split Enz/Neil Finn fan, then this album is a welcome addition to an already amazing collection. This album is music from an older, wiser Neil Finn; reflective and mature, and as a number of other reviews have already stated, haunting. His music is always lovely, but his lyrics are heartfelt and many times inscrutible. Those who have not listened to Finn since he left Crowded House may find that this album is not the same sort of pop music it was in Together Alone. I believe that's because Finn's composition for Crowded House was always tighter and more controlled than work on his own albums or in the Finn Brothers, where allowed himself more freedom to take changes and be creative. Time on Earth began as a Neil Finn solo album and was slowly changed after the death of Paul Hester. The effects of its origin as a Neil Finn album and the influence of Hester's death can be heard throughout the album. For instance, it is still experimental and unusual in "Transit Lounge," but its dour and mournful mood can be heard throughout the album in songs such as "Pour Le Monde" and "Nobody Wants To." Nevertheless, Time on Earth is an album that is filled with contemplation and love.

It is a matter of continuing misfortune that Crowded House has never received from American listeners the recognition that they so richy deserve. Their reunion album, "Time on Earth," reaffirms Neil Finn's reputation among rock cogniscienti as a superior songwriter, gifted not only with an unusually refined sense of melody but also with a sensitive understanding of the human condition. Sadder and wiser than in the band's halcyon days of the late 1980's, Mr. Finn now excels at writing thoughtful lyrics that communicate both the pain of loss and the enduring stubbornness of hope in a forlorn world. Indeed, a number of the songs on "Time on Earth" express directly the need -- and the difficulty -- of communicating suppressed emotion. On "Don't Stop Now," Mr. Finn pleads for "something I can write about ... something I can cry about." On the album's first track, he laments the experience of feeling pain but discovering that "nobody wants to talk about it." The ache of the singer's isolation is palpable; at one time or another, we've all been there. One infers that much of the feeling that Mr. Finn yearns to express stems from the suicide of former CH drummer Paul Hester, to whom "Time on Earth" is dedicated, and on this album one feels Hester's legacy continually. An Australian friend informs me that, in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Hester's death, amid unspeakable grief, Neil Finn took the trouble to make sure that his late friend's dogs were properly cared for. One is not surprised to hear of such a tender act coming from Mr. Finn. The brooding but brilliant song "Silent House" is all about Mr. Finn's dedication to preserving the memory of Mr. Hester, and the atmosphere of solemn devotion that pervades much of this album is truly moving. Apart from the death of Paul Hester, perhaps the greatest creative influence on this album is the Beatles. To cite only one example, the peace anthem "Pour Le Monde" is an "Imagine"-like composition that another tragic rock casualty, John Lennon, would likely have been flattered to hear. Few albums I have heard lately so greatly reward patient and repeated listening. Thank you, CH, for the exquisitely introspective "Time on Earth."