Woodface has an odd history in that some of the songs were intended for use on a “Finn Brothers” album by Neil and his brother Tim (the lead singer for the Split Enz). Eventually that material was combined with songs Neil had written for the third Crowded House album which were initially rejected by the record label. The result is alternately fascinating and frustrating in the same manner as the Beatles’ White Album. There are some simply incredible compositions while others seem unneeded.

Tim’s added voice provides another musical layer that occasionally recalls the best efforts of Lennon and McCartney, namely the awesome It’s Only Natural with contrasting sections and a dual lead vocal. Personally, I think the addition of Tim Finn suggested a new direction — if the group had continued on this track, they could have earned more well-deserved, Beatle-y comparisons.

Chocolate Cake

= 4 stars

A few things about this song bother me, namely how the harmonica solo comes blaring in, trying a bit too hard. I do appreciate the direct lyrics and the magical moment where the samples and piano burst forth after the first chorus (0.51).

It’s Only Natural

= 5 stars

This Neil and Tim duet reminds me of the Beatle’s Two Of Us, and the contrast between the major verse and the minor chorus is almost like two different songs — recalling We Can Work It Out. It’s a really tight pop-rock excursion and my favorite track of this album.

Unfortunately, I think by this point the label had handed the group off to some questionable video directors, resulting in this frankly, ridiculous video:

Fall At Your Feet

= 4 stars

There are superior versions of this pensive, spooky feel, either the previous album’s Into Temptation, any of the Together Alone songs, or Four Seasons In One Day. Still, it’s a great song — a more pop friendly take on the whole mood of Temple Of Low Men. It sounds like a distillation of ideas.

Tall Trees

= 3 stars

A standard rock song that feels a bit awkward in this location. Nothing remarkable.

Weather With You

= 4 stars

This nice, jaunty song was a big hit in Europe, and eventually used by some weathermen. A sing-a-long chorus eventually collapses into an amusing hand clap joyride.

Whispers And Moans

= 5 stars

I love the bass guitar intro which expands on the funk groove and pointed horns used on the first album. There’s also a Neil Finn “rant” vocal (3.10) to be further utilized on future tunes.

Four Seasons In One Day

= 5 stars

A perfect song of Revolver Beatle, baroque quality. At .26 is a piano on a IV chord, recalling Into Temptation. The accessible lyrics talk about how all good things have a complimentary bad side, which is echoed in the music — the verse is in minor and only resolves to the major tonic chord on the word “day.” The bridge (“blood dries up”) carefully avoids the dominant seventh resolving to the tonic (IV, I, V7, vi) and is good enough to be another song. The keyboard solo after the first bridge is a “round”. And yes, the bridge repeats twice, just like the best Beatle tunes. Lastly, the harmony ends on a perfect fifth. There are a few added production touches like tribal background vocals and a mandolin reminiscent of the Split Enz’s Six Months In A Leaky Boat.

This video hardly does the song justice:

There Goes God

= 3 stars

Rather average, and I’m not a fan of the wailing harmonica that pops up again.

Fame Is

= 3 stars

Another rock song, similar to Tall Trees and equally unneeded. The bridge is fairly cool though, and maybe would have been a better melody to base the song around.

All I Ask

= 5 stars

The Split Enz song I Hope I Never is a precursor to this mellow, pulsing show tune suitable for old crooners. Just orchestra, brushed drums, and Tim, who hits some glorious high notes. Thumbs up from me.

As Sure As I Am

= 3 stars

This is a pleasant enough waltzing tune, but the first time where I think the production is inappropriate — I’d prefer a more acoustic approach. I don’t understand the accordion either. At songs end, Neil goes off on some Lennon-esque mumbling.

Italian Plastic

= 2 stars

Apologies to drummer Paul Hester — yikes. There are some Abbey Road harmonies and the goofy outro is exactly like a White Album outtake — but the song itself is rather lame. But still, to have a strange diversion of a song written by a drummer recalls the Fab Four.

She Goes On

= 4 stars

This is a very pretty song, a memorial to a lost lover or a dead friend. The chorus with the second vocal of Tim is near perfection. There’s also a retro “big band” like instrumental break. I resist that last star as I find songs on the next album a bit more moving than this.

How Will You Go

= 3 stars

By this point, I’m a bit tired, and this pleasant enough tune could also be skipped.

Note: This song is followed by a strange “hidden track” called I’m Still Here.

Intra Album Rank: 3.78 stars

Wikipedia: Woodface

iTunes Store Link: Woodface — Crowded House

Crowded House’s second album Temple Of Low Men was released in 1988 and commercially, would be a good example of the musical “sophomore slump”. It didn’t sell as well as the previous album, and the band actually briefly disbanded.

I remember eagerly anticipating this album and for a time I considered it my favorite, but as the years have gone on, I’m not so sure. I find I’m drawn to the friendlier tunes and variety on Crowded House and Woodface.

The album has a unified and complex sound, but most of the songs are mid tempo and aren’t accessible or straight forward. Still, Better Be Home Soon is one of my favorite Crowded House songs, and Sister Madly and Into Temptation still make the grade. At only ten songs it’s a tight package of decent — if unexciting — quality.

I Feel Possessed

= 3 stars

The chromatic electric keyboard noodling is pretty neat, but it’s hard to get excited about this mid-tempo opener.

Kill Eye

= 3 stars

Better, but indicative of how this album is more mood and aura than trying to impress anyone.

Into Temptation

= 5 stars

Downbeat, sad, moody, and beautiful. One of the best songs on the album. Remember the piano chord on the IV.

Mansion In The Slums

= 2 stars

Interesting, but nothing special. Not a fan of this one, as it seems to be a down tempo Hole In The River.

When You Come

= 3 stars

Maybe I’m just perverted but this title has always bugged me. The chorus is reminiscent of the previous album’s Tombstone. The song does eventually get rocking, burning, and exploding near its end; it just takes an awfully long time to get there.

The song’s video features Crowded House goofing off in Japan which has absolutely nothing to do with the song:

Never Be The Same

= 4 stars

The first upbeat tune of the album, yet still comes across as rather business-like. There’s a nice harmony vocal contributed by Tim Finn that foreshadows Woodface. I like the way the title includes a nice falsetto on “be”. Also nice are the group vocals at (3.03). But things never seem to gel into something truly remarkable.

Love This Life

= 3 stars

Starting with an odd chant, the song eventually gets to chord progression with a bass line that reminds me of Tears for Fears. However, the song in total sounds like other songs on the album leaving it rather unremarkable.

Sister Madly

= 5 stars

In the absence of the rockabilly sound from the previous album, here’s a pitch-perfect cabaret shuffle born of Now We’re Getting Somewhere. I love how “madly” works as an adverb or the sister’s name, and how title rhymes with “systematically.” The perfect guitar solo is by Richard Thompson.

In The Lowlands

= 2 stars

Creepy with some spinning bat sounds, but not much else to say. Some askew guitar lines backed by odd strings and horns enter at 2.56.

Better Be Home Soon

= 5 stars

This is a perfect tune that is described by some as a country song, which I never really realized of until years later. The accompaniment with just guitar, moves into fuller production on the second verse, but the really nice part for me is the joining vocals at 1.11, and then the cascade into the bridge which is when the drums finally start. The organ solo enters at 1.55 that is similar in emotion to Don’t Dream It’s Over to with a nice flange, we’re back in a third and final verse.

The video is also pretty cool:

Intra Album Rank: 3.5

Wikipedia: Temple of Low Men

iTunes Store Link: Temple of Low Men — Crowded House

Since I’m enjoying the new Crowded House album Time On Earth I’m revisiting all the Crowded House albums with my Intra Album Rank technique. This shouldn’t take too long as they only have five proper albums.

The first self-titled Crowded House album came out in 1986. The New Zealand / Australian trio consisted of singer / songwriter Neil Finn, drummer Paul Hester, and bassist Nick Seymour. Both Finn and Hester were in the art rock band Split Enz, where Neil’s older brother Tim was the lead singer. Crowded House hoped to explore a simpler, live sound. The trio relocated to Los Angeles to record with then unknown producer Mitchell Froom. Two other members, guitarist Craig Hooper and keyboardist Eddie Rayner were lost along the way.

I still find Crowded House quite refreshing to listen to, although the instrumentation is so stripped down that it at times sounds as if the band is playing in a warehouse. However, the songwriting and performances shine through, and there’s a youthful energy on display as the band barrels through folk, straight up rock, and an odd funk excursion. The album is also thankfully short at eleven tracks.

Mean To Me

= 5 stars

A great introduction to the band with a bit of a rockabilly groove (complete with saxophones and a horn section) which sadly faded away after this album. There are some circus-like keyboards and, a small taste of the “crazy preacher” Neil Finn at song’s end.

World Where You Live

= 4 stars

An instantly catchy keyboard lick precedes a standard pop song, although the chorus that passes between major and minor chords bursts in a bit early. I like the syncopated clicks that start around one minute in. The bridge and subsequent guitar solo are unremarkable.

This was the first single released that didn’t do to well, and I think the video is a bit too ornate, even for the eighties. Thankfully the second video was more stripped down and straightforward.

Now We’re Getting Somewhere

= 5 stars

The bouncy rhythm with a rather folk-rock vibe fits the hallway production perfectly. This song has a verse in minor and the chorus in major. The guitar solo at 2.00 reminds me a bit of Rubber Soul era Beatles. The “crazy preacher” Neil Finn vocal, starting at about three minutes in, puts this song over the top for me. The whole ensemble on the verge of falling apart, which is the definition of rock and roll to me. As the final touch, a street fair organ dances over, adding an elegant, loopy touch.

(The unfortunate, sad little secret is the bass and drums are Jerry Scheff and Jim Keltner, who for you trivia buffs worked with both Elvis Costello and Presley.)

Don’t Dream It’s Over

= 5 stars

I’ve written about this song before as what I’d consider a “perfect song” but here’s the gist of it:

A series of open, slow chiming guitar chords echo, and following a sudden, expertly executed bass fill leading to the entry of drums and vocals, we enter a new world… the sparse, back-to-basics combination of guitar, bass, and drums provide ample opportunity to wallow in thoughtful lyrics, alternating hope and despair. A sad, melancholy verse speaking of isolation is followed by a contrastingly hopeful chorus, featuring subtle harmonies, musical touches dripping with reverb, and group “hey now’s” peaking with an exquisite high note behind the word “dream” on a major chord.

If you’re about my age (mid-thirties) you probably saw the video about 1,298 times on MTV or VH1 back in the day:

Love You ‘Til The Day I Die

= 3 stars

I appreciate this tune’s energy, but I find myself hitting the skip a fair amount as it’s a bit condescending. However, this song does feature the most detached and crazy screaming vocal the group ever recorded.

Something So Strong

= 5 stars

Yet another perfect song that I haven’t written a specific post for, but just about everything in this song gets my goat so to speak. There same organ from Don’t Dream Its Over has a joyus feel. The way the bridge leads into the slightly effected guitar solo is also divine. Lastly, the very final coda where Neil hits the high note (2.18) and follows it up with a few more syllables is pure pop perfection.

I think the video ruined me in some formative way I’m not sure of quite yet:

Hole In The River

= 3 stars

This song has some very amusing production stuff. Starting at (3.12) there’s a strangely scary piano, spring sound coming off a guitar, an operatic voice in the background, leading up to a chilling shriek at (3.51).

Can’t Carry On

= 3 stars

This CD only track (remember, CDs were new back then) features some superfluous Eddie Rayner keyboards, but is rather average, as the chorus doesn’t exactly live up to the promise of the verse.

I Walk Away

= 4 stars

Originally a Split Enz song, the Crowded House version is stripped down and band-oriented, especially when everything busts open in a U2 manner 0.41. Is that guitar lick stolen from Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run?

The Split Enz version is worth a comparison, just to hear what overproduction (or perhaps the influence of Haircut 100 or Kajagoogoo) can do to a decent song. The video is particularly funny in that Music and Lyrics sort of way:

Tombstone

= 2 stars

The accordion intro foreshadows later albums, but once the song begins the tune sort of falls into an odd folk-rock feeling that I’m not totally fond of.

That’s What I Call Love

= 3 stars

This is a bit of funk foolery which thanks to the awesome bass playing of Nick Seymour is sold. Also notable is some squawky, spoken female dialogue and piano-pouncing that as with Hole In The River, seem to bear Mitchell Froom’s imagination. The horns from the Mean To Me return, only meaner and more abrasive, bringing the album full circle.

Intra Album Rank = 3.81

iTunes Store Link: Crowded House — Crowded House

= 4 stars

Crowded House recently reunited and released Time On Earth, their first album of new material in over a decade. The new group consists of Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mark Hart, and Matt Sherrod. Mark Hart was a member on Together Alone. Matt Sherrod is a new drummer — original drummer Paul Hester committed suicide in 2005. As an original member, the late Hester’s presence is felt, via the album’s somber, contemplative mood. Neil’s brother, Tim Finn, who added much to the sound of Woodface is noticeably absent.

Time On Earth had its roots as a Neil Finn solo album. The full band wasn’t involved in songwriting and only appears on a handful of tracks — at least that’s what I deduce from the liner notes. Nick Seymour does however provide bass for the full album and full quartet is currently on tour.

Despite awkward roots, there’s much fascinating music here: Pour Le Monde is my new favorite song of the moment, featuring Lennon-esque piano plus a Don’t Dream It’s Over style melody, documenting the passage of memory in a manner as downbeat as falling out of a chair and dropping a wine glass. The passing from the minor verse to the chorus with a high falsetto (at 1:44) is all I could hope for from a new Crowded House song — it’s beautiful, haunting stuff.

After that instant masterpiece, the most accessible songs are Don’t Stop Now that takes a while to get its hooks in — but eventually does — after several listens. She Called Up recalls Woodface through a bit of spooky-cute Split Enz humor. It contains a break exactly like Locked Out from Together Alone. Similarly friendly is Even A Child, which Finn wrote with Johnny Marr.

My other favorites are the space-groovy Transit Lounge with a surprising vocal from Beth Rowley. Slient House was written with the Dixie Chicks, but has a country vibe so subdued that it reminded me of Radiohead.

The rest of Time On Earth is more opaque and will take several more plays to sink in. The new sound contains overlapping lines from multiple instruments which interlock like layers of watercolor. Chord progressions are all slightly askew, with an experimental, unfamiliar edge and depth — a long way from Crowded House’s early days. It’s like a better-produced Together Alone passed through the filter of Beth Orton and Radiohead; more mature and bearing the wisdom of years of introspection and a variety of musical influences.

If you’re looking for a friendlier and upbeat album, I suggest checking out the more recent Finn Brothers’ Everyone I Know Is Here. But Time On Earth should provide me more personal pleasures that not many others will share. It’s a great foundation for a hopefully rich future. I really hope Crowded House comes out with a second album that is written specifically by and for the new band.

Anyhow, here’s the video for the first single, Don’t Stop Now, plus a link to iTunes so you can judge for yourself.

iTunes Store Link: Time On Earth — Crowded House

And in other news, Sting and The Police may also be getting back together.