Stranger than Fiction, Larger Than Life: the Finn Brothers song-by-song discussion thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, Jan 21, 2019.

  1. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Invisible"

    1-0
    2-1
    3-3
    4-7
    5-2
    Average: 3.7615
     
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  2. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    It's an interesting topic.

    I agree with you Robcar, however, I will say that the mood being so consistent -- melancholy, downbeat, with not a lot of variation in instrumentation -- is both a strength and a weakness with this album, as I think it kind of would have been for Time On Earth, too if it had just consisted of the Ethan Johns songs from that album (which was probably why Neil added the Lillywhite/Crowded House songs after it was finished.) It's also limited in that the solos, when they do come, are pretty short: he clearly wanted the songs to be the stars here.

    The Conversation attains a mood right from the start and it hammers that mood right home, with a few variations, to be sure. I listened to the whole thing to prepare for this thread for the first time in years a couple of weeks before Christmas and that's the first thing which struck me. I remember thinking that "hmmm. It's like Time On Earth, all the songs are excellent but it seems longer than it is"

    You have to really be in the mood for it.

    Now that I'm thinking about it I do that when it comes to comparing albums with others, I think that this album should probably really be compared with Out of Silence. More so than Time On Earth because Time On Earth does have those Lillywhite songs, which are all kind of relatively upbeat and are obviously meant to give more variety to the album.

    Some people dislike Out of Silence (not me) and I suspect it's for the same reason: it's consistent sound is something they just get tired of. And it's a consistent sound that can be hard to take for extended periods.

    It may be the Imaginary Kingdom, among Tim's albums, does have the perfect mix of variety and a consistent tone that people crave. It doesn't have quite as many highs in my opinion, but it's greater than the sum of it's parts and goes by faster.

    But at any rate, for the purporses of this discussion we should try to listen to the songs on their own and judge them for what they are: yes, they have a function in the sequence, but I think the time to talk about that is when we talk about the album -- a good song shouldn't suffer a lower rating just for having a similar vibe to the last good song, IMO.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2021
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  3. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Snowbound", written by Tim Finn; produced by Eddie Rayner and Ethan ALLEN. Engineered and mixed by Ethan Allen.

    Lyric.


    Tim Finn: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
    Eddie Rayner: keyboards
    Brett Adams: banjo, guitars
    Miles Golding: violin

    Note: this song was literally written when snowbound in Minnesota during a blizzard earlier in 2008 when Tim and Brett were touring the USA; their concert was cancelled and in order to fight the boredom, this song was written.
     
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  4. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    Dang - wish I'd known that back then, I could have had them over to the house or something.
     
  5. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    Snowbound

    This is another song that is nice when listened to individually, but which contributes to the 'one pace'-ness of the album when listened to individually. The song does have interesting lyrics inspired by their situation. But, 'snowbound' becomes and interesting metaphor if the actual real-world basis for the song title is ignored.

    Instrumentally the song has the opportunity to be different from what has gone before because Brett is playing a banjo in addition to the electric guitar. Which could have been an opportunity to make this song have a real 'Americana' sound, and I'm sure the very skilled Miles could have played some appropriate violin. But, no, it sounds even more like the songs that have gone before. And, I can't hear all that many distinctive touches. The piano for example is of course very expertly played, as are all the instruments, but there isn't really anything there that I can say characterises this song and makes it different from others on the album.

    There's nothing wrong with this song. It's a 'good' song. But, in terms of the album and Tim's recent career before this, it's more of the same.

    3.3/5
     
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  6. drewrclv9

    drewrclv9 Forum Resident

    I agree with that. I'm more concerned with the quality of the songs individually. Of course there's something to be said about an album taking you on a good musical journey, but it's irrelevant if the songs aren't there first. I also don't have a problem with 'samey' sounding albums. I just listened to Shriekback's (Barry Andrews' post-XTC project) second album, 'Jam Science', and almost every song on that album sounds like it was spit out of a computer program with slight variations, but I liked most of the songs quite a lot, so that's all that really mattered to me. I can understand the fatigue of it, though, especially if you're not a fan of the sound.
     
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  7. drewrclv9

    drewrclv9 Forum Resident

    "Snowbound" - Always liked this one. As I originate from Michigan, the line "suddenly the whole town is quiet as a tomb" is definitely resonating. It's always quite the scene, especially at night, to watch roads previously bustling with cars empty and then start to fill with snow in dead silence.

    Eddie's piano particularly shines on this track, inter playing really well with the electric guitar. I don't really care for the bridge, but it's not so jarring that it detracts from the song too much.

    3.9/5
     
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  8. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    The song starts out on this almost comic tone: you can hear a bored Tim just improvising it in a hotel to Brett's amusement...but it quickly gains suprising resonance and depth, thanks to the lyric which is very nice. Some lovely, and understated guitar work, and the banjo lends some texture; I like the middle 8, personally, this sudden memory of warmth and love that one would feel if stuck in a hotel far away from family on a snowy night.

    It's another song about mortality and the fleeting nature of life and relationships, and another 5/5 for me. I think it's a great piece of work. @HitAndRun's post does make me want to hear a soupled up bluegrass version of this song, as I think it would work pretty well, but maybe they tried that and it was crap.

    I'm sorry because while I do agree with comments about the saminess of the album, I think that every song is pretty much great.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2021
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  9. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    Snowbound - I like this song but don’t love it. The lyrics capture the feeling of being stuck inside due to a snowstorm very well. I like the delicate interplay between the violin and the other instruments in the bridge. But this song would greatly benefit from more bass! Every time that one bass note comes in, it helps move the song along and then it just goes away, which is musically frustrating to me.

    3/5
     
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  10. ToneM

    ToneM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham, UK
    Snowbound is always a standout for me, with its languid, almost country rhythm providing welcome relief from the weightier tracks that precede it. Being based on a specific event also gives the lyrics a different nuance to what's come before. It's difficult to empathise overly with someone stuck in a hotel while their gig is cancelled, but I think we can all relate to being trapped indoors these days. The rest of the lyric is much more affecting, returning to themes of mortality and impermanence. You can picture Tim gazing out his hotel window at the car park tyre marks, guitar in hand, wheels turning.
    I agree with @drewrclv9 on the bridge, it's weak and ill fitting. The rest of the song is a frosty little cracker though, and deserving of

    4.5/5
     
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  11. Paul H

    Paul H The fool on the hill

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    Well, it obviously comes down to taste. I grew up listening to The Beatles, so my preference is for a collection of varying styles and moods. As a result, I tend to get bored if an album sounds the same throughout. That said, it always comes down to the quality of the songs. One could argue that - bar Walking on the Spot - Together Alone sounded very much the same throughout, and yet I rate it as my favourite album of all time because the arrangements suited each song perfectly and each song was brilliant.

    For myself, I merely observe that sometimes an interesting arrangement can raise a song above its station. If an album has essentially the same arrangement throughout, familiarity starts to undermine that arrangement style's ability to do its job of complementing and improving the songs it is serving. If the songs are good enough not to need any help from the arrangement, all is good. But for me Tim has never been an artist who can put together a whole album of great songs (although he'll come very close sometime soon...) so often his songs need a little help. And for my money, they don't get the help they need from the arrangements on this album.

    I think The Conversation is a record that works best as a piece, as a suit. It's almost mood music. If I want a really chilled album, this is one I can turn to. But if I'm considering each song as stand-alone pieces, many of them fall short and the arrangements do nothing to lift them.
     
  12. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    I don't think an album necessarily has to have different styles. But there has to be something that differentiates the songs to maintain listener interest. Different tempo, different instrumentation, ....something. These songs really all do sound the same to me and I get worn out before I'm even halfway through the album. Listening to them one per day, as we've been doing, helps a lot for me, and enables me to focus on each song. But even though I perhaps have a better appreciation for the some of the individual songs than I did before, I can't say this exercise is giving me any urge to listen to this album in its entirety.
     
  13. KangaMom

    KangaMom Queen of the Quokkas

    Wasn't it Milwaukee?
    In any case, it would have to be a ****-ton of snow to be snowbound in either Minnesota or Wisconsin!
     
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  14. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Actually I think you are right!

    I think he said the venue was worried about lawsuits if anybody crashed their car on the way home.
     
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  15. KangaMom

    KangaMom Queen of the Quokkas

    Snowbound - I'm generally in agreement with @Lance LaSalle on this song. When I listen to the opening of the song, it does sound like a song that Tim just wrote for a bit of lark. It's so relaxed in that opening I can easily (even without the story of being stuck in a hotel) imagine him noodling away writing a song. I'm particularly amused by the lyric

    See the lines and circles made as we come and go
    Like the tyre marks in a car park in the snow
    They won't be there tomorrow.

    I'm not quite sure why - it may be because I didn't grow up around snow and I can still be found gawking at snowflakes and footmarks in the snow like a toddler.

    Anyway, the lyrics really do develop into a much deeper meaning. It's a bit of meditation on your place in the world (personal world, wider world). It's more melancholy than the other songs - there is a tiny note of optimism in the bridge - but mostly this is one of the more melancholy tracks on the album.

    Like @Lance LaSalle and @HitAndRun I would have liked to have heard a more bluegrass take on this song. A bit more appalachian folk in the violin would have been a nice touch. I think it would have sounded pretty great. And I do think the bridge is very good which may put me in the minority here.

    I like the song although I don't think it's one of the stronger tracks on the album.
    3.9/5
     
  16. jcr64

    jcr64 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana
    Thy lyrics of "Snowbound" really do go quite deep (like the snow), and I like that aspect of the song quite a bit. The chorus and bridge are nice, too. But there's something about Tim's verse vocal (especially on the first verse) and the instrumental solo that bug me. They go deliberately out of tune (and if there was any doubt about intentionality from the vocal, it's resolved by the solo). I don't have perfect pitch or anything, but I'm pretty sensitive to differences in pitch, and white sometimes playing with the notes can be effective, here for some reason it just grates. That would ordinarily knock a song below 3 in my book, but I do like the lyric, so...

    3/5
     
  17. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    "Snowbound" is a little bit of a change-up, with the banjo and the odd violin sound. The melody here is absolutely gorgeous and the lyrics add to the reflective, contemplative mood of the other songs. I'm not entirely sure that the bridge section fits and the ending is rather sudden, but otherwise, this is a top level song and another example of just how great this album is - and we haven't even gotten to my favorite track on it yet!

    4.3/5
     
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  18. BeSteVenn

    BeSteVenn FOMO Resident

    It was Milwaukee ... I had planned to go to the show, but hadn't bought tickets in advance (Winter in Wisconsin, y'know). I decided not to go before I heard the show was canceled and felt really badly that I wouldn't be going. I think I listened to Tim CDs all evening while working from home.

    Five questions for Tim Finn
    Major Winter Storm & I90 Backup, February 5, 2008

    The beginning of the song is not too inspiring, but was good enough to send the song in a more interesting direction. It's another song about transience, and it was wise to have it last under three minutes.

    3.7/5
     
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  19. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I think the same thing happened to @factory44 in Pittsburgh. Probably same tour because I am not sure if he ever toured in the winter in the US Otherwise.
     
  20. therunner

    therunner Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "Snowbound" sounds exactly like what it is, a sweet little ditty written while bored. Nothing wrong with that, except for putting it on the album rather than relegating it to a b-side. It just seems like an obvious step down in quality from the rest of the album.

    2/5
     
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  21. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    This one is fine, it just doesn't really touch any nerves or the like for me. The thing it most conveys when I listen to it is how boring it must have been to be stuck in a hotel during a blizzard.

    3/5
     
  22. StefanWq

    StefanWq Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallentuna, Sweden
    "Snowbound" is a quite fun, light-weight song. I can just picture Tim and Brett stuck in their hotel for an evening, possibly finding a blizzard a bit exotic and fascinating and Tim writing this song on the spot, improvising the lyrics and then not changing too much about the lyrics or the music later. I can also picture Tim, Brett, Eddie and Miles in the studio recording this - Tim telling them "Let's do it like a country song" and both him and the others not being that familiar with the genre.
    Funnily enough it has been snowing here all day so it's appropriate weather for this song. I remember when I grew up, in the winters it was par for the course with blizzards, heavy snowfall or the temperature twenty degrees below freezing point and we went to school (or work) in all kinds of weathers. It was quite bemusing to watch news reports from other countries where they'd close the schools etc when it was heavy snowfall - I'd look at the TV screen and think "That looks like very ordinary snowfall, they closed the schools for that?"
    Listening to this song in January 2021, after all the corona-related lockdowns around the world (and my colleagues and I have been working from home basically since mid-March), the song resonates differently and sounds darker than it was probably intended to sound. It really is a song that can be interpreted in many ways and it certainly is a quality album track.
    4/5
     
  23. Blackbear

    Blackbear Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wilmington DE
    I hadn't heard this song before and after hearing it the first time played it through again - that's usually a sign that there's something interesting going on. It's a beautiful miniature - a nice arrangement and when Eddie's synthesizer cuts through on the instrumental, at first I thought it was an electric guitar. This arrangement works well, but the song would also lend itself to a more upbeat arrangement.
    4/5
     
  24. KangaMom

    KangaMom Queen of the Quokkas

    OK, it was a ****-ton of snow based on that link you provided...and well it's no picnic to drive I-90 or I-94 with drifting snow.
     
  25. KangaMom

    KangaMom Queen of the Quokkas

    On a side note, I think I have managed to get a copy of "The Conversation" on CD. It appears to be a promo copy - so no booklet. Still I guess I'll find out in about 3 weeks when it arrives from Melbourne courtesy of ebay.

    On the other hand I have my sister now actively seeking a released copy with a booklet also, because I'd really prefer that version.
     

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