New Crowded House album "Dreamers are Waiting" (Jun 4 2021) *

I'm finding that both of these songs are growers for me. When I first heard each track, my initial reaction was a bit of a shrug. But then I listened to them again - this time without the videos - and they started to bloom. After a few listens, they started to gel for me and sound like very good songs. Better, certainly than the last CH album, but perhaps not quite as good as the bulk of Time On Earth.

Also, I agree with those who say there's a hint of the Enz in these songs, albeit much mellower that most Enz songs. Someone else mentioned that Neil had said this album was influenced, in part, by Lindsey Buckingham, and I can see that. But if anything, listening to and playing Lindsey's songs likely served to remind Neil that he used to write similar quirky pop with the Enz.

Finally, I can see why some people don't want Neil releasing Enz-styled music under the CH banner. But I don't know what else exactly he would do. I mean, to assemble a band of your family - plus Nick Seymour and Mitchell Froom - and call it Split Enz - would be more than a bit insulting to Tim and Eddie and the rest.

Besides, I would think that Neil's earned the right to do whatever he pleases, at this point. At any rate, I'll be buying it.

Just my two cents. Another few bucks will get you coffee at Starbucks.

 

I am a huuuge Neil/Tim/CH/SE fan but this is exactly my thought on all of the stuff where he starts making music(?) with his family members instead of real musicians (sorry to the boys and girl that this sounds harsh to them but to me that absolutely doesn't work out). I cant't describe what I felt when I first heard that Pyjama club nonsense...

 

I enjoyed Dizzy Heights and thought Out of Silence was right up there with anything he's recorded. I listened to a couple of pyjama club songs and discarded them as drivel. Likewise with Lightsleeper.

 

We all have such different opinions! Mine:

• Dizzy Heights -- worst thing he's ever done, like he's trying to be Liam or something. Flashes of brilliance on every song, but many songs are B-sidey experiments.
• Out of Silence, great, but a bit same-y -- like Tim's The Conversation.
• Lightsleeper great, but the scale is tipped more in Liam's direction than Neil's, IMO.

 

The break up is well-documented on the Enzology series from Radio New Zealand . Highly entertaining series, I recommend it and you can download it for free off their website.

Neil broke Split Enz up, not anybody else: it was his decision; and he announced it near the beginning of the sessions for See Ya 'Round album. Of course the band is (still) owned by both Finn Brothers, Eddie Rayner, Noel Crombie and Nigel Griggs -- they've reunited several times.

Neil formed a four piece afterwards; Capitol gave him a contract on condition he drop the fourth member, Craig Hooper. They never toured as a three piece. Ever.

Eddie Rayner played keyboards for them at first, then a number of other keyboardists in rapid succession, then Mark Hart. Mitchell played keyboards on the first two and half albums.

 

I am actually liking To the Island the more I listen to it and the video is well suited to the song as well .

But that does not mean I don’t have my issues with this new “Crowded House “
To my ears this is more the All travelling , Dancing , Singing Finn Family Fun Band with a couple of old mates joining them .

To be honest I don’t know why Nick is there as he looks ridiculous but Neil would know he has to have him there as cover to disguise it for what this new album is which is a new Finn Family project .

Yes and in case you missed it Sharon is in the video at the end , Note to Neil Yes we get it you love your family but your hardly alone in that so give it a rest .

It’s a shame as Crowded House used to have such a strong identity all be it awhile ago but Neil has now well and truly bastardised it now .

OH and let’s clear this up Dizzy Heights and Out of Silence we’re both equally terrible with the latter possibly the worst as it is just 30 mins of boring and totally forgettable piano ballads .

Lightsleeper is actually quite good and that is what I think this Crowded House album will sound like all be it a bit more commercial,

 

I don’t think it’s that his writing is worse per se. When you hear early demos it wasn’t all good. But he used to take great care in combining elements of different songs to create great songs. A verse from this demo, a chorus from this demo, a bridge from this one. Voila.

Now often it seems his songs are just one idea; some verses that would once have been replaced, choruses that are undercooked- workable but not outstanding. A craftsman that’s lost some of the will to really polish what he produces and no longer keen to discard elements that aren’t up to scratch.

That’s what it sounds like to me anyway.

 

Big fan of Dizzy Heights, Out of Silence and Lightsleeper here!

The tours for DH and Lightsleeper were great, probably increased my enjoyment of the albums.

Deliberately going to avoid listening To the Island - looking forward to the album as a whole.

 

This was the doing of Mitchell Froom, more often than not.

I heard an interview last year in which Neil said that he had told Mitchell “not to produce “ on this latest record, but only to come up with and play keyboards parts.

 

It is interesting reading over the various reactions. Some people hate it, some people like it, some people don't liek it but then it grows on them.

I liked it right off the back, I think that vocal harmony hook draws me right in. I don't connect to the lyric too much and I very much agree that these songs are an even bigger depature than "Saturday Sun" (which feature's similar overdriven sound to "Whatever You Want.")

I enoy this one more than "Whatever You Want", (which I liked, to be clear.) If there is an album full of these songs I will be satisfied, but I might be be as moved as I am with Together Alone or some of the earlier songs or quite a few Time On EArth songs (I regard Time On Earth as Neil's best collection of songs, though not Crowded House's best album.)

Anyway, I think it's pretty cool and the keybord solo, whatever it is, is very interesting and unusual. I think it's cool.

 

Correct, but touring as a four-piece and having band ownership as a four-piece are very different things financially. The size of Split Enz was a bit unwieldy.

I'm with you about Time On Earth. The slightly crunchy sound makes it a bit more of a brittle listen than are their first few albums. But as a slate of songs, there are so many good ones - well beyond just the singles. I do think that may be the CH album with the most "keeper" songs that make my playlist.

 

Very much disagree on the latter. I think it's the BEST album that's out under his own name.

 

I think people are forgetting or not realizing that creativity doesn’t come from a logical place. It’s cool not to like the new direction but Neil is just going where he’s inspired, not purposefully trying to mess with Crowded House fans.

 

That is probably true: but I do not believe that Neil made the decision to break up Split Enz over money. there is certainly no evidence for that at all.
In fact, Crowded House/Mullanes were a commercial flop at first, even in Australia. they didn’t really takeoff until “DDIO” took off in the States and there was very much an element of luck and “right place right time“ aspect to that.

Split Enz simply wasnt the best vehicle for his songs. And he knew it.

 

Okay this is what I was wondering. Though, even if he’s not “producing”, how could you not ask Froom’s exceptional musical mind for feedback now and then?

I hope we get some behind the scenes info at some point. Why would Froom want to join if he’s just the keyboard player? I haven’t heard anything on the songs that Neil couldn’t easily play himself yet.

 

Well only Neil knows exactly what he meant: likely it was a comment that simplified the reality of the situation. He also called Froom his “musical mentor” last year(or late 2019, to be precise..)

 

I agree

 

Another vote for Time On Earth. I made a revised tracklisting for the album that, IMO, improves it a bit by culling the few songs that don't really seem to add much to the proceedings. I also add the one truly great (IMO) track from the deluxe edition. For what it's worth, it looks like this:

Nobody Wants To
Don't Stop Now
She Called Up
Say That Again
Pour le Monde
Even a Child
Heaven That I'm Making
Walked Her Way Down
English Trees
Lost Island
People Are Like Suns
Silent House

In that configuration, this is one of my favorite ever Neil Finn projects. It is also very similar, in style and tone, to quite possibly the most underrated album in his ouvre, The Finn Brothers' Everyone Is Here. YMMV.

 

Everyone Is Here is in the top three rated albums on the Finn Brothers thread!

Vinyl version of Time On Earth is so vastly superior to the CD version, its like night and day, by the way.

 

Awesome! I'm not alone then. I was actually referring to the fact that, outside the Finn-fans community, most people seem to be unaware of its very existence. But good to know that other Finn-fans recognize its brilliance. Truly a remarkable album.

Sidebar: I rarely spend much time on dedicated artist threads. Most of them tend to be fairly heavily nostalgic, which is not typically my thing. But I was impressed, the few times I visited the Finn Brothers thread, at how remarkably nice and civil everyone was. Kind of a shock in this day and age.

 

You must have got all my favourites because I’m not even sure what you cut!

 

I must say the album discussion is interesting, but when I listen to the Crowded House, Split Enz, Tim solo or Neil solo it tends to be live recordings. e.g. I don't listen to Time on Earth all that much - it's my least favorite of the bunch. In general I prefer the live to the studio versions for most of the songs in the Crowded House discography.

I also think Out of the Silence is Neil's best solo effort (and yes it is too short) and especially I loved how he let us all in on the rehearsal and recording of that album via the internet.

 

It's too long and samey, but song-by-song it's great. Agreed that many of their songs are better live.

 

It is a great album, especially considering it was a solo project that morphed into a CH album. I love Say That Again, Walked Her Way Down and People Are Like Suns. I also really enjoy Purple Light on the Deluxe Edition.

 

What I do for the album is I cut it into three - yes three! (3) You heard me right!!! I'm crazy!!! --playlists.

• The songs with Joey Waronker on drums (including some from the Deluxe disc and B-sides like "So Dramatic")...
• the Ethan Johns produced songs....
• and the Steve Lillywhite "Crowded House proper" songs with Mark and Matt, and I include a couple of late-era demos on those, like "Bound to Rescue" and "Won't Be Silent"The middle one is album length, the other two are EP length, but I also add the 2008 live songs from Intriguer Deluxe that didn't make the album to the last one to make an album length playlist.