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

"Little Words" is more in my style. I like the backing vocals and the synth or whatever is squawking along throughout in the right channel. Nice lyrics too. Solid track.

3.7/5

 

This one, like a few of the songs from I'll Be Lightning really reminds me of Canadian singer-songwriter Hayden and his album Elk Street Serenade (which is the only album I've heard by him.)

As the only ballad on the album, it stands out -- and though the melody is sweet, it is not the cloying sweetness of "Lullaby" from I'll Be Lightning. The central motif, of Liam deleting a naked picture of an ex from his computer in an attempt to let her go emotionally, is actually quite powerful, even if at the same time, it's almost awkwardly honest. The twist of ending the song with "you're pretty much dead to me", strikes me. It's cold, but I don't get the sense that it's cruel. There is pain here.

This end bit instrumentally is also an excellent example of LIam reining his tendencies towards noisiness in in such a way that sound nice and enhances the song rather than just being arty nonsense. This is really shaping up to be a great album.

4.9/5

 

Liam and a very pregnant EJ Barnes did an Instagram concert last night.

How does it work though? Do Australia and NZ have some sort of agreement to travel or does she live in NZ?

anyway:
Login • Instagram

 

Little Words

2.5/5

 

Little Words

This is an odd little song. I do like the arrangement during the wordless vocals section. However, the song itself does not engage me. Either through the lyrics or melody. The instrumental bits are interesting, but that's not enough to really sell the song to me.

3/5

I believe that currently travel has opened up a bit. Last I heard was cynicism from NZ residents about how long this will last before someone wrecks it by being careless.

 

>stares hard at Liam<

 

Ah, there's an article o the BBC about this: they've just opened up travel between the two countries. Liam must have been on the first flight out!

 

I did wonder why you were giving him a hard time...

 

Yes, they have a travel bubble between Australian and NZ whereby you don't have to quarantine. It's the source of a lot of joy - since there are a lot of people who transit between the countries fairly regularly.

 

Little Words - It's ok, I'm not sure how I feel about that synth in the background...but it's a first listen. It's a nice little ambient piece but it doesn't fully engage me. Again I think I was hoping for it to do something else (not loud stuff), but it didn't happen. If I simply accept it as ambient music it sits a lot better. I'm hoping it makes sense in the sequencing of the album.
The lyrics are brutally honest aren't they?

3.4/5

 

I guess after the last song it's kind of a cool down.

Having said that, I overrated the song a bit above and I'll ahcange my own vote to, oh, 4.3

 

"Little Words" has promise but doesn't quite live up to that promise. There's a genuine, raw emotionality to the lyrics. he melody, though, is rather repetitive, and the instrumental section that occupies the second half of the song is full of the kinds of gimmicks that often mar Liam's instrumental sections. There's definitely quiet power to the first 1:20, though.

3.5/5

 

I appreciate Liam sharing something as emotionally bare as Little Words. The song works much better with this arrangement than if he had gone all Betchadupa on it. It sounds like the one man band song that it is, but I don't think it would have been quite as good if he had brought anyone else in to play on it. I can imagine this is one he recorded starting at three in the morning.

Liam's vocal tone sounds like a cross between his dad and Jeff Tweedy, and the dispassionate delivery works well. I find the second half of the song to be important ... Liam doesn't have anything else to say, so he lets the music speak. What this music says to me is "I'll be alright."

4/5

 

I *love* this song.
The thought of being bombarded with online sweet nothings and risque images, only to have it all come crashing down is just so... millennial to me. But props to Liam for articulating something that feels millennial in a way that resonates with me, a decidedly NON millennial person.

5/5

 

"Little Words" has an almost eerie feel to it, with its emotional vulnerability, the low-key melody and a semi-folk-ish acoustic guitar, coupled with the atmospheric synth and slightly off-kilter drums. It works both as an interlude track and as a stand-alone song.
The lyrics really capture that post-break up phase of sadness, a bit of denial and the wish to move on. The narrator is deleting the photos of her in the hope that he can now move on and he expresses it in a song but it sounds like he is trying to convince himself that he can just move on. Judging by this song, I think the narrator will keep thinking about her for a long time yet. A very well-written and well-arranged song, perfectly placed on the album.
4/5

 

Our votes for "Little Words"

1-0
2-0
3-3
4-4
5-2
Average: 3.7777

 

Today's song is "Reckless", written by Liam Finn; produced by Burke Reid and Liam Finn; recorded and mixed by Burke Reid.


Choosing was an act of simple taste
I could put a smile upon your face
Baby it's a new rebellion
we're leading

I'm a firework inside your house
And I'll make you leave, get off the couch
Even the police can't shut me down
and I need it
I adore your reckless attitude

I thought I'd take the long way down
I doubt you were afraid, though
A little moment in the garden

Trying to ignore your mental health
Finally you're thinking of yourself
I don't have the heart for every hour
And I Need it
I adore your reckless attitude

I adore your eckless attidue
Oh, and all the restful things you do

Haunted
Like you wanted
I"m a maniac now
I'm a maniac now
Haunted
Like you wanted
I'm a maniac now
Believe it
I adore your reckless attitude

 

Kind of Nirvana-esque but the guitars are toned down and the melody is much catchier than the Nirvana pastiches from earlier in Liam's career. There's also a warmth to the melody and the overall feel. The lyric is some typical Finn nonsense, but I do get a sense of what he's going for and it evokes something in me: I see it as a song of uninhibited freedom, someone trying to cheer someone else who is inhibited up.

I really like a good little punky pop song, especially when it's short as this one is.

4.5/5

 

Reckless - I prefer to think of it as a pop-py punk song myself
Whatever we want to call it, I like it a lot. With the guitars toned down more than his earlier Betchadupa/Solo work is way more acceptable to my ears. I like those backing vocals but mostly I just like the simplicity of the song.

4/5

 

"Reckless" reminds me of a few of the songs on I'll Be Lightning and it does have a little of that pop-punk feel of some of Betchadupa's songs. I like this except for the "I'm a maniac now" bridge, which doesn't really work for me. The rest of what's here is pretty good, although the lyrics don't really bear up under close examination.

3.4/5

 

Reckless has good energy, and the stripped back arrangement iwth just a bit of keyboards works well. However, this is another Liam song that I think lacks a payoff. The verse is good, but there is no real chorus. And, when we get to the melodic variation with the 'Haunted...' bits, I don't find that melody good.

3.0/5

 

Reckless

2.5/5

 

The pop-punk sound of Reckless is a bit jarring for me following Little Words. It's good that Liam didn't arrange Little Words the way he arranged Reckless, they are each more meaningful the way they are. The mix of emotions of Reckless are not unexpected as the next stage of getting over a failed relationship, and I'm not sure he could have played Reckless differently with as much impact. It's not exactly a sound I enjoy, but it sure works here.

3.8/5

 

"Reckless" seems like a very Liam song, and like most Liam songs it's something of a mixed bag. The verses have a decent melody and good energy, but the chorus and bridge are melodically weak. Thanks to Lance for transcribing the lyrics, because they're hard to make out.

The lo-fi production we've been listening to recently--BARB, Pajama Club, and FOMO--is really beginning to wear me down at this point. I can't listen to this stuff on my "good" system, because it makes that equipment (so wonderful in other respects) sound like absolute crap.

3/5

 

I like "Reckless" for what it is - fuzzy, jumpy, angsty Finnpop. I enjoy the sense of impending doom the song suggests - like "He sure enjoys the mess this other person makes, but it's bound to end badly..."

4/5