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

Our votes for "Throw Your Arms Around Me [Third Time's the Charm version]"

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Average: 2.9

 

Today's song is "Through the Valley", written by Sean Donnelly and Neil Finn. Performed by SJD (Saint John Divine, aka Sean Donelly.) It can be heard on bandcamp:
through the valley, by SJD

This came from the album Saint John Divine, by SJD, released in 2015. Neil played piano on several songs on the album (info from @StefanWq) and co-wrote this one.

 

Tomorrow, on June 6th, I'll start holding up songs from The Nihilist, by Liam Finn. (waits for cheers from audience to die down)

After the release of FOMO, Liam actually formed a bona fide band to tour with: Eliza Jane on vocals and various instruments, Jol Mulholland on bass and Elroy Finn on drums.

While touring America in 2011-2012, they decided that they wanted to stay there, and the four rented a place in Brooklyn to live and rehearse. At that point, Brooklyn had very much become a mecca for hipsters with gigantic beards, and since the beard had pretty much taken over by this point, Liam and the rest fit in just fine -- all except the beardless Eliza Jane Barnes.

They also got a weekly gig playing at a music club called [the end] where they were able to hone their chops live in an informal environment. Locals appreciated having a neighborhood band that could stretch out and play whatever they want rather than having visiting bands that were constantly "on audition" when playing in the Big Apple. They built a following. Additionally, Liam did some solo 0ne-man band gigs at events here and there.

When it came time to record a new album, Liam decided to stay in Brooklyn and record it there, feeling inspired by the music filled environment and hustle and bustle of the big city. He recorded at the place where the band had their weekly gig, at [the end] and also at Tarbox Studios in upstate New York, I assume at the same time Dizzy Heights was being recorded there. Many of the songs had come from jams that Liam had recorded with various members of the band, thus this was perhaps his most collaborative album songwriting-wise, though as The Alphabetadupa and I'll Be Lightning had been, The Nihilist was self-produced.

The album was a difficult album to produce as Liam had a very specific sound in his head and he struggled to get it recorded; he later said that he had worked harder on the album than any other in his career; at the same time the sound was not particularly a commercial one and it seems that Yep Roc was not pleased with what they were hearing and were putting pressure on Liam to make another FOMO or I'll Be Lightning. In the end, Liam was pleased with the results and the album was released, on April 8th, 2014 to decent reviews by professional critics, with a 78/100 score on Metacritic.

The album peaked at number 8 on the New Zealand chart, and at#9 and #11 on the UK and US Independent charts, respectively.

The main engineers were Liam, Jol Mulholland and Chris Boosahda; and the album was mixed by Andrew Everding and Liam Finn at Tarbox Studios.

The tracklist was:

1. Ocean Emmanuelle (Liam Finn, Jol Muholland, Elroy Finn)
2. The Nihilist (L. Finn)
3. Snug as F*** (L. Finn)
4. Helena Bonham Carter (L. Finn, E. Finn, Eliza-Jane Barnes, Mulholland)
5. Burn Up the Road (L. Finn, Muholland, E. Finn, Barnes)
6. Dreary Droop (L. Finn)
7. MIracle Glance (L. Finn, Barnes)
8. 4 Track Stomper (L. Finn)
9. Arrow (L. Finn)
10. I (L. Finn)
11. Wild Animal (L. Finn, Mulholland, E. Finn, Barnes)
12. Wrestle With Dad (L. Finn)

IN addition to that I plan to go over the following extra-album tracks

• This Love Is Crying (Arthur Russell) Liam Finn, Ernie Brooks and Peter Zummo {2014 from Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell}
• I'm the Man Who Will Find You (Connan Mockasin cover) 2015
• Enlightenment (L. Finn) {2015 from the short film Wiljha's Enlightenment}
• 95bfm Drive Theme Song by Liam FM and Lawrence Aradio {2016?)
• Waiting For Your Love {2016 from the VA compilation Waiting for Your Love: A Tribute to the Reduction Agents)
• Live Improv Jams (three songs in one day)
  • Jam at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
  • Car Crash Jam
  • Theremin Siren
• The Nihilist Demos {vinyl only release, but it streams)/also Live from the Roof of [the end] with The Dream Team (streaming album)

And thus, I think that I will start on The Fiery Maze and assorted theatre-connected songs by Tim Finn (I have about a half dozen -- a small percentage of his output-- that are in "studio quality" )on June 26th.

 

The melody heard in the intro and periodically in “Through the Valley” is stunningly gorgeous, with the piano really making it shine. It’s my favorite aspect of the song, and while the outro does a decent job with it (but a great job at the very end of the track), the intro version of the melody is one of the most beautiful things Neil has ever written. That’s assuming he wrote it, of course, which I would very much guess.

I enjoy the majority of the rest of the track as well, though I’m a little less sure of how I feel about Donnelly’s vocals. They’re good, but I can’t help but think how great Neil would sound singing this. Otherwise, all of the other instrumentation is wonderful and creates a great complimenting sound to the general feel of the track.

If I had to take issue with anything, maybe the outro meanders a bit before ending on a strong, but subdued, note. Other than that, though, I don’t have anything else to gripe about. Beautiful track.

4.8/5

 

The whole Saint John Divine album is highly recommended, as is much of his catalogue. Sean’s a melodic master, a wonderful bassist, talented video maker… a true treasure. He was at the Crowded House album launch party last night and I now regret not telling him how much I admire his work (I’m sure I’ve scared him by saying as much in the past, come to think of it…)

 

Through the Valley

This is a nice song. I don't think it's an all time classic, but this is nice and melodic. I presume that's 'our Neil' on piano.

SJD sings it well. He's not a technically outstanding singer, but this suits his voice.

3.6/5

 

Through the Valley

I’ve never heard this before. SJD has a nice voice. But this song just plods. Plod, plod, plod. I have no inclination to give this more time.

2.5/5

 

This sounds like it could grow on me, some lush arrangements good vocals and good piano from Neil. Ultimately though I’m not feeling it.

2.5/5

 

Through The Valley sounds gorgeous, Sean and co. have created a really nice soundscape and the arrangement is very good, except for the heavy emphasis on the 3/4 time. I think more subtle percussion would have worked better, but that's just me. I don't mind his voice at all. The strings are particularly good.

Given Jaffaman's strong recommendation, I'll listen to more of Saint John Divine and get it if the rest of the album is this good, although I really do prefer physical product (because I'm old).

3.9/5

 

Through the Valley - I like this song very much. I like the tempo of it, maybe I'm just in the right frame of mind for it on a lazy weekend. The piano is wonderful. I like piano and strings...what can I say. I'd listen to more of SJD if it's similar to this style.

I also can definitely hear it as a Neil song. Even though it's a co-write should we assume that it was mostly Sean? Because on Dizzy Heights there was a co-write there also, right? I'm just wondering how you untangle those various entities (NF, SJD and PJC)...

3.8/5

 

"Through the Valley" is a good album track. I think it could have fitted in well on "Dizzy Heights" with its nice piano, strings and vocal harmonies. It has a bit of lounge music feel to it, in a positive sense. The outro goes on a bit long though.
3/5

 

This is really pleasant and easy to listen to but I would need to spend more time with it than a single listen to determine how I feel about it - it doesn't immediately speak to me, though. I'll pass on rating this one as I'm not sure I'd be giving it a fair shake.

 

Our votes for "Through the Valley"

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Average: 3.3286

 

Today's song is "Ocean Emmanuelle", written by Liam Finn, Jol Mulholland and Elroy Finn. Produced by Liam Finn; Recorded by Chris Boosahda, Jol Mulholland and Liam Finn; mixed by Andrew Everding and Liam Finn.


Liam Finn: vocals, baritone guitar, synth, drums
Jol Mulholland-vocals, bass, synth
Elroy Finn: bass, brushes
Eliza-Jane Barnes and Ceci herbert: vocals

A live version of this was also on Live with the Dream Team on the Roof of [the end].

Distance can't be
I wanted to fall in love
The beast is the best thing
The best thing to fall again
We don't need to die
We don't need to try
To call me necessities
We're leaving, leaving

Just for a moment I hear the beating
Of a traffic, bound to be alone
I've decided that I can't let you, ah
But in the morning I hear you breathing
It's not a chance that you're leaving
I've decided that I can't let you go

I don't know
Under the blue
Under the ocean emannuelle
I don't know
Under the blue
Under the ocean emannuelle...

Stop, I want to settle down
I want to settle
Stop! I want to settle down
I want to settle down

Just for a moment I hear the beating
Of a traffic, bound to be alone
I've decided that I can't let you, ah
But in the morning
I hear you breathing
I'ts not a chance that ywe're leaving
I've decided that I won't let you go

I don't know, I don't know

I've decided that I can't let you go
I don't know
Under the blue
Under the ocean emannuelle
I don't know
Under the blue
Under the ocean emannuelle...

 

The bassline and synth chords (Mulholland, I guess) is beautiful -- sounds a bit like "Mad World" by Tears For Fears, which these guys probably heard in their infancy.

The lyric and melody are decent on this one, but it's the production that is really incredible, though, once again, I have to experiment with the equalizer to get it to sound pleasing to my ears. But once I did, the various synth textures, the gorgeous, haunting background vocals and the simple melody and rhythms get me. The production is pretty uncommercial: it layers on sounds almost in spite of the song; but it does give a feeling of lots going on and I can see how he was inspired by living in a big bustling, never quiet city as it kind of feels like the song and it's quiet melancholy is occurring in the midst of all this kind of beautiful chaos, which is how I feel about New York City as an outsider, from the time I visited there in 2016.

I know what you all are saying when you say that you don't like his voice: here he sings two main vocals, a low one and a high one. The high voice he uses is pretty wimpy sounding but he seems genuinely comfortable up there and, to me, it's not unpleasing, though it does get old over the course of an entire record.

5/5

 

This is a pretty decent track. I like the double vocal sound, and I agree that the production is great. The biggest issue I have with this track, though, is that it feels what I would describe as “drippy”: dripping water from a faucet that never gets turned any more, so it just drips for 4 minutes. I have a hard time not tuning out just past the halfway point because of that. It truly never feels like it goes anywhere.

Even still, the overall sound is really nice, and almost eerie in its atmosphere, which creates a great environment for all the electronic sounds. Ultimately, this is a track I think I really have to be in the mood for to enjoy, but I do think it’s a nice song in the right setting.

3.3/5

 

This is such a good song! The bass has a calming effect. I agree that production of this album can be to busy. When I finally bought a record player, this was the first record I put on. The sound of the album can be to much, it wants to be in foreground.
But anyway 5/5

 

I like this one a lot--I'm not sure what I have to add to Lance's description, as I hear it in a similar way: a seductive melody floating in a rich aural bath of interesting (and often beautiful) sounds and textures. His voice sounds good to me here, maybe in part because it isn't really a traditional lead vocal, but more like a collage of harmony vocals. Maybe I'm being influenced by the title, but it sounds to me like a combination of the Dizzy Heights-style production with aspects of late-60s French pop. Probably not quite a strong enough melody (or lyrics) to make it a 5 for me, but it's getting pretty close: 4.6/5

 

Before I talk about today’s song, I want to talk about The Nihilist in general. I’m sorry I’m going against the rules of the thread, and I’m actually going to cross threads with the new Crowded House album thread. But I have to do this because it all goes together in my mind, and I can’t talk about the individual songs on the Nihilist without putting them into the context of the big picture, both for myself and anyone who reads whatever I do write about the individual songs.

I think The Nihilist is Liam’s best album. Way back when we first started talking about Liam’s solo albums, I said he only has one 5/5 song for me (Cold Feet), and I still feel that way. I didn’t even talk about the other songs on FOMO because they just don’t hold my interest at all. I don’t dislike them, I just don’t care.

But wow, The Nihilist, when taken as a whole, is just incredible. It’s like a whole world opened up for Liam and he somehow managed to corral all the sounds in his head and get them out. The strength of this album is in the arrangements, the playing, and the production. The songs themselves are almost beside the point. I don’t think any of the songs are stone cold 5/5 classic tunes, but THE SOUND. And I think The Nihilist is best experienced as a whole. Singling out the songs and listening to them individually, out of the context of the album, doesn’t quite work for me.

Okay, so where am I going with this? I think Liam fully matured as an artist with this album. And what I have concluded from hearing The Nihilist, then Lightsleeper, and finally, Dreamers Are Waiting, is that Liam’s strengths are not as a singer or as a songwriter, but he has become an amazing producer, arranger, and instrumentalist. Far be it for me to tell Liam what to do, but I think he could be an incredibly successful record producer - one of the really big names.

His mark is all over Lightsleeper and Dreamers Are Waiting, and I believe he is the one who brought those albums to life and pulled Neil out of the doldrums.

Funnily enough, Liam’s voice doesn’t bother me hardly at all on The Nihilist. This album, to me, is more like a soundscape rather than “songs,” and his voice is just part of that soundscape. I notice the deficiency in his voice much more when he is singing a more traditional song, and also when he is singing with Neil. Neil’s voice is so warm and rich, and sometimes on Dreamers Are Waiting, when I hear the two of them together, Liam’s voice sounds all wrong to me. Neil and Liam sometimes sound good together (their cover of Two of Us springs to mind right now for some reason), but not always. Whereas Neil and Tim always sound good together to me, and often the two of them singing together sounds better to me than either one does on his own. That is very, very hit and miss for me when Neil and Liam sing together.

Anyway, sorry for going on and on about several different topics from several different threads, but this has all been percolating in my mind for awhile, and came into much clearer focus after spending a lot of time yesterday listening to Dreamers Are Waiting. Feel free to tell me I’m completely wrong and am barking up the wrong tree.

 

Ocean Emmanuelle

As I said in my previous post, it’s really hard for me to consider the songs on The Nihilist individually, but I’ll give it a shot.

This track, like all of them on this album, is all about the sound.

This is beautiful. The bass and guitar in the beginning sound really good to me. My favorite thing in the song is the guitar part that has a twangy, island vibe - sometimes that’s in the background and sometimes it comes to the forefront. The two vocal tracks sound really good together.

And it is proving to be very difficult for me to dissect this track. Like everything else on this album, and the album itself, it is so much more than the sum of its parts.

4/5

 

No I agree with you on all counts; particularly The nature of this album and where Liam’s greatest strengths lie. As a singer, I feel he is compasrabke to Mark Hart or Paul Hester—best in small doses.

 

Unfortunately I can't read the title of this song without an image of Sylvia Kristel entering my mind. But perhaps that's just me...

I can't say that I enjoy it as much as some of you seem to, but it is solid enough. It sounds like it could have been an album track on one of Neil's lesser releases.

3/5.

 

The atmosphere Liam creates on Ocean Emmanuelle is a good way to open the album. The instrumentation is very effective, there's a lot going on, but it's not too busy and it doesn't sound like overdub city.

Vocally, he could be reading the ingredients of cornflakes and it would still sound good. His voice sounds like his dad in places, he also sounds a bit like his mom in places. Overall his vocals sound better than on his previous records, but while he doesn't have a powerful voice, he has an effective voice, and I don't think a "shouty Liam" would be all that desirable anyway.

4.2/5

 

Ocean Emmanuelle: I haven’t heard this album before and look forward to checking it out. The background info is interesting and I agree with Lance on the MAD WORLD sound on this track. This song is chill as heck and I enjoyed it.

On my own tangent: I feel that Paul Hester was very underrated and overlooked as a background singer. I just love the sound of them (plus Nick of course) singing together. One thing I keep noticing on Dreamers are Waiting is how much the Finn family backup singers sound like Paul. Sigh.

Ocean Emmanuelle: 3/5

 

Ocean Emmanuelle - I think it's been advantageous for me to be completely unfamiliar with Liam's work. I had no pre-conceived notions at all. That being said, I think he's gradually moved in a more approachable artist as he has matured. I agree with @brownie61 that maybe Liam's greatest strength is his producing and arranging.

So, to the actual song today. I really like the atmosphere and layers here. I feel it doesn't really have a payoff - again not a new comment from me regarding Liam's songs. Here, however, it's not as detrimental because of the aforementioned atmosphere. I think there's been a really effective use of layering and building of different sounds. Just for a change I like how Liam sings on this song - even his higher vocal because it actually sounds comfortable there. I find it a bit disconcerting to hear what sounds like "Mad World" in the intro. It's a great bass line - but it bothers me a bit because it has the possibility of being the most memorable part of the song (which shortchanges the rest of the song).
As an album opener I think it's pretty good (certainly better than the somewhat similar atmosphere of Impressions on Dizzy Heights).

4/5 (scoring on the Liam scale)