Crowded House Time On Earth CD

In the days when hair metal ruled the rock roost, New Zealanders Crowded House made the world safe for graceful, McCartneyesque pop. Their first new album in 14 years, TIME ON EARTH makes it seem as if barely a moment has passed since Neil Finn and company's glory days. The jangling acoustic and electric guitars, elegantly unfurled melodies, and Finn's winsome-but-wise delivery remain untarnished. Some high-profile guests are on hand, including former Smiths axeman Johnny Marr and Dixie Chick Natalie Maines, but they're ultimately frosting on the dream-pop cake. It's not that Crowded House set out to recreate the classic sound of hits like "Don't Dream It's Over," just that it comes as naturally to them as breathing, and feels as relevant to 2007 as it did to 1987.
Although Neil Finn was always the undisputed leader of Crowded House, they also possessed an undeniable band chemistry, most apparent on their freewheeling live shows but also evident on their four studio albums, each possessing a distinct identity from each other. When Neil pulled the plug on Crowded House after 1994's Together Alone, it was clear that it was for musical reasons, that he wanted to step out and try some new things, resulting the kaleidoscopic Try Whistling This and the hazy One Nil, both book-ended by albums with his brother Tim. Neil planned to follow that second Finn Brothers album with another solo project, but as he started work, tragedy struck: his longtime friend Paul Hester, the drummer for Split Enz and Crowded House, committed suicide in 2005. In the wake of his death, Finn reconnected with the other founding Crowded House member, bassist Nick Seymour, and slowly the third solo album turned into a Crowded House album, with latter-day second guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart brought in along the way, working alongside guests like Johnny Marr and Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner. It was an organic reunion -- and not uncommon in the Enz universe, either, as the band keeps falling together for occasional anniversary concerts and popping up on each other's albums -- that arose perhaps as part of the grieving process, or perhaps Neil realizing he'd rather be part of a band than a solo act and, in his words, "what other band could I be in."
So, the very fact that Crowded House re-formed made sense, but the resulting 2007 album Time on Earth feels considerably different than the band's first four, often betraying its origins as a Neil Finn solo album. To begin with, it's streamlined where their previous albums were ragged, and the most notable element that's been trimmed is the humor that ran throughout each of their albums. This curtailing of good spirits is an appropriate, even expected, reaction to Hester's death, and his ghost does linger over the whole of Time on Earth, beginning with its very title and carrying through to Seymour's artwork, but most apparent in the subdued, contemplative tone of the album. Finn's lyrics are littered with allusions to Hester -- sometimes deceptively so, as on "Silent House," co-written with the Dixie Chicks prior to the drummer's death and first appearing on their 2006 album Taking the Long Way -- and this mildly mournful vibe is enhanced by the subdued tone of the album. This set of songs takes its time, relying heavily on ballads and meditative, mid-tempo pop tunes, and even the brighter numbers like "She Called Up" are far from sprightly. Finn may in a ruminative mode but Time on Earth is not heavy-handed or oppressively sorrowful: it's contemplative and sweetly melancholy. Given this hushed vibe, it's not surprising that the album, as a whole, is a bit of a grower, as Finn's tunes take some time to reveal their gifts. A few songs have an immediate impact -- such as the gently propulsive "Don't Stop Now," the snappy, jangly Marr collaboration "Even a Child" (the closest this record comes to a rocker) and the spacy, tongue-in-cheek "Transit Lounge," featuring Beth Rowley as vocal support -- but mosSpin (p.100) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "TIME ON EARTH is an assured, soothing collection of sweet-tempered pop tunes and ballads."
Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "Beatlesesque melancholia permeates the record, with singer Neil Finn's reflection on 'English Trees' a typically lugubrious contribution." -- Grade: B
Uncut (p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his taut album possesses the immersive qualities and cumulative impact of a good novel."