A
look at the credits confirms what we already know, that 'Time On
Earth' started out as a third solo Neil Finn album. Neil and Nick
Seymour aside, the other musicians comprising the 'new' Crowded
House only appear on four tracks together. The rest is Neil with
an assortment of contributors including producer Ethan Jones, known
for his work with Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright, and perfectly
fitted for the job at hand. What we also know about this album is
that its creation coincided with the suicide death of former Crowded
House drummer Paul Hester, the fact which ultimately helped make
it a Crowded House album, and also the incident which clearly impacted
on the songwriting process. It would be easy to read too much into
songs given such a dramatic and personal event in Neil's life, but
the songs don't shy away from Neil trying to deal with what happened.
Song after song talks of pain and grief, of broken things, wondering
if there was something that could have been done, in the last song
of 'Please Like Suns', "they are burning up inside". But it's not
a morbid record. Neil is searching for the meaning of it all, looking
for the positives, grateful for what he's left with, including his
songwriting (in 'Don't Stop Now'). It shows us yet again what a
clever songwriter he is. He's managed to take all of that in and
create an interesting, diverse set of songs. He's been no stranger
to darkness in his music over the years so it's not a quantum leap.
As ever, there's also a spirit of love at work. "I want to torn
on the light/I want to keep your hopes alive" Neil says in 'Even
A Child'. He looks for the comfort of love in 'You Are The One To
Make Me Cry', with harmonies from wife Sharon. Clearly Neil has
managed to take something that could have been seen as obsessive,
as ultra-personal, and has turned it into a celebration, a remembrance
of Paul Hester and a return for the beloved Crowded House. And it's
Neil Finn going forward, not back. 'Time On Earth' isn't the most
memorable of the Crowded House albums (how could it?) but it's the
best of the Neil Finn albums since. Neil Finn is still writing the
best songs Paul McCartney isn't.
A
look at the credits confirms what we already know, that 'Time On
Earth' started out as a third solo Neil Finn album. Neil and Nick
Seymour aside, the other musicians comprising the 'new' Crowded
House only appear on four tracks together. The rest is Neil with
an assortment of contributors including producer Ethan Jones, known
for his work with Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright, and perfectly
fitted for the job at hand. What we also know about this album is
that its creation coincided with the suicide death of former Crowded
House drummer Paul Hester, the fact which ultimately helped make
it a Crowded House album, and also the incident which clearly impacted
on the songwriting process. It would be easy to read too much into
songs given such a dramatic and personal event in Neil's life, but
the songs don't shy away from Neil trying to deal with what happened.
Song after song talks of pain and grief, of broken things, wondering
if there was something that could have been done, in the last song
of 'Please Like Suns', "they are burning up inside". But it's not
a morbid record. Neil is searching for the meaning of it all, looking
for the positives, grateful for what he's left with, including his
songwriting (in 'Don't Stop Now'). It shows us yet again what a
clever songwriter he is. He's managed to take all of that in and
create an interesting, diverse set of songs. He's been no stranger
to darkness in his music over the years so it's not a quantum leap.
As ever, there's also a spirit of love at work. "I want to torn
on the light/I want to keep your hopes alive" Neil says in 'Even
A Child'. He looks for the comfort of love in 'You Are The One To
Make Me Cry', with harmonies from wife Sharon. Clearly Neil has
managed to take something that could have been seen as obsessive,
as ultra-personal, and has turned it into a celebration, a remembrance
of Paul Hester and a return for the beloved Crowded House. And it's
Neil Finn going forward, not back. 'Time On Earth' isn't the most
memorable of the Crowded House albums (how could it?) but it's the
best of the Neil Finn albums since. Neil Finn is still writing the
best songs Paul McCartney isn't.