Intriguer
Crowded House
I’m always skeptical when my favorite bands mount a comeback. Are they going to wreck all my happy memories with their selfish little shot at renewed glory? So I was a little nervous when I picked up Crowded House’s Time On Earth back in the summer of 2007 — 21 years after their classic debut came out. But they made me a believer, with a great — albeit somber — record I’m still listening to.
So here I am three years later, thinking it’s safe to jump in with both feet this time. All I can say is, look out below — this is the mess I expected last time. I love Neil Finn, the brains behind the outfit who started way back with Split Enz, but this is a bunch of meanderings with barely a whiff of the pop hooks that Crowded House was so beloved for. Too many songs plod along (“Amsterdam,” “Isolation,” “Elephants”); approximations of pop emerge here and there (“Saturday Sun,” “Twice If You’re Lucky”), but overall, this House is crumbling.
DOWNLOAD: “Twice If You’re Lucky”
Intriguer is up there with some of the best work from Neil Finn and Crowded House, it is a cd I play almost everyday, and when I don´t get the chance to play it, I feel I am missing something.
Elephants is one of the most gorgeous and beautifully written(and sounding)songs I have ever heard, Amsterdam is another favourite, Twice If You´re lucky should be a million selling single. I could go on.
Tell me, have you heard these songs live? have you seen the dvd from the delux version of Intriguer? because if you have´nt I think you should do so before making such snide remarks as "this House is crumbling" because YOU don´t like the cd Aug 04, 2010 | Reply to this comment
crowded house is standing solid, strong, and beautifully sound! i feel that you´re bringing embarrassment to the pacific northwest.... it´s a fact--we love crowded house / neil finn, here!
waiting for you to change your mind, and your review.... Aug 05, 2010 | Reply to this comment
Yes some just grate, Even If, Inside Out and Either Side of The World, just do not get played - just awful
Elephants and Amsterdam just pass through because of the sentimentality really.
Love this group and just hope that by listening to fans they can make a new body of work that represents Crowded House instead of trying to be fresh and new, it´s obviously not what we want , we want the old quality songs with the riffs that hold you there possibly forever. Yes people will say they want to move on musically, experiment, but tif the fans aren´t enjoying this new experimental phase of trying to keep up with the young, the sales and attendance at concert will dwindle and new fans won´t be made. I know Neil has enough dosh to keep him going anyway and it´s almost like he is doing it just for fun and good on him, but he will be doing it in empty concert halls. Aug 05, 2010 | Reply to this comment
I hope people will make up their own minds about that music it offers rather than go off the review of someone who has so clearly not spent more than ten minutes listening to the album and who has not seen the band live this tour.
The comment "this House is crumbling" would have to be the most ridiculous statement I have read on this site. Aug 07, 2010 | Reply to this comment