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Ah everyone remembers Crowded House, don’t they?
The iconic New Zealanders with a subtle touch for writing an epic tune like ‘Weather with You’, ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ and ‘Fall at Your Feet’. Now the band reformed in 2007 and this is their second record since then.
Opener ‘Saturday Sun’ is a powerful and energetic start to the record. It has a nice and melodic rock
feel about it and you do almost feel like you’re out in the basking sunshine, as Crowded House has a knack of making you feel
in the song. There’s also a beautiful guitar solo towards the end which is worth mentioning.
‘Archer’s Arrows’ strains Neil Finn’s vocals to the highest ranges of his falsetto in a tune that is even more laid
back than its predecessor. This is classic melodic rock with the usual Crowded
House style in lyrics calling for revolutions and actions. It’s a bit too dreary for my liking. ‘Amsterdam’ is yet another song about the City of Sin that just doesn’t really deliver. It’s more of a monologue than a song and just registers as another melodic rock
song that doesn’t get far.
There’s a decent rhythm behind ‘Either Side of the World’, most progressive and very experimental in terms of the sounds created. The
lyrics are self-exploratory in a prism of quirky noise and atmosphere which
breaks down towards the end, which adds to it. ‘Falling Dove’ is more classic Crowded House and features the trademark mellow rhythms with
Finn’s majestic vocals caressing the lyrics. It’s sleepy but also a nice song, which helps.
If that was mellow, things get even dreamier on ‘Isolation’ as trance-like themes echo in and out, particularly on the sweet female vocal.
It has to be said Finn’s vocals interchange well with that and you do feel as if you’re in your own little bubble – which I’m assuming was the intention! A smooth piano plays sweetly into ‘Twice If You’re Lucky’. This is undoubtedly the stand-out effort and some twanging guitars work nicely
alongside Finn’s sensual lyrics. The bridge’s pretty memorable too.
The band comes somewhat more to life on the generic indie stylings of ‘Inside Out’. I say generic as I can’t find too much distinctive to elaborate about this, which should tell you
enough. ‘Even If’ will again be familiar in style to fans of the band with its drawn-out notes
and slow, yet striking impact. Finally, ‘Elephants’ is almost Country in its delivery with several sound effects one might hear in
the Wild West. It’s your typical end song – slowed down and somewhat down-and-out.
Released - 11/6/10
Label - Universal
6th studio album
- Saturday Sun
- Falling Dove
- Isolation
- Twice If You’re Lucky
- Archer’s Arrows
- Amsterdam
- Inside Out
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6
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The Erasure front-man releases his second solo offering.
Creativity is a funny thing, no-one wants to get typecast and Bell actually
scrapped initial sessions for this disc as it sounded “too Erasure”, so with famed pop producer, Pascal Gabriel, expect dirty modern pop vibes.
Opener ‘Running Out’ is as contemporary as they come with a feel not dissimilar to the whispering
sounds of Kylie’s ‘Fever’ record. It’s a pretty dark effort with a higher-pitch chorus that gives one the feeling as
if Bell is lurking in the shadows outside of a night club.
‘Call on Me’ continues down this path with a funky electro backing dictating the pace. It’s almost as if Bell has fused his Erasure sound with that of Depeche Mode and
this is another murky, almost seedy effort as he urges you to call on him.
Luckily for the Erasure man, it’s fairly catchy and will go down well.
The x-rated antics continue on the slightly mellower, ‘Subject/Object’ with talk of rendezvous’ in hotel rooms. The pulsating digital beat actually gets rather annoying by the
end and this tune does tend to meander around aimlessly.
‘Say What You Want’ seems to be a song about expressing oneself and being liberated. The rhythm is
typically upbeat electro and it seems we are being delivered a record that was
probably intended to be a club soundtrack and not a lot else. ‘Will You Be There?’ hints at something better with a catchier beat and the dreaded Auto-Tune on Bell’s vocals. It’s an improvement, but again we’re stuck with this generic club vibe that haunts this record.
Deviating slightly from the theme of the first half of the record, ‘Slow Release’ is hard-hitting, yet-almost auto-biographical lyrically. It adds to the album
and is a welcome change. ‘Touch’ is delivered not dissimilar to a Bloc Party record initially, before evolving
into a high-pitched, slightly memorable assault. It relies a little too much on
this bridge, which isn’t a great move as it’s just not that good.
The title-track delivers a thumping drum beat, electronic squeals and a
sing-along chorus. Still it doesn’t feature unusual terms such as “don’t stop the music”, “spinning” and “give me more”, all equating to a stereotypically uninspired romp.
‘DHDQ’ – Bell’s homage to Blondie legend, Debbie Harry, perhaps doesn’t register as so much a tribute as a really irritating, repetitive track in the
flesh (get it?). Jane’s Addiction frontman, Perry Farrell pops up for the finale, ‘Honey If You Love Him (That’s All That Matters)’ probably shouldn’t work with its erratic arrangement but Farrell’s crisp delivery, an addictive guitar and a memorable chorus win the day.
Released - 7/6/10
Label - Mute
2nd solo studio album
- Running Out
- Call on Me
- Will You Be There?
- DHDQ
- Say What You Want
- Subject/Object
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5
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All in all, slightly disappointing from Bell, I did expect more creativity in
the lyrics and song structure but what we have is a generic dance record in
most places that is delivered well in certain areas.
