Crowded House Album review _ intriguer -

TGMatt
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Sat Jul 24, 2010 12:04 am

I was reading reviews on Crowded Houses new album and thought this one was the best written..

Crowded House are frankly just one of the best bands longevity wise....if you have not experienced them in depth do yourself a favor...and check out Split Enz or the Finn brothers on the journey

I pasted the whole article and embedded a few tunes for you

It was by David Hayter..link here..for full article..
http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/146656


Crowded House - Intriguer

1. "Saturday Sun" - 3:36
2. "Archer's Arrows" - 4:05
3. "Amsterdam" - 3:35
4. "Either Side of the World" - 4:45
5. "Falling Dove" - 4:34
6. "Isolation" - 4:37
7."Twice If You're Lucky" - 3:33
8. "Inside Out" - 3:20
9. "Even If" - 4:02
10. "Elephants" - 4:29

Any young aspiring MOR rock group would do well model themselves on Crowded House. After all the MOR battleground is a tough and fickle one. The Script, Keane, One Republic, The Editors, The Kooks, Stereophonics; there is a long list of bands that have attempted to claim this radio friendly center ground. Bands tend to fade in and out of radio rotation and the public consciousness. Yet over the course of three decades Neil Finn and Crowded House have cultivated a stable and successful legacy. Huge in the native Australia, they have firmly entrench themselves across Europe and have even managed a string of hits in the US. While it may be unfashionable, Neil Finn has worked hard at his craft and has become an accomplished song smith. It’s hard to think of another writer who has demonstrated such a masterful control of easy listening soft rock. To become so established and to cultivate such a large fanbase without the aid of mainstream radio is quite the feat. This level of longevity requires both incredible consistency but also a good deal of creativity. If I were Gary Lightbody or Tom Chaplin I’d be paying very close attention. Yet while the success of Intriguer is assured, one has to ask will this new record be anything more than “just another Crowded House record”?

Well sadly the answer is no. Intriguer will not set the world alight or expand Crowded House’s appeal, but it still represents a well crafted and mature record. Neil Finn has never been afraid to act his age, and Intriguer feels like a record in its fifties; it’s relaxed, laid back, contemplative and experienced. Yet while Intriguer has the considered voice of experience it is none the less an expansive and inquisitive record. Intriguer plays like a series of musing, not dark and melancholy like Finn’s more recent work, instead it’s more balanced like a man considering his life’s lessons, learned and unlearned. This tone dominates the majority of Intriguer and while often endearing can on occasion feel mundane. “Elephants” captures both moods at once. It’s a track that has a carefully layered arrangement that melds soaring strings with a plonky piano line and a softly pluck acoustic guitar. It lulls and it sways the listener as it builds to its soothing chorus “Let’s Admit The World Don’t Care About Us, It’s Acting Like We Don’t Exist...Sweet Dreams, Make Waves, Find Bliss”. The track builds to include an accordion and you can really appreciate the craftsmanship that has gone into creating such soothing tones. Yet you also find yourself rather frustrated at the series of empty images and vague platitude that make up the verse.

Sonically the record sits between U2’s more expansive mood pieces and the warm optimistic sun drenched Beatles melodies. It’s all very comfortable like a warm pair of slippers. This is not a record that will surprise its listeners. Intriguer is happy to cuddle, caress and lull to the point where the paint by numbers riffage of “Inside Out” almost sounds exciting and fresh, except of course it isn’t. Plodding rockers really don’t do Finn or Crowded House any favours; they find much greater success when they simply beef up their core sound. “Saturday Sun” is a pleasant jaunt that takes some unexpected turns lyrically while using heavy percussion and electro burbles to bring to life a richly laid arrangement. Its retrospective of course, but it never alludes to being anything else. “Archer’s Arrows” on the other hand is the most vibrantly arranged “classic” Counting House track on display. Treading that middle ground between rocker and ballad; it sees Finn using his vocal tones superbly. Finn has a weight to his voice that can make even the most empty gesture sound considered and vital; “We Just Paper Over Cracks, Till Take The Power Back”.

Finn often seems content to utter vague philosophical fluff over a well crafted and pleasant beat. “Up On The Gallery Walls, They Take The World Apart” is a fine example of this, in the context of the tracks means little; it’s a vaguely expansive observation but ultimately it’s a second hand sentiment. “Amsterdam” is perhaps the worst offender though, using a spiralling melody, Finn crafts a song that sounds substantial but is actually a collection of empty observations thrown out with little or no rhyme or reason. While it maybe infuriatingly vacuous its still Intriguer’s most interesting work. The arrangement is gorgeously engrossing, and when Finn puts aside his “cutting observations” and opts for more playful sentiments he can bring a wry smile to even the most cynical of lips; “A Lord Walked In With A Monocle Eclipsed So Thin”. Ironically if Finn’s intention was to present the ramblings of half baked old stoner enjoying Amsterdam’s finest, then he actually succeeds but I suspect he had loftier ambitions.

Much like Chris Martin and Bono; Finn tries to capture powerful emotional sentiments in key phrase but it’s all rather hit and miss. Finn does manage to stumble across something of universal emotive resonance every once in a while but these lines are usually surrounded by layers and layers of fluff. The mid portion of the album sees the pace noticeably dip, as Finn creates an expansive soothing mood. It all flows very nicely and will reward those who endeavour with a satisfying and endearing experience. Even if you have to negotiate the odd piece of mundane U2 plagiarism (“Isolation”) it’s worth persevering to reach the weary middle aged acceptance of the engrossing “Even If”.

Ultimately Intriguer is an expertly crafted work of a man and a band who know there target audience and have a thorough understanding of their own sound. Crowded House won’t set the world alight with this record but they show there is room for great subtly and great craft in the oft ridiculed world of MOR. Intriguer is an old record; not in the sense that it’s retrospective or dated, but simply because it’s a record of age, experience and contemplation. It succeeds on its own terms putting mood, sentiment and musicality before big obvious hooks and garish gimmicks. It’s a well honed record that is perfect for long bouts of vague open ended contemplation and introspection. It may not thrill but Intriguer certainly chills, soothes and relaxes and sometimes that’s all you want from a record.







Couldn't resist this older tune..