| Track: | Rating: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Young Mountain | | | | |
| 2. Not Even Close | | | | |
| 3. How'm I Gonna Sleep | | | | |
| 4. Parihaka | | | | |
| 5. Tears Inside | | | | |
| 6. Birds Swim Fish Fly | | | | |
| 7. Suicide On Downing St. | | | | |
| 8. Show A Little Mercy | | | | |
| 9. Cresendo | | | | |
| 10. Been There Done That | | | | |
All songs written by Tim Finn, except "Young Mountain" (Tim Finn/Mitchell Froom).
1989 saw the re-emergence of Tim Finn's solo career after a brief period of retreat, and following the international (read: American) success of his younger brother Neil with Crowded House. In terms of the developing CH history, this is a historically significant work, seeing the Finn brothers working in collaboration in a manner which almost certainly led to Tim's brief membership in the group for their third album (and, later, his collaboration with Neil as a duo). From the perspective of TF's solo career, this work is generally seen as returning Finn to his natural strength as a songwriter, following the unduly "grand" nature of Big Canoe, his previous solo venture (note that I do not actually own Big Canoe, nor do I necessarily agree that grandeur in pop music is necessarily a bad thing; this statement is intended simply to relay the "general consensus" of the work in the critic's community).
As regards the actual musical value of the work... well, it's a good pop album. There's nothing terribly earth-shattering here in terms of musical craft or arrangement, but the musicians (especially Levin, of course) all play their parts well, and the songs generally speak for themselves. If Split Enz and Crowded House are the pop music of choice for prog fans, then Tim Finn might be the perfect means of unwinding after a blistering session of assorted Magma and Faust recordings (I'm fairly certain that no other critic has used this line, btw; caveat emptor to Magma and Faust fans). A few tracks contain some complex elements, and the presence of a horn section adds something (though this may have had more to do with emulating Midnight Oil's success than anything else), but the songwriting element is clearly at the forefront on this album.
The album begins with "Young Mountain", a good anthemic number that takes a bit of time to fully develop, but generally provides something worthwhile while getting there. The melodic development is fairly good, and Levin makes his presence perfectly clear (especially at the end of the track). The guitar solo at the track's conclusion is consistent with the general nature of the album -- good for what it is, but nothing amazing. Not a spectacular song, but a solid one.
"Not Even Close" and "How'm I Gonna Sleep" are the weakest tracks on the album, owing to their MOR influences. The former is a bit too much the run-of-the-mill ballad, at times; there is some good music and singing, but the entire thing seems rather half-thought out. The latter is the album's nadir, showing Finn attempting to emulate the contemporary Phil Collins a bit too closely for comfort. The bagpipes are a nice touch, but there really isn't much else here.
"Parihaka", thankfully, is better. Although still based in a casual, vaguely light manner of composition, it also features a better rhythmic base than the preceding two tracks. Moreover, the lyrics are actually quite engaging, telling the legend of a heroic aboriginal leader (my knowledge of this individual is a bit lacking; I'm not certain if he's Maori or Australian aboriginal). The horn inclusion at the end adds value to this low-key number.
"Tears Inside" is, not surprisingly, an isolation-based piece. The music to this track is quite good, with a guitar intro of note and a moody, atmospheric setting to the entire work. Unfortunately, the lyrics tend to bring it down somewhat (a lack of irony or innovation can be a dangerous thing sometimes), and the song is a bit too "anthemic" in general. Credit must be given to another good performance by Levin, though.
"Birds Swim Fish Fly" is more along the level of work that Finn should be producing, featuring a catchy hook and articulate lyrics; the vocal melody is fairly good as well. The chorus falls somewhat into the punchy rock variety, and the piano flourish in mid-song is notable as well (and, if the horns in this case were a blatant rip-off of Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning", they still aren't bad).
"Suicide On Downing St." is probably the highlight of album, highlighting Finn's tale of a suicidal protest towards the early second half of Margaret Thatcher's reign as Prime Minister (the "selfish blue nation" line could hardly have been accidental). Though some might wonder why a citizen of New Zealand would feel the need for a song of this nature, the song which results is quite good, lyrically. From a musical standpoint, the track is quite good as well, featuring a Tony Banks-ish detour in the middle section.
"Show A Little Mercy" is somewhat of a "flawed gem". From a musical standpoint, this is unquestionably the highlight of the album; the guitar introduction and closing solo are quite good, as are the percussion and singing. The problems, however, are (i) the lyrics, which are quite banal, and (ii) the fact that there seems to be a bit of "pomposity without the desired effect" happening here. The vocal similarity to Paul Carrack is nothing terrible in and of itself, but it also gives the piece a vague ethos of "complacent rock" which is rather difficult to entirely ignore, even despite the level of musicianship.
"Cresendo" and "Been There Done That" are the typically Finn-ish articulate pop tracks which conclude the album. The former is a bit of a throwback to Split Enz's new wave period (though the organ could be regarded by some as a throwback to their brief purely progressive era); with its decent guitar parts at the end, this is a decent pop number. The latter commences with a bit of feedback, leading to a slightly odd (but very tight) guitar/bass/drum combination. The stone percussion and background guitar in the choruses are nice touches as well. A good conclusion to the album.
As such, while this is by no means recommended to progressive fans specifically, it's nevertheless not a bad choice for a pop selection. Despite a few flaws, Tim Finn generally entered his brief Crowded House period on the strength of a solid solo work.
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 17 September 1997)