Crowded House, Intriguer
Featured Album
The band's thinking smaller — just don't expect Finn to resize his ambitions to match
"Let's admit that the world don't turn around us," sings Crowded House frontman Neil Finn. For most introspective singers, that confession might seem defeatist. But for this Aussie folk-pop vet, it sounds like a relief. Crowded House have already done the international-megastar thing (with 1987's "Don't Dream It's Over") and the major-comeback-reunion-tour thing (with 2007's Time on Earth). So on their sixth album, they don't really need the whole world anymore — they just want to play for one another. At least that's the cozy vibe one gets from Intriguer, an intimate, old-friends set put together by Finn, his long-time collaborators Nick Seymour (bass) and Mark Hart (keys/guitar), and a few family members. Finn's wife Sharon and son Liam even lend ethereal vocals and psychedelic guitar, respectively, to the highlight "Isolation," which floats on '50s-style earth-angel dreaminess. Much of the charm lies in the minor details, like the Korg microsynth on "Saturday Sun" or Liam's pastoral guitar on "Falling Dove." With less anthems and more melody, the band's thinking smaller — just don't expect Finn to resize his ambitions to match. Thinking back on all his success, he admits, "These are times that come only once in your life." Then, reassessing the situation, he adds. "Or twice, if you're lucky."
