Crowded House - Woodface
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Free Music Notes for Woodface
Free Music Review: Golden Wood
Hit: 4 Stars
Even above their wonderful debut, this is my favorite Crowded House CD. It's probably because Neil and Tim Finn reunited long enough to work their brotherly chemistry for a batch of melodic, hook laden songs. Unfortunately, the image of goofy nonsense that the first album's hits and videos cultivated remained as one Crowded House couldn't shake, and despite such obvious charmers as "Weather With You" or "Four Seasons in One Day," chart success again eluded them. That's a darn shame, because the band's assimilated influences of Byrds and Beatles were at their peak on "Woodface." There was even a lethal double-dose of humor in the American Vs England "Chocolate Cake" (these guys were New Zealanders, remember), and the thinly disguised swipe at Hollywood in "There Goes God."Anyone who got to see Crowded House on tour during this period also got a magical show. I was fortunate enough to catch them on a night that Roger McGuinn came out for an encore of "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Eight Miles High." (If you can snatch a copy of the "Byrdhouse" EP, it's worth it.) Tim again left for solo ground after this, and took that little extra sparkle with him. But for the duration of "Woodface," the four cornered Crowded House managed to spin some of the lost magic of their Split Enz days.
Free Music Review: The Finn Brothers Make Beautiful Music Together!!
Hit: 4 Stars
Once you skip past "Chocolate Cake" (every master songwriter is entitled to his 'what were they thinking' song), this baby washes over you like a gentle wave. "It's Only Natural" shows that no one harmonizes like the Finns (one of Neil's best songs). This is followed by gems too numerous to mention ("Fall at Your Feet," "Four Seasons in One Day," etc). Neil's great line in "She Goes On" "We owe it all to Frank Sinatra/ his song was playing as we walked into the room" shows us why he is one of our best (and most unappreciated) songwriters. Sadly, the harmonies with Tim only lasted one album, but thankfully Crowded House still had one excellent album left in them ("Together Alone").Free Music Review: The Finn Brothers Go Hollywood (with predictable results)
Hit: 4 Stars
Tim Finn shows up on this Crowded House album. While The Finn brothers harmonize beautifully, there's something missing when there's more. The wackiness of "Chocolate Cake" replaces the doom of Temple of Low Men (and continues with the cartoon noises that start "It's Only Natural"). Neil Finn stands his creative ground on the highlight "Fall At Your Feet." Here Neil and Tim share the harmonies, but Neil keeps the songwriter's credit and the focus. Also notable is "Weather With You" which seems custom made for crowd sing-a-longs. That the album was recorded in LA explains a lot: it's often pretty, sometimes vacant, but certainly worth a visit.Free Music Review: For better, for worse
Hit: 4 Stars
Crowded House take you on a journey in this album; through classic rocking songs, to beautiful lilting classics. but ocassionally you find yourself quadmired in the poorer aspects of an otherwise brilliant album.Weaker points of this album include 'Chocolate Cake' - an odd mix of strange harmony and instrumentation, 'Italian Plastic' - a boring, slow, dirge-like song, and 'All I Ask', with meaningful lyrics but ultimately unfufilling.
Having said that, the remaining trakcs are singable, pleasant, and will stay in your mind irritatingly throughout the day! A very good album, if the poor aspects can be overlooked.
Watch out for the bonus track as well 'Still Here'
Free Music Review: Good Times
Hit: 4 Stars
It pains me to realise that I hadnt listened to this CD in about 10 years, but it brings me right back to the time when it was my soundtrack to backpacking around Europe.
13 years later (yikes!) I still remember the arguments, the bitterness and our collective inability to pull- never was there a more geeky group of loser 18 year olds.
The music? You want to know about that? That's not really important. Woody, Dan and Jeremy and I - a salute to all and our annoying as hell previous selves.