Back in 1990 Crowded House were on the ropes. That difficult third album was proving to be a bridge too far and the New Zealand outfit were in danger of losing their burgeoning fanbase.
Then frontman Neil Finn, working with brother Tim on an offshoot Finn Brothers project, decided to use some of their tracks – "It’s Only Natural", "Four Seasons In One Day" and "Weather With You" to name but three – to pad out what would become of 1991’s absolutely terrific "Woodface" album. Tim left the band later in the year to continue his solo career while Crowded House, in no uncertain terms, went through the roof with their jangly, infectious Beatles-meet-The Byrds rock, before imploding in 1996.
Since then there have been critically lauded yet commercially under achieving solo projects and Finn Brothers releases, while the general public would be very happy to see a Crowded House reunion. Which is what makes "Everyone Is Here" all the more exciting. With "Woodface" producer Mitchell Froom at the helm, this sounds more or less like a Crowded House offering, with original drummer Paul Hester and bassist Nick Seymour replaced by session musos.
The honeyed brotherly harmonies and pop melodies are still intact and yet while the sound is distinctly Crowded House, it’s darker than previous offerings. The brother’s mother died three years ago and perhaps as a result the mood is melancholy, sombre, soul-searching and reflective.
Opening track "Won’t Give In" sounds like classic Crowded House, "Disembodied Voices" has Tim reminiscing about “Talking with my brother when, the lights went out, down the hallway 40 years ago” to a background of mandolin, double bass and throat singing. "A Life Between Us" is blessed with the catchiest of choruses and the line “And We’re staring at each other, like the banks of a river, and we can’t get any closer”, while the tender piano and stirring strings of "Edible Flowers" shoulder the world weary words “Everybody wants the same thing, to see another birthday” – anyone who’s lost someone dear recently will find this another arrow to the heart.
Glorious ‘odd song out’, meanwhile, is closing track "Gentle Hum". An experimental, moving and sparse arrangement of accordion, piano and beatbox, during which you could easily imagine Tim’s gorgeous vocal being replaced by Thom Yorke’s cracked croon.
Plenty to please the devoted then. But a proper Crowded House reunion would hit the spot with greater accuracy.
