TIME ON EART - CROWDED HOUSE
If you’ve been at all aware of Neil Finn’s steady output in the 11 years since he dismantled Crowded House, none of the bittersweet midtempo rock on this reunion album will surprise you. Gone are the more overtly ’80s top 40 flourishes, but the project’s 14 tracks are still filled with well-made guitar and piano pop that missteps only when Finn and company lapse into whispery quietude for too long (”A Sigh”). Reminiscent of the cool groove of Finn’s 1998 solo single “Sinner,” the best moments here are catchy and slightly dark, like “Heaven That I’m Making,” all subtle horns and wah-wah. Topped by Finn’s as-always achingly smooth harmonies about the vagaries of everyday love, this is Crowded House as sing-along-ready as ever.
