Pros: Music that appeals to the pop hook-lovin' sap in every one of us.
Cons: Occasional moments of dreariness, somewhat impenetrable lyrics.
The Bottom Line: When two voices come together, they should all make as beautiful noise as The Finn Brothers do. Makes me wish I had a brother to sing with.
speeddemon531's Full Review: Everyone Is Here * by Finn Brothers
If I were an express review kinda guy, it would be fairly easy for me to describe why I enjoy The Finn Brothers' "Everyone Is Here"
1) It's a loose concept album about family, and more specifically-brotherhood.
2) I'm a sap.
3) Neil and Tim Finn sure do sang purty.
But I'm not an express review kinda guy and it ain't that simple. So, without further ado, here's my actual review:
For almost two decades, Neil Finn (sometimes with his brother Tim, sometimes without) has made some of the best pop music that you haven't heard. The New Zealand-based Finn brothers first surfaced as charter members of new-wave combo Split Enz before Neil spun off into trio Crowded House, who had hits in 1987 with "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong". Most folks think the good music stopped after the hits dried up-but that's hardly the case. With what's quite possibly the closest thing to a "Beatle-esque" singing and songwriting approach that I can think of, Crowded House went on to make three more albums of substantial musical quality. If nothing else, get their best-of, "Recurring Dream". You'll thank me for it.
At any rate, Neil's older brother Tim joined CH for a minute (literally a minute-just for one album, 1991's "Woodface"), and after CH disbanded in the mid-90's, the brothers have released work individually and as a duo. "Everyone Is Here" is their second album as a duo, and it doesn't sound much different from a Crowded House album. The same folksy textures are there. The album is primarily acoustic, but that's not to say it's a slow, methodical bore. And even if it was, the brothers' singing would make even the most methodically boring music sound heavenly.
From the first note the gents sing in unison, it's obvious that these guys complement each other very well. Actually, both brothers have a Paul McCartney vocal tone, with Neil favoring a more boyish, Beatles-era sound and Tim with a husky, more soulful later-era Paul kind of voice.
The familial bond would be evident from the moment the harmony kicks in on the second line of the album even if the lyrics didn't occasionally make it explicit. "Won't Give In" is one of those open-road driving tunes where the brothers' vocal is front and center. The song's chorus provides the album with it's title ("everyone I love is here"), and the song's bridge is damn near identical to Howie Day's "Perfect Time Of Day". "Luckiest Man Alive" is a celebratory ballad about having that perfect someone in your life, with a beermug clankin' singalong chorus that cuts right through the heartstrings-well, mine anyway. To the untrained ear, many of these ballads may sound similar, but each song has a little piece of ear candy that separates it, whether it's a small string section or, in "Luckiest"'s case, a banjo.
Not to say the album's all elegaic balladry. The guitars get cranked up for the thumping "All God's Children", the set's only real attempt at a topical tune, while "Part Of Me, Part Of You" has the same bouncy strum that characterized CH songs like "Something So Strong".
So the album isn't all elegaic balladry, but that's where the album's heart is. The haunting "Disembodied Voices" begins with the line "talking with my brother/when the lights went out/down the hallway 40 years ago". It's a startingly intimate song, even if you didn't know that the men singing it are doing so directly from personal experience with one another. While their voices singing in unison gives a warm glow to "Disembodied Voices", they turn the topic 180 degrees on the winding "A Life Between Us", where they ponder the intricacies of being two completely different people sharing so much of a life together, a sentiment best explained by the lyrics "You're still as unknown as ever/Are you still someone/Who'll watch over me?"
Even if you're not someone who goes gaga over sentimental or personal lyrics (like me), there's plenty to like on this album. The brothers (with the help of producer Mitchell Froom) do a great job of not keeping things from getting too boring, except on a couple of occasions. "Edible Flowers" is the album's lone dreary ballad, while "Homesick" is an uptempo jaunt that just sort of goes nowhere lyrically-although the vocals are, as always, a joy, and there's some excellent drumming by studio ace Matt Chamberlain throughout the song.
What I love most about music is the fact that well written, well performed songs can make you feel very real emotion. When Michael Jackson says "life ain't so bad at all if you live it off the wall", it makes me wanna jump up and dance. When John Mayer sings "I believe that my life's gonna see the love I give return to me", my eyes well up every time. "Everyone Is Here" has that same affect-and although the music itself is very good, it's the vocals that take it to the next level. Whether they're giving their airy falsettos a workout on "Homesick" or practically whispering the lyrics to "Disembodied Voices", the bond between them is evident, and that alone makes "Everyone Is Here" a joy to listen to.
The Finn Brothers "Everyone Is Here"
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Repeat: "Disembodied Voices", "Luckiest Man Alive", "Won't Give In"
Skip: "Edible Flowers"
Great Music to Play While: Heading back to investigate more of the Finn Brothers catalog, whether it be together, separate or with Crowded House.
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