Finn Brothers or - how songs used to be

The Finn Brothers - Tim (52) and Neil (48) - have given us enough songs to counter the weather around us, individually, jointly and with their respective bands, Split Enz and Crowded House. The trend continues on their first album together in nearly nine years, ‘Everyone Is Here’, a supplant to ‘Finn’ (1995).

The album’s title originates in the lyric to the opening track, ‘Won’t Give In’, that opens this carnival of songs that are written to the traditional pop standard. This is AOP - Adult Orientated Pop - that has no rivals. Having grown, and learnt, from The Beatles [‘Homesick’ here is an ode to the old Liverpudlian combo, closely followed by ‘All God’s Children‘] and The Kinks and The Moody Blues, certainly are not going to turn and start making songs to compete with Westlife.

Keeping it mainly simple and direct to allow vocals to shine through - and the two do harmonies to the best Beatles/Beach Boys’ recipe - there are complex arrangements [‘Nothing Wrong With You’] and rather rocking, the percussive ditty ‘Anything Can Happen’ that recalls Peter Gabrielor or more radio-friendly ‘Part of Me, Part Of You’. ‘Disembodied Voices’ is showtune-y with interesting play-out, ’Edible Flowers’ is the heartbreak healing…

Hovering between virulent and in-touch-with-feminine-side, the brothers really make de-stressing songs that do not break any new barriers but augment and confirm the evergreen quality. Not surprising that the album was produced by Mitchell Froom and mixed by Bob Clearmountain [the team behind much of Crowded House's catalogue], with strings arrangements by Toni Visconti (David Bowie, T.Rex, Mercury Rev).

Among the players are multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, drummer Matt Chamberlain and two bass players, Sebastian Steinberg and Davey Faragher. It is delightful to hear that there are no rules on an album and any sounds/instruments are allowed [bar rap, mercifully] which makes each song such a unique aural experience.

Diverse, distinguished, dopper, pop music of quality and distinction. Against all the trash and bind…

8/10