Although the 2005 suicide of original drummer Paul Hester helped nudge Crowded House back together after a decade-long hiatus, the cult-favorite Australia-formed band picks up right where it left off with the new Time on Earth. Dedicated to Hester, the album is naturally focused on aching loss and the weight of memory—subjects reflected by main songwriter Neil Finn’s gentle melodies, lush instrumentation and inquisitive, heartfelt vocals.
But these tricks aren’t always burdened by somber arrangements. Ex-Smiths/current Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr adds some fancy fretwork to the up-tempo jangler “Even a Child” and the gnarled piano-pop gem “Don’t Stop Now,” while the members of the Dixie Chicks each earn writing credits on the slow-burning “Silent House.” These prominent guests pale in comparison to vocalist Beth Thornley, though, who wails and soars like a lovely siren on the electro-ambient highlight “Transit Lounge,” the Earth song that’s most reminiscent of the last CH album, Together Alone.
Slight deviations such as this atone for a few boring tunes that drag down Earth, although fans of the majestic thought-rock of The Go-Betweens, the pastoral folk of The Band—and yes, Crowded House’s back catalog—won’t be disappointed. Time on Earth fits snugly within Finn’s vast songwriting canon, a timeless collection of songs that stands up to CH’s past.
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Crowded House
Time on Earth
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