The New Zealand band Crowded House had an in-store show at Amoeba on Thursday night in Hollywood to perform songs from their new album ‘Intriguer’, which is following ‘Time on Earth’ released in 2007 after an absence of 14 years from the musical scene.
Their new album is produced by Jim Scott (Wilco), and although Crowded House line-up has changed over the years, singer/guitarist/songwriter Neil Finn, bassist Nick Seymour and keyboardist/guitarist Mark Hart, were there with relatively new-comer drummer Mark Sherrod,
Neil Finn has described ‘Intriguer’ as ‘exotic in parts, traditional in origin’. This is what he had to say about it: ‘Through many a twist and turn we fashioned some drama and intrigue. You will find some threads that go back through all that history and some new discoveries as well that will need to be followed up. Its part of the continuum and it may just be the best thing we’ve done…until the next one’,
Amoeba was expecting a large crowd, and even though it was not really the case an hour and half before the show, the store really filled up, little by little, with faithful fans who all enthusiastically screamed when Neil Finn asked them if they were coming to the show at the Nokia theater the next day.
This New-Zealand band has being around for a long time, and has been somewhat present in my life, in the background, but never in the front; one of these bands you are aware of, whose songs you hear here and there, but which you never completely get into. I am aware of the craft of their songwriting and know their hits, the very famous and haunting ‘Don’t dream it’s over’, the wonderful harmonies on ‘Weather with you’, or the fragile and emotional ‘Fall at your Feet’, which they actually played at Amoeba.
Yes, I remember the late 80’s early 90’s, but I wonder why these guys did not become bigger with crowd-pleaser songs like these. A break-up and a hiatus of more than a decade do not help of course, but they are back with this second album since their reunion, and they have a very loyal and large following. Time may have passed, hair may be grayish, fans may be older too, but Neil Finn’s vocals are as clear and good as before, and the actual band is close to their previous incarnation.
During the short set (only 8 songs), Neil Finn and Mark Hart were alternating between guitar and piano, the four of them dispensing their smooth and harmonious signature sound.
Listening to their sometimes quiet tunes (‘Elephants’), sometimes more rocking songs (‘Saturday Sun’), I did not recall a real hook among the new songs, but many listens may reveal something else, I’m not sure. However, ‘Twice if you’re Lucky’ may be the closest to what we expect from them, at least it was the catchier tune among the new ones, whereas ‘Amsterdam’ had these melancholic guitar riffs.
During the encore, something that rarely happens at Amoeba, they unleashed the powerful ‘Locked Out’, throwing in the air their guitar riffs with their harmonies falling at the right place as always.
Set List:
Amsterdam
Either Side of the World
Fall At Your Feet (from Woodface)
Twice if You’re Lucky
Elephants
Saturday Sun
Distant Sun (From ‘Together Alone’)
Encore:
Locked Out (From ‘Together Alone’)