Woodface - Crowded House

Although I will always consider Crowded House to be one of my ‘Dad’s bands’ I have to say that I’ve developed strong feelings for many of the groups songs over the years. Teenagers are funny like that; we’ll go off on our own tour of music, claiming that Eminem and Dr. Dre are ‘da bomb’ before realising it was The Beatles and folky bands like Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House that vied for our earphones all along.

On a couple of occasions, ...
...with my Mum – into the car and driven about two hours away to Nottingham in a vague attempt to educate us in terms of music. By doing so, he was making us watch the Finn Brothers, a song writing duo that have had a fairly rocky past. Neil Finn – the lead singer and metaphorical leader of Crowded House – and Tim Finn were once in a band called Split Enz who managed to attain a certain level of success in the 1970s and 80s, particularly in their homeland ... more

Although I will always consider Crowded House to be one of my ‘Dad’s bands’ I have to say that I’ve developed strong feelings for many of the groups songs over the years. Teenagers are funny like that; we’ll go off on our own tour of music, claiming that Eminem and Dr. Dre are ‘da bomb’ before realising it was The Beatles and folky bands like Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House that vied for our earphones all along.

On a couple of occasions, my Dad has bundled my Brother and I – along with my Mum – into the car and driven about two hours away to Nottingham in a vague attempt to educate us in terms of music. By doing so, he was making us watch the Finn Brothers, a song writing duo that have had a fairly rocky past. Neil Finn – the lead singer and metaphorical leader of Crowded House – and Tim Finn were once in a band called Split Enz who managed to attain a certain level of success in the 1970s and 80s, particularly in their homeland of New Zealand as well as Australia and Canada. However, the Finn Brother’s partnership was a little unstable at best and Crowded House became Neil’s baby during the later stages of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Yet a reunion was on the horizon; having made peace with his brother when the two started to collaborate on new music material, Neil was on the lookout for some new stuff for his bands next album and wanted to use a couple of the songs he and Tim co-wrote together. Tim agreed but one condition: if he could join the three piece band, along with drummer Paul Hester and bassist Nick Seymore. Neil, not taking it as the joke it was intended to be, agreed and thus ‘Woodface’ was born, making this Crowded House’s third album and the first with Tim on board.

Consisting of 14 tracks in total, ‘Woodface’ was the album that really began to get the band noticed across the pond, particularly in England, where it spawned many top 30 singles including some of my personal favourite songs. Crowded House are a band I largely recognised as an acoustic outlet where the tunes, although magnificent, are mainly there to support the weight of Neil’s and Tim’s often emotional and imagery laced lyrics. The thing I like about Crowded House, and something that is particularly noticeable on ‘Woodface’ is the difference between tracks; some of them are light hearted and others frank portrayals of the bleaker side of human existence and because of such contrast, the band have managed to master an album full of shadow and light which is both endearing and challenging to listen to.

‘NOT EVERYONE IN NEW YORK WOULD PAY TO SEE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER/MAY HIS TROUSERS FALL DOWN AS HE BOWS TO THE QUEEN AND CROWN’ (Lyric from ‘Chocolate Cake’)
Kick starting the album with a good thrash of the drums is ‘Chocolate Cake’, one of the few songs on ‘Woodface’ which actively seeks to set the melody against the lyrics. Being one of the more up-tempo tracks on the album, ‘Chocolate Cake’ is a song I wouldn’t necessarily associate with the band; gone are the gentle guitar tunes and instead, everything is amped up and made to sound as over indulgent as possible, particularly with the several layers of backing vocals and supporting keyboard. ‘Chocolate Cake’ verges on humorous as it’s all about the hypocrisy of the contemporary world; humans sometimes strive for more than they should and it eventually leads to their unravelling. The lyrics have an ironic, sharp touch to them with the notion of having another piece of chocolate cake emphasising just how many people are willing to gorge to feel satisfied in life. It’s not a song I dislike but there is something awfully eighties-fied about the song; not only by the mention of many past celebrity’s (Tammy Baker?) but the harmonica interlude in the middle reminds me of the song ‘Missionary Man’ by the Eurhythmics, a track which I would quite like if it didn’t have such a corny couple of seconds in it! ‘Chocolate Cake’ is a great song to start the album off with because of its funny although it does lack the definite sound that I would normally associate with Crowded House; in some ways, the song feels as if the group have overtly sought to do something a bit different rather than a few ballads and ‘Chocolate Cake’ comes across as a bit fake because of this.

Managing to reach number twenty-four in the UK singles charts upon its release, ‘It’s Only Natural’ is the first song on ‘Woodface’ that I can remember being performed by the Finn Brothers; written from the perspective of a lover wanting to give their girlfriend lasting commitment, and longing for them to devote the same sort of attention to their relationship, ‘It’s Only Natural’ is never a song I consider to be one of Crowded House’s finest love songs. Lyrically, it’s very basic and the message is very clear but I just find it quite an ordinary, boarder line bland, track as it just sort of plods along and seems to lack a defining moment until Neil’s high note right at the very end. I will give ‘It’s Only Natural’ the credit it deserves for being an easy to remember track with a catchy guitar hook at the chorus where the acoustics are a lot blunter to really underpin the notion of the guy wanting to continually be with the woman of his affections but otherwise, it’s not a song I really admire or long to listen to over and over again.

‘YOU’RE HIDING FROM ME NOW/THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WAY THAT YOU’RE TALKING’ (Lyrics from ‘Fall at your Feet’)
Continuing with the theme of a one-sided relationship, ‘Fall at your Feet’ is one of the bands best known ballads and one of my favourites from ‘Woodface’. What I really like about the song is how the majority of the vocals are sung by Neil; although on the first two tracks from this album Tim has joined his brother for vocal harmonies, I much preferred ‘Fall at your Feet’ in comparison to ‘It’s Only Natural’ because the desperation of a lover in solitude came out in a more forceful yet sincere and apologetic tone. Of course, the two songs are actually quite different with the former taking a lighter, less rejected stance but ‘Fall at your Feet’ just seems to be paced better and a more enchanting, heart breaking listen. I love the middle eight of the song where the guitars become weightier and the backing vocals come in as a way to add strength to Neil’s pleas rather than merely work alongside them. Although the tune is very faint, I actually think that a heavier melody would have oppressed the words too much and made the notion of trying to regain and partner’s affections seem less desirable and compulsory.

There is a certain Beatles charm about Crowded House too, with Neil citing them as one of his biggest musical influences and I think the inspiration of the earlier love songs by the Fab Four is very distinguishable on ‘Fall at your Feet’; the gentle backing vocals as well as the words of a battling lover remind me slightly of ‘If I Fell’, a song that is also about the deep contemplation of a relationship. ‘Fall at your Feet’, in spite of being one of ‘Woodfaces’ greatest achievements, was actually created at the death of two songs which either had a strong chorus and weak versus or vice-versa but it doesn’t sound like a patchwork of songs; the chorus and verses seem naturally suited to one another and as a result, ‘Fall at your Feet’ is one of the most wonderfully understated moments on the album.

But in direct juxtaposition to a fairly slow and weighty song, ‘Tall Trees’ has a real energy to it and sets to prove that Crowded House aren’t all about slushy ballads, or at least the darker side of liaisons. Tim rejoins Neil on lead vocals and it really helps to enhance the track; the guitars – at least by the normal Crowded House standard – are fairly loud and rockier than anything prior to this song on ‘Woodface’ and there is a good breakdown of the instruments after the second chorus. The drums support the chanting from Neil and Tim superbly and really give the song a boost that otherwise, it may have lacked. My one issue with ‘Tall Trees’ is that it’s pretty much impossible to understand what either Finn is singing and, when you do take a chance to glance over the lyrics, things aren’t a lot clearer either. Sure, the lyrics are riddled with nature-based imagery and it makes you think of Wordsworth and Coleridge but, when you’re listening to a soft rock band, do you really want to be reminded of tortuous A Level lessons?

I think not but it doesn’t stop ‘Tall Trees’ being a completely enjoyable track, even if it’s just for the music alone and the way the guitars screech out at the end is a great, expected twist to the song.

‘JULIUS CEASAR AND THE ROMAN EMPIRE COULDN’T CONQOUR THE BLUE SKY’ (Lyrics from ‘Weather with You’)
It perhaps won’t surprise you to learn that the fifth song on ‘Woodface’ was actually the bands best performer in the singles chart, managing to grab the number 7 spot in the UK upon its release. However, in spite of its accolades and ridiculous amount of airplay in the summer months, ‘Weather with You’ is a song I just don’t like. Why, you ask? Partly it’s the fact that I’ve heard it so many times, both on the music channels and on the radio whilst stuck in the traffic, and overall, I just don’t think it’s that great a song; musically, it’s not very exciting as ‘Weather with You’ just seems to be a slightly dimmer and slower version of the ‘It’s Only Natural’ melody (even the bongo drums here can’t quite save it from being monotonous) and I find the lyrics to be a bit irksome and corny. The general message of the song is that although you might be failing at some points in your life, for example, you may be a crap cook (‘things ain’t cooking in my kitchen’) it’s important not to let such minor defects get to you and instead concentrate on the positives, such as the weather. That’s all very well and good but when it’s the middle of July and rain is hammering against your window, it’s difficult to share the Finn’s enthusiasm for the weather!

Although I do quite like the general message of the song – as abstract and implausible as it might be – I’ve never been a fan of songs that drag on in the same way that ‘Weather with You’ seems to; the final minute of the song is just essentially a repetition of the title with a much too mellow guitar strum in the background and, for that reason alone, track number five here just really fails to impress me on the same level that some of the groups other work has done.

In spite of the fact that Neil seems to be singing ‘Whispers and Mars’, the next number is actually called ‘Whispers and Moans’ and decides to pretty much take off where ‘Fall at your Feet’ left off as it’s a song all about a lovelorn fellow who can’t help but look at the slightly bleaker side of the relationship. One of the best things about ‘Whispers and Moans’ is that it’s a song that doesn’t try and take itself too seriously; instead of ‘Fall at your Feet’ which is designed to be a sincerer and delicate love song, ‘Whispers and Moans’ has a rougher streak to it, primarily due to the grungy, electric guitar moments later on in the song. However, where the song does fail to impress is the way that, like ‘Weather with You’, the lyrics seem to lack a cohesion; upon the first verse, which is an admittance of the world being a somewhat dull place at times, I wasn’t necessarily expecting the song the veer off into the direction of a love song and the thought of being saved by another as the tone in the first verse just didn’t allow me to recognise such a notion. Having said that, ‘Whisper and Moans’ is a secret triumph due to Neil’s controlled vocal performance; it’s quite unusual for Finn to attempt a falsetto note but, like with ‘Fall at your Feet’, as he was the sole singer on this track, I think this alone allowed for Neil to give a more subtly impressive vocal piece which really worked after a fairly mundane track like ‘Weather with You’.

‘LYING IN THE DEPTHS OF YOUR IMAGINATION/WORLDS ABOVE AND WORLDS BELOW’ (Lyrics from ‘Four Seasons In One Day’)
I have to confess that I might be a little hypocritical with regards to the next song; although the meanings behind ‘Whispers and Moans’ and ‘Weather with You’ may seem a little opaque, ‘Four Seasons In One Day’ probably takes the prize for the albums most confusing lyrics! ‘Four Seasons In One Day’ is a track by the band that I’ve always loved and it seemed like an effortless infatuation; the lyrics, although quite conceptual, discuss just how your world can change in a split second and how you can go from one ‘season’ - or feeling - to another as abruptly as that and I actually like the uniqueness of the words. Although the tune isn’t what you’d necessarily view as being outstanding, like ‘Fall at your Feet’, it was important for the lyrics to really be the frontrunner on ‘Four Seasons In One Day’ and it’s impossible not to notice just how gorgeous, philosophical and incredible they actually are; although Neil’s imagery has quite an effeminate tone to it, it’s not necessarily too feminine because of his vocals. ‘Four Seasons In One Day’ required a vocal performance that sounded slightly contemplative, slightly uneasy but loving all at once and Neil has mastered that incredibly well to support the burden of the lyrics.

Although Tim was also Crowded House’s keyboardist at the time of ‘Woodface’, the instrument hasn’t really shone in any of the tracks up to now but the supporting piano infuses with the romantic edge to the song and makes ‘Four Seasons In One Day’ the most sublime and unforgettable of tracks.

‘WHY SINFUL ANGELS SUFFER FOR LOVE’ (Lyrics from ‘There Goes God’)
For some reason, whenever there is a harmonica in a song, I just can’t take it seriously; if any of you have ever had the misfortune of listening to the ‘Absolute O’Brien’ by Richard O’Brien, you may understand what I mean! But for those of you who haven’t, you may recognise the harmonica as being a bit of a bluesy instrument that the Beatles used at the beginning of some of their ‘early, generic love songs’ (quote courtesy of my brother) to make everything sound a bit interesting. However, Crowded House threw in a harmonica on the next track, ‘There Goes God’ and it makes the song sound incredibly trashy. Whilst the lyrics take an unique look at almost an ‘Anti-God’ who you could see walking on earth in black, a colour that symbolises sin and death, it all seems to be a bit half-baked and unintriguing; after such a memorable and deep track like ‘Four Seasons In One Day’, Crowded House would have fared better if they’d taken a less philosophical look at life but instead, took a big gamble and it’s at this point I fear the album becomes a bit too much the same and less endearing than I’d initially hoped.

Yet the pace is dramatically enhanced for ‘Fame Is’ which sees a much different side of Neil’s vocal ability; he’s displaying a really raspy, Kelly Jones from the Stereophonics quality to his voice and it suits the louder guitars and tempo of the song really well. ‘Fame Is’ takes a look at the change of generations, how the earth went from the hippie age of the 1960s before moving on and into an era where people don’t necessarily actively seek change because they’re too lazy. Personally, I think it’s a bit of a cop out as if the band are just seeking to appeal to the Dad market who feel their children should be spending their summer doing something productive instead of staring blankly at a computer screen but none-the-less, whilst track number nine is fairly enjoyable, in an ironic sort of way, I do find it to be a bit forced; I’m glad the band have made this song a bit quicker than the previous couple to give texture to the album but it doesn’t sound as natural as ‘Fall at Your Feet’ and ‘Four Seasons’ and ‘Fame Is’ comes across as a bit of a rough diamond with some good lyrics trapped in a confused tune.

The album does develop musically with the song ‘All I Ask’; whilst Neil is once again gracing a girl with his soulful, soft singing, the introduction of string instruments make a surprising but pleasant change that continues to add a bit of an unusual spark to the music. The backing harmonies really compliment the idea of departing from the familiar into a word that is changing, making ‘All I Ask’ have a much grander feel to it than many of the tracks so far on ‘Woodface’ with ‘As Sure As I Am’ seem a bit like the flip-side to it. ‘As Sure As I Am’ doesn’t have a big, sparkling introduction like ‘All I Ask’ but it’s a song that utilises Neil’s extraordinary ability to craft a song with powerful imagery and the contrast of living in sin against a woman’s ideal is beautifully portrayed on track eleven. However, the flip side to this is that by ‘As Sure As I Am’, you’ll have the feeling that you’ve heard this song all before which does take away from some of the notions of sticking with a lover through thick and thin, no matter how many skeletons they happen to have lurking in their closet.

‘WHEN YOU WAKE UP WITH ME/I’LL BE YOUR GLASS OF WATER’ (Lyrics from ‘Italian Plastic’)
If you thought that Crowded House really couldn’t be compared to The Beatles, well I hate to disappoint you but they soooo can coz they too let their drummer sing and write his own songs! Paul Hester’s first of two tracks on ‘Woodface’ is ‘Italian Plastic’, a pleasant enough ditty with enough Ringo style lyrics to make you think of the Fab Four. There is something about ‘Italian Plastic’ which is likeable, but not lovable; I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone wanting to be another’s glass of water which is commendable on the quirky front and I liked the Italian phrasing in-between such as ‘Bella Bambina’. But it’s not a groundbreaking song; it’s got the same catchy hooks on the chorus as ‘Weather With You’ which is pleasant enough but for me personally, I’ll never think of ‘Italian Plastic’ as anything other than Hester’s brief moment in the sun.

‘She Goes On’ sees Neil Finn regaining control of the microphone and once again producing a stellar love song but with a slight twist; instead of ‘She Goes On’ being a song for the special lady in a person’s life, this track seems to be an ode to a sadly deceased woman; between placid vocals, as you’d have come to expect from Mr. Finn by this stage of the album, it sees the lover returning to places they once were together before finding comfort in the idea of meeting her again ‘in a world without end’. There is something incredible understated and moving about that final line of the chorus and to me it makes the song seem like a very different kind of love song from so many of the others on this album. ‘She Goes On’ is, simply put, beautiful.

‘Woodface’ sets to end with a song that isn’t a ballad – well, not in as many words. ‘How Will You Go’ is an examining of life as if someone is trying to merely figure out how they can move on with their life, onto bigger and greater things. It’s quite a solemn number but there are hints of happiness mingling beneath the surface; with its simple guitar presentation, with a soft percussion backing that is only vaguely audible, ‘How Will You Go’ describes the world as a tangled up set of pearls which I think is a stunning metaphor which leads the listener into the final repetition of finding a friend who will help you through the bad times. The two part harmonies between Neil and Tim work well for the whole friendship metaphor but at the same time, sounds a little naff. When Neil breaks out before the final chorus, it adds a little pace to the song which was needed or else ‘How Will You Go’ would be in danger of being a little dull because of the copious amounts of repetition.

Tagged on the end of ‘How Will You Go’ is Hester’s second offering and the hidden track on ‘Woodface’ in the form of ‘I’m Still Here’, a scorching, manic vocal calamity which makes the album end on a slightly confusing note. It’s a very different sound; almost like an accident that should have been implanted in the middle of the album instead to break away from some of the acoustic tunes. Still, ‘I’m Still Here’ is short and amusing, but not a groundbreaking way to conclude ‘Woodface’.

OVERALL: IS ‘WOODFACE’ A BIT WOODEN?
I’m very torn about ‘Woodface’; on the whole, it’s an album with many good tracks and many distinctively average tracks. This could just be that I’m smitten with ‘Fall At Your Feet’ and ‘Four Seasons In One Day’ so everything else pales in comparison. Or it could be that a lot of the other songs are perhaps a little flat and a bit too similar. This is going to be a danger with any band that have a very distinct sound to them: Crowded House are obviously a soft rock outfit, as you can tell with the primary use of acoustic and some electric guitars, drums and the occasional piano so a lot of their melodies are, of course, going to sound a bit samey and perhaps not intentionally so.

But if you do listen to ‘Woodface’, it’s important that you’re prepared for an album full of ballads and very little else. I know ballads are a fundamental form of song and that the early Beatles records did overflow with such loveliness. Yet with Crowded House, a lot of their ballads seem to be mid-tempo affairs that follow the same theme of being in love with someone to the point where it can become self-destructive if such love is not returned. It’s not a bad thing to keep things on one level, and there is something comforting about ‘Woodface’ because of that, but I can’t help but think every time I listen to this album that it would be nice to have a little more variation, beside a song about the weather and over-indulging.

Overall, in spite of the fact that it's not a recored I can listen to again and again on loop because of the songs similarities, I would recommend ‘Woodface’; it’s an album that is packed with wonderful songs and some of the most descriptive, gorgeous lyrics that I have ever heard. In spite of similar tunes, and the fact that the album does appear to be full of the same tracks over and over again, Neil’s lyrics always shine through as quite frankly out of this world; he has such a unique way of describing the simplest of emotions yet he manages to keep such thoughts relatable, with the best example I can give being the pearl references in his final song. Although all of these songs are sung in the same tender voice, if you really do listen to the words, you’ll soon discover that Neil Finn is an extremely talented song writer and arguably ‘Woodface’s’ biggest asset.

QUICK STATS:
Year: 1991
Tracks: 14
Length: 48.11 minutes
Buy at: Amazon.co.uk for £4.98 (currently with free delivery!) 

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