Customer Reviews

Everyone Is Here

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Two of the best singer/songwriters hook up in their brotherly combo with some help from their musical friends. "Everyone is Here" has some of the best material both Neil and Tim Finn have written and that's saying quite a bit considering their pedigree (Split Enz, Crowded House and their respective solo careers). Backed by a group of top musicians, this is the duos most unified and powerful album to date delivering on the promise of the sparse "Finn Brothers" debut nearly a decade ago.

Although it isn't exactly a concept album, it has a set of unifying themes one of them their sibiling relationship and family. While it might sound like a boring subject to write songs about, their complex relationship as sibilings over the years yields riches beyond expectations. The harmonic "Disembodied Voices" with its metaphorical glance back at their relationship as they grew up to the stunning harmonies that open the glorious and beautiful "Won't Give In", this album is rich in original melodies, great playing and the unique sound of the Finn's harmonies (the most stunning combination of two voices aside from The Everly Brothers). The amazing "Part of me, Part of You" has a rich melody worthy of Lennon and McCartney with a middle eight that takes the song to a completely other level.

"Edible Flowers" infused with a sense of melancholy but a intricate and melorable melody also is a stand out cut for Tim to sing. I honestly can't say that there's a bad cut on the album (and much as I loved "Finn Brothers", it did have a couple of tracks that just didn't live up to their potential). "Everyone is Here" delivers on the promise of both Neil and Tim's last set of solo albums.

If you get a chance pick up the single "Won't Give In" as it has two tracks not available on this album and both are worthwhile additions. "Sunset Swim" is a stunning song that didn't make the cut but probably should have been included. "Everyone is Here" certainly demonstrates that these vets haven't lost their ability to craft amazing songs with meaning.

This is an easy recommendation for me since I think that Neil Finn is one of the best songwriters out there: Smart, witty, incredibly melodic in the Beatles mode. He's been underrated here in the US because outside of the left field hit of "Don't Dream it's Over" in the mid-80s, he's had the misfortune of putting out music that's largely been the opposite of what's popular at the moment, whatever moment that might be (the man was not about the grunge or the hair metal, the two dominant genres during the Crowded House years). However, outside the US, he's rather better regarded, particularly for Woodface, the Crowded House album which also featured Tim. That album was a big fat flop in the US but was a smash almost everywhere else in the world. Tim Finn doesn't have the same easy melodic genius of his younger brother (his music is a little more twitchy and angular), but he's also a fine songwriter. Between the two of them it's difficult to imagine they'd make a bad album.

And they haven't. Everyone is Here is not destined to be a massive hit -- it's the sound of two middle-aged brothers having a conversation about life, family, love and brotherhood, and it's a reasonable bet that the hip young kids today aren't ready to take part in that conversation. And that's fine -- let them have their Red Bulls and all-night parties. We'll catch up with them again in a couple of decades. But for anyone who has spent time wrestling with what it means to be a father, brother or son (or their female counterparts), there's a lot here that's going to ring true, set to music by two guys who know how to make songs fly.

The first single from the album, "Won't Give In," is an encapsulation of the album in minature, a beautiful song that simply and elegantly outlines what it means to be family and what that one word entails and rewards for those who are privleged to use it. For those who want more than mellow, may I suggest "All God's Children," which shows the Finns' slightly snarkier side, with fuzzy guitar spread thickly on top.

On the whole, however, a warm, welcoming and satisfying album, by grownups, about grownups and for grownups (and the kids who want to know what being grownup can be like in an ideal situation).

Easily they're best album since the two played on Crowded House's "Woodface", the two former Split Enz leader come together with some of the best songs of the year. They bring back something missing today, the power of the songwriter. "Luckiest Man Alive" is a terrific ballad without being sappy. Every guy should want to be the guy they sing about. "Nothing Wrong With You" is better than therapy with catchy music for anyone feeling the world is against them. They rock out on a few songs like "Anything Can Happen", but this is a fairly restrained and beutifully constructed album. One of the best of 2004.

Tim and Neil's second effort "Everyone Is Here" is simply a very good cd. Of the 12 tracks, 9 of them are great and the other three are very good. My favorites are "Won't Give In", "Nothing Wrong With You", "Anything Can Happen", "Homesick", "Disembodied Voices", "All God's Children", "All The Colours" and "Gentle Hum".

This cd is filled with intelligent, alternative pop with well written lyrics and memorable melodies. If you aren't familiar with Split Enz or Crowded House, then you should check them out as well. Tim and Neil fans such as myself will not be disappointed with "Everyone Is Here". Certainly one of the better releases of 2004.

Neil and Tim Finn are big stars in my native Australia, and also in New Zealand where they hail from. Going all the way back to Split Enz, then through the band break-ups, the worldwide success of Crowded House, Tim's only mildly successful solo career, and a couple of joint efforts by the brothers, both have always made great music, with subtle and effortlessly beautiful melodies and harmonies. Great success has eluded them since Crowded House broke up, but that does not appear to be what the Finn brothers are about. They are obviously close as brothers and willing to share their talents with eachother and by extension, with us.

I saw them perform in Nashville over the weekend and they played 6 or 7 songs from this, their newest album - I had to buy it after hearing them. All of these songs are gems, and this is a wonderful, personal and musically pleasing work. There is not a song on here that I do not like, and there are a couple that I would rank among their finest work ever ("The Luckiest Man Alive", "Anything Can Happen", "Edible Flowers"). Neil's soaring voice is as good as ever, and Tim's harmonies and solos are outstanding. All will put you in a great mood, yet have a ring of honesty and truth that many others try to imitate, but few do better than Neil and Tim. Highly recommended!

O.K., I can't claim to be someone that is on top of every album that comes out. Truth is that I rarely listen to new music. But, I have fond memories of Crowded House's Woodface and someone recommended this album to me. I checked it out on Amazon and saw all the good reviews, so I pulled the trigger and got it.

I really couldn't be more happy. Every track is at least good, with most being much better than that. There are some really infectious melodies here and lyrics that actually appear to have some meaning.

If you feel like you want to give an album a chance, pick this one up. I don't think that you will regret it.

I always play the music of the Finn brothers to friends who love music in the belief that everyone who listens to Neil's Anytime or Tim's Always Good Together will be won over. I always felt they deserved a better place in the halls of fame than the corner position they get, as the guys who sang Don't Dream it's Over.
And now this record is here to prove a sort of melancholic point. These guys don't want to conquer the world. They don't particularly feel obliged to fight up the charts in London or L.A. It's just more important to them to lead a quiet family life back home. To be "born with a name and carry it on" as "won't give in" clearly proclaims. They have their priorities in order.
So they won't win Grammies or platinum records. So what? They can still write amazing songs, timeless pop songs like 'Edible Flowers' that any music lover must appreciate. At times Neil's melodic songwriting is Mccartney-like, and the vocal harmony, ever present in this record, takes the execution to a beautiful place trully the top of their game, or anyones.
There's always been some problems between the big brother and the overshadowing little brother. These crisis broke up the Enz and Crowded House, and have kept the brothers from making more music together. But they always come back , and they do compliment each other brilliantly.
Interesting to note that like the beatles, Neil and Tim share the credits for the songs on this album, leaving us guessing (My guess - Gentle Hum and Edible flowers clearly Neil songs - All the Colors and Luckiest Man Alive clearly Tim's. the rest a mix possibly) as if saying saying - we're beyond it now. After all these years. I hope that means we won't have to wait near a decade for the next collaboration, as worthy of the wait this one is.

This is truly a great album and signifies a further development in both Neil and Tim Finn's work. The lyrics are personal and beautiful; the harmonies are bittersweet and the songs are challenging and reward further listenings.

The work of Split Enz and Crowded House are well documented but this must rank as one of their best works. Each time I put this album on I get a little more from it.

This album is a miracle. Although Neil, Tim and Mitchell Froom team for the first time since Woodface, there's only a vague resemblance to that hyperproduced international hit. In the past Neil and Tim's collaborations tended to cancel out each's edginess. Let's face it, Neil's Fall at Your Feet, As Sure as I Am, Whispers and Moans along with Four Seasons in One Day (Tim only contributed some backing vocals) are the best stuff on Woodface. Chocolate Cake, It's Only Natural, Tall Trees, and that song with Tim on the piano I always skip are less successful

This time out - the edginess stays in, and the result are songs that are more like the VASTLY underrated Together Alone and Try Whistling This with a touch of Crowded House. Neil's songwriting dominates largely and it's slightly more focussed than on One All. The live tracking starting with dueling acoustic guitars on most tracks brings an energy and cohesion from the 7 Worlds Collide and other recent tours into the studio. The album sounds a bit like Neil's West 57th DVD. Live, immediates yet polished, professional in sound. Matt Chamberlain and especially Sebastian Steinberg are a tight rhythm section - better than Crowded House's.

There's not a bad song in the bunch. Nothing Wrong With You, Anything Can Happen, Homesick, the AMAZING Disembodied Voices, Part of Me Part of You, A Life Between Us, and Gentle Hum are my favorites at the moment...Edible Flowers is ...well...really growing on me.

Album of the Year

I LOVE Neil Finn's stuff: Split Enz, Crowded House, his solo efforts. One Nil is amazing. This latest collection isn't as instantly wonderful and mesmerizing as "Woodface", which is what the brothers reportedly were pursuing.

But this album slowly grows on you. At first, it seems somewhat sluggish, especially if you have elevated expectations. Yet, as with most things Finn, it starts to warm your soul after repeated listenings.

The material is light years ahead of the ghastly stuff being released as "pop music" these days, and surpasses that of the first Finn Bros disc. Neil Finn is perhaps the greatest, most under-appreciated songwriter of our times (along with Andy Partridge of XTC).

Best value: Download this disc from iTunes and you get a bonus song ("Way Back Down") plus 4 bonus interview tracks. What could be better than that?

For video of the Finns doing acoustic versions of new and old songs, and the official video for "Won't Give In", check out the BBC's "6 Music" site, then click the "Artists A-Z" link on the left. Great stuff!