Pulling together (Together Alone - Crowded House)

Member Name: davidbuttery

Product:	Together Alone - Crowded House
Date:	13/11/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Bold, experimental and thought-provoking

Disadvantages: One or two less memorable songs

Together Alone, Crowded House's 1993 fourth album, was their biggest chart hit in the UK, reaching number four - the perhaps more critically acclaimed Woodface of two years previously had topped out at number six, though curiously enough these are the only two of the band's five studio albums to date not to reach the top spot in their home(ish) country of Australia: both ran out of steam at number two. Neil Finn apparently counts this as his favourite of the group's records, and I think he might be right.

The cover art has a style quite reminiscent of the earlier record, showing Jesus, Buddha and a mysterious figure of whom only an arm is visible travelling in a red car (perhaps a taxi, as it seems to have a sign on its roof) with a couple of furry dice hanging from the driving mirror. I'm hopeless at interpreting deep and hidden meanings from cover artwork, so will simply say that it's striking and instantly recognisable, which is probably what a mass-appeal rock band want more than anything else.

Together Alone is an interesting album, more varied in its range of musical influences than its predecessor: the final track, for example (which is also entitled "Together Alone") employs, in no particular order, a Maori choir, a brass band and log drummers from the Cook Islands: elements that make up the history and character of Finn's native New Zealand. There's also a stunning, if sadly very brief, solo from a female Maori singer that is like nothing you will hear in Western music and which sends shivers down the spine.

There are, of course, more traditional pop songs on the disc. Distant Sun, which just made the UK top 20 as a single but really deserved to have gone a bit higher, is chock-full of jangly guitars, simple but hopeful lyrics ("your seven worlds collide / whenever I am by your side") and a fabulous "travelling man" beat which reminded me surprisingly strongly of Ocean Colour Scene's excellent The Day We Caught The Train. The shortest song on the album, Locked Out is a fine example of the art of the three-minute rocker, with an intro reminiscent of Marillion's Map Of The World, though it does get decidedly heavier (and odder) as the song approaches its end.

However, it's elsewhere on Together Alone that things get really interesting. The dreamlike opener Kare Kare (the name of a beach in New Zealand; the name means something like "raging waters") is a little less restful than it at first appears; again a Maori influence is evident. The very next track, In My Command, however, simply demands you sit up and take notice, with its slightly discordant feel and punkish attitude mixing with softer, poppier choruses (yes, the jangly guitars are back!). "Juggle like a diplomat" sings Finn, and that's just what this song does.

One song at times threatens to become paranoid and insular, but when the song in question is called Private Universe can you really expect anything else? This is a very unsettling piece, with a strong sense of disconnect and suspicion of the world at large: "Endless summer lift the curse". At this point, Crowded House are almost approaching Beatles White Album levels of experimentation. It's the longest track on the album, at over five and a half minutes, but not a second is wasted: when I first heard it I had to sit in silence for a while after it ended, simply turning it over in my head.

For me, though, the best song on the album is a fairly easy choice: Nails In My Feet, a song which grabs hold of you in the first bar and never relaxes its grip for a moment. Quite apart from the wonderful harmonies and the sometimes startling lyrics ("sit like a lap dog on a matron's knee") there's a sense - in the verses, that is; the choruses make a beautiful, shimmering contrast - of a barely controlled savagery bubbling just beneath the surface that could in less skilful hands have turned this track into little more than sub-par psychedelic babbling.

So, any weak points? Not many, but they are there. Fingers Of Love is not the most memorable song you'll ever here, but my least favourite song is the penultimate track, Skin Feeling. It's a real "rock out" number, and there's nothing wrong with that in itself, but it just doesn't have the wow factor. Worse, and unlike with most of Together Alone, you feel that it could have been made by any one of a number of similar groups. There's very little here that says "this is a Crowded House song" or even "this is something different", and that lack of the bold vision evident elsewhere on the album does leave a bit of a feeling of disappointment when all is said and done.

Even so, this remains an excellent record, with far more highs than lows. At 13 tracks and 51 minutes it may not seem particularly long, but the variety on offer here is such that any more might start to seem a little excessive. Experimental and yet accessible, Together Alone marks the high water mark of a still surprisingly widely under-rated band, and is eagerly recommended.

Track listing:

1. Kare Kare
2. In My Command
3. Nails In My Feet
4. Black And White Boy
5. Fingers Of Love
6. Pineapple Head
7. Locked Out
8. Private Universe
9. Walking On The Spot
10. Distant Sun
11. Catherine Wheels
12. Skin Feeling
13. Together Alone

Amazon currently offer this album for £6.48, which I think is a pretty fair price, and you can also purchase individual tracks as MP3s for 69p. Spotify has the full album available for streaming, but last.fm lacks some songs - Nails In My Feet in particular - and so is very much second best here.

Summary: A fascinating and unpredictable exploration