Together Alone - Crowded House (Together Alone - Crowded House)

Member Name: davepridd

Product:	Together Alone - Crowded House
Date:	06/07/00 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic songwriting, very ambitious

Disadvantages: The 'rock' tracks are not great

This is Crowded House's final album, released in 1993, and probably their best. Whereas 1991's Woodface was their most successful album commercially, this one is a far more complete product, with some truely excpetional songwriting. The mood is very laid-back, but also quite melancholy, comparable with the Beautiful South's 'Miaow', in terms of style. Unlike the Beautiful South, however, the main appeal is in the music rather than the lyrics; songwriter Neil Finn is undoubtedly one of the greatest of recent years, and is frequently compared to Paul McCartney in his ability to manipulate melody.

The album's title track is probably one of the most ambitious and dramatic pieces written in modern pop; it employs a New Zealand choir, a brass band and a team of drummers to give it its monumental, ethereal feel. The tracks Private Universe and Catherine Wheels have a similar feel. Thanks to the group's talent, they are able to pull of such an ambitious statement with ease, and it sounds fantastic.

The other tracks including the singles Distant Sun and Pineapple Head, are very melodic, intricate and beautiful, with all members of the group contributing well and providing excellent vocal harmonies to Neil Finn's strong voice. The opening track Kare Kare sets up the dream like feel of the album which is only disrupted by the slightly more rock tracks which are the album's only weak points; these disrupt the flow of the album and do not suit Crowded House. But it is not worth moaning about these as they only constitute 2 of 13 tracks and the quality of the rest of the album is so high.

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