Neil Finn "Dizzy Heights"

It's no secret how much I love this man's work but it seems I never know something new is being released till it's already out, the Crowded House reboot being the only exception.  Back in late February, I get a musical care package from the very thoughtful BKP (I say this because I don't think he's the biggest Finn fan) with this title included.  See?  I hadn't the foggiest idea there was a solo album on the horizon.  It's been a dozen years since the last eponymous record but it's not as if he wasn't busy.  Besides the previously mentioned CH reformation, there are the 7 Worlds Collide releases, a live album with Paul Kelly (never looked into it but probably should), and started a band with his wife.  He also contributed to The Hobbit ST, played on son Liam's record and was a radio cast member of The Flight of the Conchords.  He's made a shitpot full of cash from having his songs covered by Susan Boyle, Jimmy Barnes, James Blunt and The Dixie Chicks (!) to name a few.  So I immediately commit this to a blank, no two-month waiting list for this one, and run through an initial spin on the road trip to see Les Dudek.

What the........??????

I wasn't sure if it was the circumstances of the trip (another musician and style) or the road noise or the time of day or what, but this album was so atypical of anything else he had done before.  His voice was hardly recognizable... I thought maybe I had his boy Liam's unreleased CD by mistake, certainly sounding more like the loinfruit than poppa. The only notation I allowed myself to make said, "weird...psychedelic...more Lennon than McCartney... was that a Curt Smith/Tears For Fears song?" A second spin a few days later was just as confounding as the first and I shelved the disc for three weeks, opting for a bit of research before trying it again. Many reviews said the same, how uncharacteristic this work was yet they all found plenty to like. So I waited for a situation where I could sit still, undisturbed, before giving the disc the definitive third rotation. Also decided to reward myself with a small party favour since I was planted with nowhere else to be for the evening. I made my first audio note during the third song:  "Now I get it! Everybody must get stoned!" "10cc" "...is that Yoko in there?"  "Damn, the son has influenced the father." "If the hooks aren't set by the time you've heard this three or four times then give it up and move on."  The song I reference is the title track...



Other artists that sprung to mind were Karl Wallinger/World Party and David Bowie. There are also sporadic illusions to latter day Split Enz, which is a good thing, indeed.  Neil's wife and two boys are along on the studio ride playing bass, drums and guitar and I hope you like strings because there are about a dozen different players involved, too.  Another extremely engaged human is Dave Fridmann, whom disciples of The Flaming Lips know very well (can you say "trippy?").  This guy has been an indie rock legend for the past twenty years working with Mercury Rev, Sparklehorse, Low and Tame Impala, to name a few.  So I've provided enough interest (God, I hope) for you to investigate for yourself.  Let me throw one of the complicated tracks at you in a live setting...



The CD is no longer in my vehicle.  It has taken up residence in the main system downstairs next to my headphones and Dugout.  This week's schedule allows for a couple of nights of red eyes and shit-eating grins...