Crowded House

For the final album of Crowded House's 1990s incarnation, the band torqued the sonic experimentation up a few notches, going for a BIG expansive sound that nevertheless kept the focus on Neil Finn's songs. The blistering "Locked Out" and the charming "Distant Sun" were the alt radio hits but songs like "Private Universe" and "Kare Kare" would go on to become fan favorites and Neil Finn solo concert staples. Many of these numbers have Maori folk elements to them, helping the album capture the feeling you get when looking out at the vast ocean. How Crowded House managed to do things like that just serves to show what an underrated band they were.

Eight years ago, Crowded House earned themselves an enduring reputation as perky pop
craftsmen. With buoyant guitars and boyish ebullience on such songs as "Something So
Strong," from their debut album, Crowded House (1986), it's no wonder. The group seemed
like a bunch of goofy expats from New Zealand and Australia having themselves a laugh in
Los Angeles. What has been consistently overlooked is the melancholy lurking a... More >