CD Review: Crowded House

Intriguer (Fantasy)

Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 4:00 am

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Crowded House are known as one-hit-wonders in the U.S., but frontman Neil Finn is a superstar to most of the world. Unfortunately, this second reunion album by the '80s band (2007's Time on Earth was their first record in 14 years) won't change that stateside perception. For a group with such a rich legacy, neither album has served much purpose other than to muddy an otherwise fine catalog. Not that Intriguer is awful. A few songs — like the sweeping "Amsterdam" and the piano-driven "Twice If You're Lucky" — are solid enough additions to Finn's canon. But the lumbering "Even If" and the wispy "Archer's Arrows" seem to be Crowded House songs in name only. There's little here to differentiate most of these songs from Finn's hit-or-miss solo work. In other words, this House just doesn't feel like home. — Chris Drabick