Time on Earth
by Crowded House

Album details

US: 10 July 2007 on ATO
UK: 2 July 2007 on Parlophone

Originally intended as a Neil Finn solo album, Crowded House’s first release in 14 years was produced by Ethan Johns and Steve Lillywhite and includes contributions from Johnny Marr. Matt Sherrod takes over drums for the late Paul Hester.

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The critical consensus

It has been a long time since Crowded House last released an album, but the band still has many fans. Could Time On Earth possibly satisfy their expectations? In other words, could the band somehow tap into the zeitgeist, and not, say, the "Zeitgeist"?

Observer Music Monthly claims the album does exactly that, incorporating age, experience, and the current state of affairs into an "instantly recognisable" batch of tunes. They aren’t necessarily happy tunes, however; according to the L.A. Times, "the melancholy is palpable and heavy." Says Billboard, "Gone are the more overtly ’80s top 40 flourishes, but … this is Crowded House as singalong-ready as ever." (The Onion AV Club actually prefers to hum along.) Although an approving Amazon and Dotmusic each find the album a tad too long, according to the latter, "the overall impression [is] of a fine singer/songwriter enjoying life in a purple patch." Artist Direct applauds "Finn’s impeccable songcraft," and the BBC notes that while "Time On Earth isn’t filled with immediate pleasures," the album "gradually opens up like some intricate flower, growing with stature with every listen." Uncut seconds that thought, comparing Time to the "cumulative impact of a good novel." And Pitchfork, too, hears "Finn’s most commercial and least quirky set of songs since 1991’s Woodface." Delusion of Adequacy simply calls the disc "a perfect record."

Other critics found aspects of the album lacking. Liking the songs but not necessarily the recordings, Paste hears "another batch of Finn’s impeccably crafted pop gems" that sound like "a set of really polished demo tracks for what could’ve been a brilliant Crowded House record." The Independent also hears classic Crowded House (meaning that it "could have been recorded immediately after 1993’s Together Alone"), but finds the songwriting lacking inspiration, while Hot Press wishes Finn could shake off his "ennui." Similarly, The Guardian opines that "something of their melodic joie de vivre has been lost," and the Hartford Courant adds that "large sections of the album land on the wrong side of the drowsy-dreamy divide." And Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot finds it "too-solemn and rather drab."

Anyone hoping for another ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ is going to find Time On Earth a disappointment.

- Hot Press

Review roundup

Tracklisting and media

1. Nobody Wants To
2. Don’t Stop Now
   
   
3. She Called Up
4. Say That Again
5. Pour Le Monde
6. Even A Child
7. Heaven That I’m Making
8. A Sigh
9. Silent House
10. English Trees
11. Walked Her Way Down
12. Transit Lounge
13. You Are The One To Make Me Cry
14. People Are Like Suns

Also on the web

• Official Artist Site