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Review: Liam Finn's "I’ll Be Lightning"

January 24, 2008 12:24 PM

Odds are, you don’t know who Liam Finn is, but you most definitely know the work of his father, Neil Finn, and his uncle, Tim Finn.  As the leaders of Crowded House and Split Enz respectively, the two have been side by side on and off for the last 30 years or so.  In their native New Zealand, they are superstars.  Neil Finn especially is considered a great master.  Most American audiences know Neil and Crowded House for the 1986 classic hits “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Something So Strong,” but if you pick up a copy of their best of  “Recurring Dream,” you’ll find that Neil is quite underrated in the states.  (Last year, the band regrouped with their new album “Time on Earth.”  See No. 40 on my best of 2007 list!)  The Finn Brothers’ previous band, Split Enz, is most famous for the hit “I Got You,” known for its refrain, “I don’t know why sometimes I get frightened.” 

So, it’s apparent that young Liam Finn’s got a rather sizable legacy to live up to.  Both Neil and Tim Finn are respected tunesmiths.  They are songwriters’ songwriters, with a great deal of respect and hero-worship at their feet.  The news is great for Liam.  He inherited everything he needed to to succeed.  Not only does he sound an awful lot like his respected dad, but he’s also got similarly gentle, haunting song structures.  In addition, he seems to be somewhat of a studio whiz kid.  “I’ll Be Lightning” is full of interesting sounds much more akin to more experimental rock.  It rocks a little harder, and has a seething ferociousness at points. 

“Second Chance” starts off like an eerie, haunted lullaby, and then builds wonderfully into something powerful and almost menacing.    Like his father’s work, it’s luminous and Beatle-esque, but Liam’s inventively rough production makes everything seem much more volatile.   Even at its gentlest points, nothing seems to have a polished sheen.  In an age when overproduction is running industry authenticity into the ground, it’s refreshing to hear a record like this.    At the same time, while listening to “Second Chance,” one can’t help recalling Neil’s Sheryl Crow assisted single, “Driving Me Mad,” from his album “One All.”  Both songs have a similar rhythm and sense of unrest.  It’s definitive evidence that he is, unmistakably, his father’s son. 

“Lead Balloon,” on the other hand, winds up being more of a punked-up workout than his father  ever delivered.  But then again, Neil has rarely been one to rock out, despite the given exception of the 1993 Crowded House single “Locked Out.”  On “Lead Balloon,” Liam sounds as if  he’s having a blast, screaming and yelling his “yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah” assault ending.  It’s as if someone just gave him a rock-'n'-roll energy shot. 

Much of “I’ll Be Lightning” is quiet, however.  “Fire in Your Belly” and “Lullaby” both have a sense of solemn loneliness to them.  The way his soft, gentle voice tends to drift gloriously into falsetto notes recalls the best qualities of the late Elliott Smith.  Even on a fast-paced shuffle like “Energy Spent,” that soft, sweetness remains intact. 

“Music Moves My Feet” has a strictly homemade, live sound to it.  One can picture Liam by himself strumming out the chords and figuring out the structure.  In other people’s hands, this would be considered a demo.  Liam has it right.  This skeletal recording is much more full of life than any computerized studio rendering would ever be. 
Liam rocks out again on “This Place Is Killing Me.”  He plays his crashing electric guitar as the song ends as if he expects his playing to blast him out of said “place.”  It’s great to hear him thrash and scrape his way to the song’s conclusion. 

“Wise Man” would make a great single, with its acoustic strumming, its catchy melody  and its sporadic chorale bursts.  It would be great to hear it get the exposure it deserves. 

“Better to Be” also deserves exposure.  With its slightly funky, tempo-shifting backbeat and its guiding bass-line, it’s a marvel of a song.  It’s so packed with tension that it demands your attention. 

The slightly strange title track features Neil on bass.  It’s one of the very few guest appearances. For the most part, this is an all Liam show, making the album all the more impressive. 

The album closes with the soft piano ballad “Shadow of Your Man,” the kind of song that would not seem all that out of place on a Crowded House record.  It’s just Liam and a piano. 

“I’ll Be Lightning” is a back-to-basics, DIY-style rock record.  It is sometimes soft and sometimes hard, and it shows the great range of the young man who made it.  Liam Finn should have no problem stepping out of the large shadows his father and uncle have cast.  He’s a dynamic performer in his own right; someone to be watched very carefully.  This is a remarkable debut. Not only has he done his family legacy proud, but he has also delivered the first truly astounding record of 2008.  If you like singer-songwriters working off the Beatle mold, and you don’t pick this one up, you, my friend, are truly missing something.

January 24, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (4)

User Comments

Posted by: Bridgette Gamroth | Jan 24, 2008 1:20:11 PM

Posted by: Bill | Jan 24, 2008 4:35:01 PM

Posted by: MatthewB | Feb 9, 2008 4:29:49 PM

Posted by: joan | Mar 9, 2008 10:07:43 PM

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