Neil Finn - Dizzy Heights

Neil Finn has had a pretty good run with Split Enz and Crowded House, and I loved his first solo album, an underrated gem called Try Whistling This. Somehow I missed out on his other solo work and his newer combo The Pajama Club, but I'm trying to get back with his new one, Dizzy Heights. Flying in the Face of Love has a familiar catchy chorus and bittersweet atmosphere. Title track Dizzy Heights serves up a trampoline beat, about a billion layered vocals, Halloween and mosquitos. Divebomber sees Finn sending out a delicate, claustrophobic falsetto over a buzzy bed of spiralling Stukas - here's a track you would never have recognized as coming from the Neil Finn catalogue. Divebomber reflects the hand of producer Dave Fridmann and his history with The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev.

You can stream the album here.


Flying in the Face of Love


Dizzy Heights


Divebomber


Lights of New York


Last One Standing (From Try Whistling This)


Pajama Club - Tell Me What you Want


Neil Finn and Eddie Vedder - History Never Repeats


Message to My Girl


Neil Finn - Throw Your Arms Around Me (Hunters & Collectors cover)


Neil Finn - Billie Jean (I'm not telling you who he is covering here, you should know)

Stroke for Chris Knox

I make no secret of my love for artists from New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand-based musician Chris Knox (solo artist as well being of the utmost importance to Tall Dwarfs, Toy Love and Chris Knox and the Nothing) suffered a stroke June 11, and now there's a tribute album of his friends and fans playing his songs. Knox can no longer sing or even speak - can you imagine what that's like for a person who's made their living vocalizing? Merge Records now has digital downloads available for the whole album, with the physical version out Febuary 23. You can listen to samples here or here. A digital double album would make a nice Christmas present (for someone like me!), wouldn't it? My favourites so far are the tunes from former Mutton Bird Don McGlashan, AC Newman, The Chills, The Verlaines, and The Finn Family, who are called the Pyjama Party on the listening sample(featuring Neil Finn and his immediate family, including Liam). Hipsters may be interested to know that Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) has contributed a song for the American version (it wasn't ready in time for the New Zealand album); I believe it's his first recorded output since 1998. Check out the Stroke site for some interesting videos, including a good one where Knox is singing on the street to passersby and a Knox documentary.

Post-script - NZ friend Dyan informs me that Knox actually CAN sing - just not using words.

Track listing:

1 – Pull Down The Shades – Jay Reatard
2 – Rebel – The Checks
3 - Ain’t It Nice – The Bleeding Allstars
4 – Don’t Catch Fire – Peter Gutteridge
5 – Luck Or Loveliness – The Chills
6 – Nothing’s Going to Happen – David Kilgour
7 – All My Hollowness To You – The Crying Wolfs
8 – Beauty – Stephin Merritt
9 - Nostalgia’s No Excuse – Portastatic
10 – Crush – The Mint Chicks
11 – I’ve Left Memories Behind – Jay & Sam Clarkson
12 – Burning Blue – Sky Green Leopards
13 – The Slide – Shayne Carter
14 - Grand Mal – Pumice
BONUS TRACK
15 – Knoxed Out - Hamish Kilgour

BLACK DISC

1 – Not Given Lightly – Boh Runga
2 – Bodies – Red&Zeke featuring Bill Doss and Neil Cleary.
3 – Lapse – Bill Callahan
4 – Growth Spurt – Genghis Smith
5 – Coloured – Yo La Tengo
6 – Dunno Much about Life But I know How To Breathe – AC Newman
7 – Glide – Alec Bathgate
8 – Inside Story – Don McGlashan
9 – The Outer Skin – Sean Donnelly
10 – What Goes Up – Lambchop
11- Brave – The Mountain Goats
12 – Round These Walls – The Tokey Tones (and friends)
13 – Just Do It – The Bats
14 – My Only Friend – Will Oldham
15 – It’s Love – The Finn Family
16 – Becoming Something Other – Jordan Luck
17- Driftwood – The Verlaines
18 - Song of the Tall Poppy – Lou Barlow
BONUS TRACKS -
19– Napping In Lapland – The Nothing
20 – Sunday Song – Tall Dwarfs