My interest level of proposed future album projects for Neil:
1 - Crowded House
2 - Finn Bros.
3 - Split Enz
4 - Finn Family
5 - Neil Finn (solo)
6 - Fleetwood Mac album
7 - 7 Worlds
8 - Neil w/ Jimmy Barnes or other collaborators
9 - Neil & Liam
10 - Pajama Club
11 - Movie soundtrack
Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I’m hoping that being onstage as part of Fleetwood Mac, brandishing a guitar and playing someone else’s pop-rock masterpieces, may inspire Neil to put out something a bit more straight-up commercial, a lot more up-tempo, with a bit less of the “atmospherics” that are so pervasive on Pajama Club, Dizzy Heights, and Lightsleeper.
I understand that, throughout his career, Neil has mostly composed songs at the piano, and he IS a very talented piano player, but his piano/keyboard-based songs tend to stick to the slow- to mid-tempo range. He’s been in that mode a lot in recent years, starting with Intriguer. I’m ready for Neil fall in love with guitar-based songs again.
That being said, I actually liked Out of Silence a LOT, but as a one-off kind of thing. With it out of his system, I was hoping that Lightsleeper would find Neil taking on some of Liam’s high energy, and that the album would be up-tempo and full of the type of melodic hooks they both excel at. Alas, my expectations were not met on either front (hence my low ranking above for a future Neil & Liam album). But I’m glad to know that some people are really loving the album.