DECADE REVIEW: Favourite/Least Favourite Albums of the 2010s

At this time, I would reach for these records in order

1) Pajama Club - it feels alive and inspired; groove enters Neil’s writing with perfect collaboration

2) Out of Silence -  deep, dark and topical.  You can tell that the events of our time have hung heavily in Neil’s eyes and he expressed them with fragility and nuance.  

3) The View .... - songs and production are tied beautifully; there’s a little bit of sameness that makes me forgetful of its beauty. 

I would not say worst, but these records would trail in appreciation

Intriguer - still feels like it could have been more.  The introduction of the songs in progress on tour really caught my ear and I couldn’t let them go.  The album is fine as is but the songs took a turn in the studio and I didn’t turn with them.  My expectations were not fair to the group but I still prefer the live renditions that I heard at the 9:30 club in DC.

Dizzy Heights - it was a hit or miss collection of songs.  When it hit like DH, In My Blood or Recluse, I was all ears. When it didn’t, like White Lies and Alibis or Impressions,  it felt forced.  

If you add Liam’s records , the list would change. 

Out of Silence is my favorite Finn-related project of the decade, by far. 

Yes, yes, another decade of Finn music. Aren't we all so spoiled?

1. Favorite thing was absolutely Out of Silence. Every song is incredible and watching the recording process unfold was such a treat. I was excited when Neil collaborated with Victoria Kelly on "Song of the Lonely Mountain" and thought that song was terrific. Then I thought Dizzy Heights would be the album that fulfilled their promise as collaborators. But instead the strings got sort of lost in the albums production while it was the acoustic performances where the songs soared. Thank goodness they went back to the studio and recorded a proper collaboration that allowed Victoria's arrangements to take center stage they way they probably should have on songs like "White Lies and Alibis".

2. Intriguer. I agree that this album is overlooked but has a lot of gems on it. One thing I did recently that reminded me how great Intriguer is was to make a version that I call Twice If Your Lucky that combines the four true CH tracks from TOE with the best of Intriguer. I absolutely love listening to it:

1. Twice If You're Lucky
2. Don't Stop Now
3. She Called Up
4. Archer's Arrows
5. Saturday Sun
6. Amsterdam
7. Even A Child 
8. Transit Lounge
9. Either Side of the World
10. Falling Dove
    
    

3. Pajama Club. This was such a delightful surprise just a year after Intriguer. I know it's divisive, but I love that it's just fun, funky, jam sessions. I loved how different it was to anything Neil had done before. It's experimental and I think the experiment worked.

I'm not feeling the View is Worth the Climb. I found it too sappy and over polished. I liked "Going, Going Gone" and "A Certain Way" but most of the rest of the tracks just didn't stand out for me. I think the album was a bit rushed because the producer was in New Zealand for two weeks or something like that. Just not a standout Tim Finn album for me.

Hard to find a decisive winner from Intriguer, Dizzy Heights and Out of Silence. I think the quality of songwriting was comparable on all three. Of course, each album is distinguished by a very different sound. Intriguer with a more conventional 'band' sound you can expect from CH. Dizzy Heights with slick, if occasionally over-polished production. Out of Silence with the choir, Infinity Orchestra and Victoria Kelly.

I'd put Lightsleeper behind the above three albums. To be honest, I've never listened to The View Is Worth the Climb and Pajama Club in their entirety. And I have no good excuse why. Perhaps that can be my Sunday evening plan.

I guess my overall assessment of the decade is that it produced some very good albums, without a true masterpiece. Would I take another 'good' decade like this? Yeah, probably. Do I longingly hope the Finns paint one final masterstroke, the 'Together Alone' of the 2020's? You bet.

1. Intriguer.

2. Our of Silence.

3. Light sleeper.

I haven’t listened to View Is Worth the Climb much yet.