Neil & Liam Finn

Lightsleeper INERTIA/PIAS

A harmonybfuelled family affair.

Liam Finn was still in short trousers when he first made his mark on dad Neil’s music – the lyrics to Pineapple Head, from dad’s band Crowded House’s 1993 album Together Alone, were inspired by nonsense phrases that Liam uttered while suffering from a fever. Now aged 34, he shares top billing on the family record Lightsleeper, which also features mum Sharon and brother Elroy.

Vocal harmonies are front and centre throughout, with the opening Island Of Peace, Meet Me In The Air and Back To Life reminiscent of the Beach Boys’ mellower early-70s recordings. Neil Finn also continues to mine the subtle McCartney motifs that have informed much of his work over the past 30 years (Anger Plays A Part, Hiding Place).

Guests include Mick Fleetwood, with whom Neil will hook up again soon for the touring line-up of Fleetwood Mac, but this is a resolutely Finn family album, genetics creating a gorgeous blend of voices that ooze warmth and positive vibes. It may not have the immediacy of Crowded House at their peak, but there are nonetheless defiant pop sensibilities seeping through the cracks of the more experimental left-field soundscapes that form the spine of the likes of Ghosts and We Know What It Means.