Begeisterndes Comeback

Was für eine Überraschung: Keine Geringeren als Crowded House kehren 2021 mit einem neuen Album zurück, dem ersten seit elf langen Jahren.

»Dreamers Are Waiting« heißt der Nachfolger von »Intriguer« aus dem Jahr 2010.

Aber bereits die erste Single, »To the Island«, zeigt: Die australisch-neuseeländische Band um den Sänger und Songwriter Neil Finn weiß immer noch mit ihrem Mix aus Indie- und Alternative Rock, Pop und New Wave zu begeistern.

Das Line-Up der Band auf »Dreamers Are Waiting« umfasst neben den Gründungsmitglieder Neil Finn und Nick Seymour den Produzenten und Keyboarder Mitchell Froom sowie Finns Söhne, den Sänger und Gitarristen Liam Finn und den Schlagzeuger Elroy Finn.

Fast hätten wir schon nicht mehr damit gerechnet. Umso schöner, dass sie zurück sind: Crowded House mit ihrem Comebackalbum »Dreamers Are Waiting«.

The first Crowded House album in 11 years can be seen as a homecoming of sorts. Standing alongside bassist Nick Seymour as always, Neil Finn welcomes his sons, Liam and Elroy Finn, as official members along with Mitchell Froom. The producer of the first three Crowded House albums is back to helm Dreamers Are Waiting in addition to playing keyboards in the group. This is a fairly dramatic shift from the Crowded House lineup who recorded Intriguer back in 2011, but the results wind up being richly textured and subtle, an album that finds its subdued groove quite early, then proceeds to find variations within it. The emphasis on quiet and space isn't far removed from Lightsleeper, the collaborative record Neil and Liam released in 2018, yet there's a heightened sense of songcraft here that makes the muted guitars, rounded riffs, and waves of keyboards embed tunes into the subconscious. Songwriting has long been a strength of Neil Finn, but the notable thing about Dreamers Are Waiting is how he's spread the songwriting wealth, collaborating with the full band on a couple of tracks, writing with both of his sons as well as his brother Tim, who once was in Crowded House, and also gives Liam a solo spotlight. The communal effort naturally emphasizes the group's communal voice, one that salutes and tweaks classic pop forms in equal measure. Echoes of loneliness float through Dreamers Are Waiting, but this isn't a melancholy album. The melodies are insistent, as are the dampened rhythms, giving this album a warm, palpable heartbeat that can be felt even if the record is all captured in soft focus. It's this gentle, reassuring touch that makes Dreamers Are Waiting a balm, an album that offers familiar comfort even if it doesn't precisely sound like any previous Crowded House record.

(by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide)