CROWDED HOUSE’S NEW ALBUM, GRAVITY STAIRS, IS A LATE-CAREER TRIUMPH. BUT MAKING MUSIC SOUND SO EFFORTLESS REQUIRES AN INCREASING AMOUNT OF EFFORT NEIL FINN AND NICK SEYMOUR TELL CLASSIC POP.
PAUL KIRKLEY
Approaching five decades into a career as one of the world’s most successful and respected singer-songwriters, you might think Neil Finn would have this whole business of making music figured out by now. But no: 47 years after joining his brother Tim in New Wave art rockers Split Enz, and 39 since forming his own band, the Crowded House frontman is no closer to unravelling the cosmic mysteries of the song. Don’t imagine for a second, though, that he’s going to stop trying.
“As life goes on, it gets harder to feel the moments of inspiration are worth it – especially when physicality becomes more difficult,” reflects the laidback New Zealander when Classic Pop meets him and fellow Crowded House founder, Australian bassist Nick Seymour, at their record label’s London HQ. “It’s understandable that some people want to retreat and get their hands in the soil and be a gardener in their advancing years. But for some reason, I feel more compelled than ever to chase that elusive mystery that is music making.”
It’s this quest that informs the title (and much of the attitude) of Crowded House’s new album – only the eighth of their stop-start career – Gravity Stairs. Though initially inspired by an actual stone staircase leading up to the Finns’ holiday home in Greece (“I’ve lugged bags up there many times,” he recalls), it’s the metaphysical ascent that is Neil’s real concern.
“The first song on the album [Magic Piano], refers to ‘the bells ringing in the temple above’,” he explains. “That’s about waiting on the promise of a great new magic tune to appear. But being aware that you actually have to climb these stairs to get to it.”
This is not a new theme in Finn’s work: a decade ago, he released a solo album called Dizzy Heights, during which he spoke about being “addicted to trying to climb the mountain”, citing his esteemed countryman Sir Edmund Hillary as a possible inspiration.
“It does seem to be a comparatively consistent thread,” he says. “I work pretty obsessively over stuff, and Nick will probably vouch for the fact that it’s not uncommon for me to ta
