PIAS
Father and son Neil and Liam Finn’s debut was born of eccentric circumstances: Liam’s wedding, during which he was rendered unconscious following riotous festivities which saw him dropped on the ground by guests. The occasion, however, had already provoked Finn Sr. to compose opener Prelude – Island Of Peace, a phantasmagorical, shapeshifting tune announcing: “Let love begin!”. This sets the tone for a pretty collection that drifts from Meet Me In The Air – Air reinterpreting The Beach Boys’ ’Til I Die, from 1971’s Surf’s Up – to Back To Life, which echoes Beck and Prince at his more peculiarly funky. Where’s My Room also combines Beck at his most languid with, inevitably, Crowded House’s sweet sensitivity, while adding an unexpected bouzouki solo, and Anger Plays A Part could be a drowsy Tom Petty performing an acoustic I Won’t Back Down. Wilco fans, too, will swoon at the hearttugging Hiding Place and lovely piano ballad, Listen.