MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LIAM FINN - THE NIHILIST

Few albums are as sonically exciting as Finn's.  Now on his third proper solo album, the son of Crowded House kingpin Neil has the family knack for melodies, but takes inventiveness a whole step further than pretty much anyone.  Already known for his looping, Finn disgorges every conceivable burble and beep across these twelve cuts, everything built from complicated, fantastic drum and percussion beds.  There are these gorgeous songs going on, and the synths, bleats, pops and beats rise up to meet them on an equal basis.

Finn just can't leave anything alone, and for once, more is more.  Yes, you could strip all these down to nice, serviceable tunes, maybe even tour them as a singer-songwriter, but we probably have enough of them out there.  What we don't have is enough crazy bastards conducting sound symphonies.  There are layers on layers, parts of great beauty, odd twists, and unrecognizable bits, no doubt something sampled and processed into submission.  And with all of this, and it's a lot, there's always those songs, as sweet as the pop Dad (or Squeeze for that matter) has laid down for decades.  Viva New Zealand!