Try Whistling This...

I am a sucker for melodies...especially those which are lyrically loaded... I must admit that's last thing that you would hear from a person whose mornings generally begin with a dosage of a "20th century schizoid man" or "6 o'clock on a Christmas morning" (Okay, it's not exactly christmas! And I cant remember the last time I saw dawn...I wanted to underline the fact that I dig prog rock/metal!)...But then there's something about what is come to be known as "intelligent pop" ( Contrary to my view a coupla years back, the term is not exactly a paradox!) that makes you want to stretch your legs, put up your hands behind your head and really, REALLY relax.... There are a flock of artistes that I have begun to check out at a retail music store/website these days...and beat this! I have begun doing this before even checking which Camel album I do not own yet! And one of the chief reasons for this sort of metamorphosis is this brilliant, brilliant singer/songwriter called Neil Finn...I just own one of his albums now called "Try Whistling This"..but it will probably outnumber the times that I have played my latest Porcupine Tree buy on my deck by a looong margin....So,what's so awesome about this album? Okay, here we go..some of my thoughts on some of his tracks...

1. Last One Standing - Kick starts the album with a jiggy acoustic groove...the tempo that this groove sets carries forward through the entire track with so much energy...and as far as the lyrics...well, wish I can get away smoothly with something like this...

"Lean and hungry with a fire in your eyes
I'll play catch up, you can show me where it's at
I'll go along with anything that you want to do
Everyday I'm making ground
So high I might as well be gone"

2. King Tide - Starts with a seemingly innocently gloomy four lines before it suddenly gets infused with strong chords and it takes a heavier turn with each passing verse...I like the way this heavy downpour hits the climatic note with the chorus rendition...Actually this climatic note is more anticlimatic, if anything...the last verses, the chord element gets so strong that Neil Finn is almost rapping along to keep pace!!


3. Try Whistling this - The title track is really toned-down in terms of the mood, the pace etc...But two things that I like about this song...the bass drum in the back ground and the soaring end to the song...Beautifully constructed melody and pulled off brilliantly by Finn...

4. She will have her way - My favorite track out of this album...whether it is the "ru-tu-ru" backings or the uplifting turn that the track takes when Finn starts the " Still no end in sight...though I travel far and wide" verse...Agreed, most critics would not rate this as the album's best track..my message for them is "GO PICK UP NICK HORNBY'S 31 SONGS, DUDE" !!

5. Truth - If not for anything, the fact that this track has the line " Truth is worth more than pride"

6. Dream Date - Memorable bassline..but I gotta nod in agreement with most other reviewers, the falsetto on the chorus is a definite turnoff!

7. Faster than light - Okay, I don't dig the melody on this track a lot, but then again, there's something about these lyrics which makes you remember the moral science lessons at school!

and praise will come to those whose kindness
leaves you without debt
and bends the shape of things
that haven't happened yet
close your eyes, colours changing like a lizard
I know where the sun goes
I have seen the world turning
in time you'll find that some things
travel faster than light
in time you'll recognise that love is larger than life

8. Addicted - He keeps a low note on most parts of the song..But I love the keyboard parts with " and you wait and it makes you feel strange...as if you were deranged...and you lie with a look to the side...and you say I was addicted to the drug...but I know when I've had enough"...

Now, Neil Finn is not a fantastic vocalist..far from it...Most of the times when he hits the lownotes, you wish you are hearing someone else...But his falsettos make you cringe your brows...but hey, this dude can churn out good , lyrically sound melodies and I maintain, am a sucker for 'em...