Tim & Neil, the Finn Brothers, who have worked in cooperation in Split Enz and the Crowded House album "Woodface", began a project named "FINN" and finished their album. The album, that was made with Tchad Blake who is one of the most remarkable producer for his works with Latin Playboys and Soul Coughing, has beautiful melody lines and exquisite choruses, while it has a strange feeling and the
sound of percussion is vivid and exotic and brings strange floating feelings. Recently the two came to Japan for the convention of Toshiba EMI co. and gave a mini live performance (Tomoyasu Hotei, who made friends with the brothers, joined the performance as a guitarist). Then we asked them about the secret of their new soundmaking from many aspects. "I want to make recording as simple as possible in the future" (Neil) ? "I heard the project of you two is your heart's desire from former times, and though it was realized once as "Woodface" of Crowded House, why are you working together again?"
Neil:
"We are brothers, so we are simply delighted that we can sing together. We have never made an album just by us two, and after the last tour of Crowded House I could have a long vacation, so I thought that was a good chance." ? "What is the difference between the recent project and Split Enz?"
Tim:
"Recently we played all instruments. Enz presented strongly each personality of the members, for instance in our hair styles and fashion. But now it's back to us, so I think it is more simple." ? "In music business, like Kinks and Oasis, brothers seem to be on bad terms, don't they?" (laughing)
Tim:
"I hope we can make good example. There is a close bond in our family, though by all means brothers show rival sense." ? "Recently did you compose only by you two?"
Tim:
"We two composed a total of 19 songs in 12 days in Neil's friend's house in the west coast of Auckland where Neil lives. But they are rough compositions, almost sketches, so after that we finished them in studio." ?
"Was there conflict between you while you composed? For you are very different if only taking your lyrics. Tim's lyrics are straight to life in cases, while Neil's are abstract. Were there conflict between you in such aspects?"
Neil:
"We wrote lyrics and also music together. We put a basic idea together, and then we developed it. Indeed, lyrics written by me are abstract, for I treasure one phrase whenever I write lyrics, so its front and the rear have not much connection in cases. Though I don't mind that, when Tim joins there, the lyrics become more straight a little. On the other hand, when I join Tim's straight expression, abstract taste will add them a little, so I think we reflected each other in good way."
? "Then do you think recent works are different from the works each of you usually makes?"
Neil: "Yeah, recent work is very unique." ?
"By the way, Tchad Blake takes part in the recent project. What has his role been like?"
Neil: "It is co-producer and engineer." ? "What is the reason to unite with him again? I suspect that you like his unique sound making...?"
Tim:
"We are friends with him for we have worked together since old times, so he gives us frank advices..."
Neil: "Moreover, he creates a very unique sound like for the Latin Playboys. For him, we we were able to make strange stuff recently." ?
"I think them a bit strange, too. They are more exotic, and the sound of percussions are subtly strange..."
Tim: "We were worried about the percussion for a while. When we started recordings, we only had a tambourine. And asking "How are we going to do it?", when I was walking with Tchad in Auckland town, we found an African Percussion Shop. We bought many there ... Tchad paid all ... this is important (laughing) ... and we used them."
Neil:
"Recently we used Tichest base, dragon shaped drums. But more than that, the strangeness of the sound came due to the fact that we had no drummer and bass player, thus played them witout normal rhythm concept, just for the fun of it." ? "Do the songs show the feel of "distortion" because of this?"
Neil: "I think so. And Tchad had been to Africa before he came to NZ, so the feeling of rhythm he wanted to produce might have been affected by Africa. And I am tired of today's pop drum sound. So by taking it through effector and changing its tone, we made it dodgy partly on purpose." ?
"The keyboard called Cenbalin seems to help to make the strange sound, what kind of instrument is this?"
Tim: "It was used in the sixties for Hollywood movies and TV, an instrument like an analogue sampling box."
Neil: "I found it in LA six years before, it was sent to me just before this recording. We were about to want to use anything, so we repaired it and played it. That was a rare case." ? "Is it the reason why you used such anti-digital instruments this time that you are going to turn for low-fi, today's trend?"
Tim:
"No, I don't want to make a specific direction. I think an album is a time capsule of the era, so everything would change in Split Enz, Crowded House and in the solo works; I can't make out why they would change."
Neil:
"I want to make recording as simple as possible in the future. Today there are many choices, for example in effects, for too much technology. So we should reduce the time to think about such things, we would rather spend more time to think how we should express our feeling. And I want to make sounds that give you images of candle light and perfume of incense and so on." ? "Do you think you could do it in this album?"
Neil: "In this album we used no reverb machine and effects, as a result, we can listen to the sound of the room exactly as it is. We can feel the sound enter the space of our recording room." ? "Are these the same Maoris who join in the chorus in the song "Paradise (wherever you are)" as on the Crowded House album Together Alone?"
Neil: "They would be rather polynesians. I have been in Kip Island for two weeks, and I took an interest in their music." "The things that we two do are nothing like others." (Tim) ? "By the way, Neil produced and engineered Dave Dobbyn, a singer and songwriter of NZ, with Tchad, didn't you?"
Neil: "Yeah, I did that before making our album. He's my old friend, and asked me to do that. And I had time to do that."
? "That composition is like your album, isn't it?"
Neil: "It is because Tchad has to do with the two works " (laughing) ? "On the other hand, Tim projected ALT with Liam from Hothouse Flowers and Andy White, is this a continuing project?"
Tim:
"We will do it next year. Now Liam is recording with his band, we can do it when he's free." ? "How did the three know each other?"
Tim:
"My former album "Before & After" were produced by Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley, they introduced Liam to me. After that, when I went to Dublin on holiday because our moms are Irish, Liam introduced Andy to me." ? "Are there no conflict among those passionate three?"
Tim:
"Indeed, Andy who was born in Belfast, makes many political comments, though he is a good guy ... a good guy he is. When we three are together, naturally everything goes alright. " "I hope the new Crowded House album comes out early next year." (Neil) ? "By the way, what's going on Crowded House?"
Neil:
"Nick is in Melbourne, Mark's in LA now, composing and rehearsal have been already finished, so we only have to decide the location of recording and the person to work with. I hope the new album of Crowded House out early in the next year." ? "Do you plan to work with Tchad again?"
Tim:
"He will buy us percussions!" (laughing)
Neil: "Um ... there's a little possibility, but with him the new one would become similar kind." ? "The former album of Crowded House, Together Alone, has a high degree in its complexion, how do you think the next album will be?"
Neil: "Though Together Alone one was made slowly and carefully, and songs themselves have width, the next one will be more simple one. I want to find something new everytime I make a new album, so something must be changed." ? "Do you think it must be always innovative and new?"
Neil:
"No, that's not on purpose. Now I'm older than I was when I made the former albums, and I've been to more places, and have got through more. All your experiences in your life purely reflect on your music, so such new experiences change your music." ? "Then what will this project bring you in the future?"
Tim: "The things that we two do are nothing like others, so on the other project we'll never do the same things again."
Neil: "He says so, but ... (laughing). From the bass and drums we played this time... especially from the chest bass, I learned much from such strange instruments, so for example, though Crowded House has a model of arrangements, it will be changed." ? "By the way, do you plan a tour on this project?"
Tim: "We planned an acoustic tour for ten days in Europe and UK in November, and in the next January we will hold a band tour for three weeks. We will engage to the band Jim Moginie from Neil's favorite band Midnight Oil as a guitarist, and Paddy from NZ as a keyboardist. And also Mr.Hotei!"
Neil:
"That's an unlikely story." (laughing) |