Intriguer | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 June 2010 | |||
Recorded | April 2009 – January 2010 | |||
Studio | Roundhead Studios, Auckland RAK Studios, London Real World Studios, Wiltshire | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 40:19 | |||
Label | Fantasy, UMGI | |||
Producer | Jim Scott | |||
Crowded House chronology | ||||
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Intriguer is the sixth studio album by rock group Crowded House, released on 11 June 2010. It is the band's follow-up to the group's 2007 reunion album Time on Earth . The first single for the album, "Saturday Sun", was released to radio and the video clip released to the internet in April 2010.
Following the release of Crowded House's reunion album Time on Earth in 2007, Neil Finn announced that the band would re-enter the studio to record a follow-up album which would feature the current lineup, consisting of Finn on vocals, guitars and piano, fellow founding member Nick Seymour on bass guitar, Mark Hart on guitars and keyboards, and then-newcomer Matt Sherrod on drums. The band performed a small concert in The Leigh Sawmill, north of Auckland, in February 2008 and featured a few songs which were later to be recorded by the band for the next album.
In 2009, the band re-entered the studio and recorded demo tracks of 11 songs, some of which Finn had written during the tour around the previous album. For these recordings, the group enlisted producer Jim Scott for the first time, who then continued to produce the whole album in Finn's studio, Roundhead Studios in Auckland, New Zealand.
The band hired various guest musicians throughout the recording process, including multi-instrumentalist Don McGlashan, Lisa Germano on violin, Jon Brion on vocals and guitars, James Milne on additional vocals, and Finn's wife Sharon and son, Liam Finn contribute backing vocals and guitars, respectively. [1]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
BBC | positive [3] |
Billboard.com | positive [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [5] |
Los Angeles Times | [6] |
Mojo | [7] |
musicOMH | [8] |
Popdose | positive [9] |
Q | [7] |
Rave magazine | [10] |
Sputnikmusic | [9] |
The Times | [11] |
Uncut | [12] |
Zeitgeisty Report | [13] |
The album was very well received by professional critics and the public. On Metacritic it has 75 out of 100, based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". [14] Most enthusiastic was The Times which pointed that "it goes shoulder to shoulder with their best materials" and gave it 5 stars. Also very positive was Billboard which found that "Finn's durable songcraft never fails to enthrall." BBC was also very positive with statement "Crowded House have always sounded in parts like the later solo career Paul McCartney should have had. Despite the anthems being on a tight leash, repeated listens reveal this to be one of their best albums." [3] Entertainment Weekly gave it B+ saying that "the House head honcho proved he was still a classy, clever tunesmith, and does so again here on Intriguer." Mojo, Allmusic Guide, and musicOMH gave it 4 stars with many praises such as "Intriguer will have to stand or fall on its own merits. If there is any justice in the world it will be a bestseller."
Allmusic Guide put Intriguer in its annual list of best rock albums in 2010. Intriguer was on many lists of best albums in 2010 of various music magazines and sites including Popdose, "Popblerd", "Qromag", "Blurt-online", and others. In "Popmatters" which gave 7 out of 10 stars at first, Intriguer finished on "slipped discs" of 2010, great albums which didn't make top 70 of the year.
Among mixed critics was Q Magazine, which gave 3 stars and stated that "who could've predicted, then, that Intriguer would be his best work in nearly two decades?" Uncut also gave 3 stars, saying that the album "suffers slightly from Crowded House's signature weakness: a tendency to retreat into tastefulness."[ citation needed ] Ally Carnwath from The Guardian also gave it 3 stars, saying "the trouble with the album's more conventionally crafted pop songs is that they invariably sound dull."[ citation needed ]
All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Saturday Sun" | 3:27 |
2. | "Archer's Arrows" | 4:05 |
3. | "Amsterdam" | 3:34 |
4. | "Either Side of the World" | 4:35 |
5. | "Falling Dove" | 4:35 |
6. | "Isolation" (Finn, Mark Hart, Nick Seymour, Matt Sherrod) | 4:38 |
7. | "Twice if You're Lucky" | 3:34 |
8. | "Inside Out" | 3:19 |
9. | "Even If" | 4:03 |
10. | "Elephants" | 4:27 |
– USA/Canada issue substitutes "Don't Dream It's Over" for "Isolation"
All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Saturday Sun" | 4:10 |
2. | "Archer's Arrows" | 3:54 |
3. | "Amsterdam" | 2:53 |
4. | "Either Side of the World" | 5:21 |
5. | "Falling Dove" | 5:10 |
6. | "Isolation" (Finn, Mark Hart, Nick Seymour, Matt Sherrod) | 3:57 |
7. | "Twice if You're Lucky" | 3:56 |
8. | "Inside Out" | 3:17 |
9. | "Even If" | 5:52 |
10. | "Elephants" | 3:43 |
All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Only Way to Go Is Forwards (Live)" | 5:13 |
2. | "Beautiful Life (Live)" | 5:14 |
3. | "Either Side of The World (Live)" | 4:52 |
4. | "Twice If You're Lucky (Live)" | 4:52 |
5. | "Bound To Rescue (Live)" | 2:47 |
6. | "God Lives Over The Road (Studio Demo)" | 3:41 |
7. | "Isolation (Studio Demo; Alternate Version)" | 3:30 |
8. | "Better Things (Studio Demo)" | 3:22 |
9. | "Even If (Take 1)" | 4:23 |
10. | "Archer's Arrows (Alternate Version)" | 2:57 |
11. | "Saturday Sun (Alternate Version)" | 3:30 |
12. | "The Intriguer" | 3:26 |
13. | "Turn It Around *" | 4:04 |
14. | "Eyes Grow Heavy*" | 3:42 |
15. | "Two Minutes of Silence" (Finn, Mark Hart, Nick Seymour, Matt Sherrod) | 4:12 |
16. | "Nonsense of Course" (Finn, Hart, Seymour, Sherrod) | 9:05 |
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] | 1 |
Belgium [16] | 10 |
Ireland (IRMA) | 17 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [17] | 31 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [18] | 3 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [19] | 32 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [20] | 98 |
UK Albums Chart [21] | 12 |
US Billboard 200 | 50 |
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members included Finn's brother Tim, who was in their former band Split Enz; sons Liam and Elroy; as well as Americans Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod. Neil Finn and Seymour are the sole constant members.
Neil Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz, of which he shared lead duties with his brother Tim, and the lead singer, guitarist, and a founding member of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 until 2022. Ed O'Brien of Radiohead has hailed Finn as popular music's "most prolific writer of great songs".
Brian Timothy Finn is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songwriter. Following Judd's departure in 1977, he was joined by brother Neil. Finn wrote or co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs, including "I See Red" and "Six Months in a Leaky Boat". While still a member of Split Enz, he began a solo career, scoring the two hits "Fraction Too Much Friction" and "Made My Day" in 1983; he left the band in early 1984, briefly returning for their farewell tour later that year.
The Mutton Birds were a New Zealand rock music group formed in Auckland in 1991 by Ross Burge, David Long and Don McGlashan, with Alan Gregg joining a year later. Four of their albums reached the top 10 on the New Zealand Albums Chart, The Mutton Birds (1992), Salty (1994), Envy of Angels (1996) and Rain, Steam and Speed (1999). They had a number-one hit with "The Heater" (1994), while their two other top 10 singles were a cover of "Nature" by the Fourmyula (1992), and an original, "Anchor Me" (1994). From 1996 to 2000 the group were based in England; they returned to New Zealand and then disbanded in 2002.
Woodface is the third studio album by Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn and was released by Capitol Records in July 1991. It features five singles: "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet", "It's Only Natural", "Weather with You", and "Four Seasons in One Day". Woodface was a major hit in Australia and New Zealand as well as giving the band their first top ten hit album in the UK. It was listed at No. 3 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums in October 2010. It was voted number 80 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).
Mark Hart, is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp and Crowded House. As well as being a group member, touring and session musician for acts such as Ringo Starr, Hart has composed film scores and is a record producer.
She Will Have Her Way is a compilation album featuring female Australian and New Zealand musicians performing songs written by Neil Finn and Tim Finn, members of Split Enz and Crowded House. A follow-up album, He Will Have His Way, featuring male artists, was released in 2010.
Together Alone is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band's first three albums, which were recorded in the US and Australia and produced by Mitchell Froom, Together Alone was recorded in New Zealand with producer Youth. Six singles were released from Together Alone, including "Distant Sun", which was a top 10 hit in New Zealand and Canada, and "Locked Out" which reached number 12 on the UK singles chart and number 8 on the US Modern Rock chart, the latter on the strength of the song's inclusion on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Reality Bites.
Temple of Low Men is the second studio album by New Zealand-Australian rock band Crowded House, released by Capitol Records on 5 July 1988. The three band members, Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Paul Hester, recorded the album in Melbourne and Los Angeles with Mitchell Froom as producer. Finn had written all ten tracks during the two years since their self-titled debut. Temple of Low Men peaked at number one in Australia, number two in New Zealand, number ten in Canada and number 40 on the US Billboard 200.
Crowded House is the debut album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. Produced by Mitchell Froom, it was released in August 1986 and was certified platinum in four countries. The album includes the hit singles "Don't Dream It's Over", "Something So Strong", "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere".
See Ya 'Round is the tenth and final studio album by New Zealand's premier new wave band, Split Enz, and was released in 1984, following the departure of founding member Tim Finn, whose solo career had officially taken off the year before. Remaining songwriter Neil Finn, claiming to be a little daunted by the prospect of leading his older brother's band, subsequently announced that this would be the final Split Enz studio recording. Since he only had an EP's worth of material ready, the record was filled out by lightweight, experimental contributions from each of the other band members. In interviews, Neil has revealed that the original EP was to have been the first five tracks on the album.
Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, usually abbreviated to Recurring Dream, is a compilation album by rock group Crowded House, released in 1996. It includes most of their singles, as well as three new songs, "Not the Girl You Think You Are", "Instinct", and "Everything Is Good for You".
Liam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer and musician. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child. He is the son of musicians Sharon and Neil Finn. In 2020, he joined his father's band, Crowded House.
Time on Earth is the fifth studio album by Australian rock band Crowded House. Tracks have been produced by both Ethan Johns and Steve Lillywhite and the album was released on 30 June 2007 in Australia, 2 July in the United Kingdom and 10 July in North America. Time on Earth is the band's first studio album since 1993, and marks the reunion of the band eleven years after they disbanded and features new drummer Matt Sherrod in place of the original drummer, Paul Hester, who died in 2005.
"Something So Strong" is a rock song written by Neil Finn and Mitchell Froom and performed by Crowded House for their eponymous debut album. The track was released as the album's fifth and final single in April 1987. The single peaked at No. 18 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, No. 3 in New Zealand, No. 7 in the United States Billboard Hot 100, and No. 10 on the Canadian RPM 100.
Wilco (The Album) is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on June 30, 2009, by Nonesuch Records. Prior to release, Wilco streamed the album on their website. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.
The Very Very Best of Crowded House is a compilation album featuring 19 singles from the period spanning Crowded House's first five studio albums. A CD and DVD box set is available, which includes a DVD of 25 of the band's music videos. The album is also available as a 'Deluxe Digital Version' which features 32 tracks including a rare 1987 live recording of the band's cover version of the Hunters & Collectors song "Throw Your Arms Around Me".
Goin' Your Way is a live album collaboration recorded by Neil Finn and Paul Kelly during a performance at the Sydney Opera House on 10 March 2013. It was released on 8 November as a stand-alone 2× CD, Blu-ray or DVD; or in a Limited Edition Deluxe version with all three formats. From 18 February to 18 March, Finn and Kelly undertook a joint tour of Australia, they performed tracks from their respective careers, including re-interpreting each other's work. The CD album peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart while the DVD reached No. 1 on the related Music DVD Chart.
Dreamers Are Waiting is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band Crowded House, released on 4 June 2021 through EMI Music Australia. It is their first studio album since 2010's Intriguer, with the band reuniting with producer Mitchell Froom, who is now also the band's keyboardist, for the first time since Recurring Dream (1996). It is also Crowded House's first album with Neil Finn's sons Liam and Elroy as members of the group.
Gravity Stairs is the eighth studio album by Australian rock band Crowded House, released on 31 May 2024 through Lester Records and BMG Rights Management. It was preceded by the release of the lead single "Oh Hi" on 8 February 2024. The album received favourable reviews from critics.