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FEATURE MUSIC

DEFYING GRAVITY It’s the House party that never ends. Crowded House climb the Gravity Stairs to release a magical eighth album. Words Jeff Jenkins

FINN FAVES

It’s an impossible question, but we asked Nick Seymour: Can he nominate his three favourite Neil Finn songs? INTO TEMPTATION (from 1988’s Temple of Low Men ) Still one of my favourite moments for the integrity of the lyric and the poetry itself. We played it so beautifully when we recorded it, and it still stands up. DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER (from 1986’s self-titled album) A rhyme that has a resonance in an adolescent way but doesn’t seem corny or undergraduate. It has a kind of clumsiness, a frailty that’s a sign of good poetry. SHOW ME THE WAY (from 2021’s Dreamers Are Waiting ) Lyrically, it evokes such a cinematic and dreamy presence. It’s like a Munch painting.

Crowded House: Neil Finn, Elroy Finn, Liam Finn, Nick Seymour, and Mitchell Froom

FUN FACT Crowded House were known as The Mullanes when they started out – Mullane is Neil Finn’s middle name. Nick Seymour’s middle name is “More”, which means his full name is Nicholas More Seymour. Neil’s wife, Sharon, calls the bass player “Nick More”, and the band’s late drummer Paul Hester always called him “More”. “My mum, who was an historian as well as a staunch Catholic, believed that Sir Thomas More was everything that was good in humanity, so she named me after him. He was a Catholic martyr, beheaded by Henry the VIII.”

“ A s I grow old, I’m grateful, ” Neil Finn declares in All That I Can Ever Own on Crowded House’s new album. The band’s co-founder, bass player Nick Seymour, agrees with the sentiment. “I do give thanks and pinch myself that this [the band] is still happening. And for the most part, it’s driven by Neil Finn. “He’s a machine in wanting to have an output as an artist as he ages – he’s churning out more work

than he ever has. He has that flow. Also, he’s happier than I’ve ever known him, in terms of being able to define those moments of inspiration, take care of business during the day and then sleep at night. “For the longest time, he couldn’t sleep, but he’s been able to get a good night’s sleep these days.” Seymour laughs. “But we’ll see what happens when we get out on the road – we’ll see if he’s okay on a bunk in the bus.

Gravity Stairs by Crowded House is out now via BMG.

Head online to jbhifi.com.au/stack for more Crowded House

Crowded House’s Australian tour kicks off at the end of November.

COVER ME

“Just to put people’s minds at rest,” Nick Seymour smiles, “of course I’ve seen the Revolver album cover. For God’s sake, it’s an homage!” Seymour has been responsible for the Crowdies’ distinctive artwork over

the years. “When I was at school, I used to do these elaborate pen and ink drawings. They were all oriented around 12-inch album covers – I always wanted to design album covers. When I discovered we were doing a vinyl

release for Gravity Stairs , I thought I’d do something in the style of Revolver .” The Beatles’ 1966 classic was designed by German artist Klaus Voormann who, like Seymour, is also a bass player.

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