Tim Finn’s The View is worth the cost

I’ve always admired Tim Finn‘s music, usually more than I’ve actually wanted to listen to it. Loved his work with Split Enz, thought his contributions to Crowded House gave the band a needed shot of variety at the right time, and his work with Neil in the Finn Brothers is fantastic.

But his solo stuff? Eh. There are high points, but if I made a list of favorite Finn-related discs, Tim’s work wouldn’t crack the top 10.

Until now. I clicked to listen to the single from his new album, and was hooked. “Going Going Gone” is a simple, pastoral gem, a song that serves as an aural warm blanket, perfect listening as the fall chill turns to winter cold. I took a chance and ordered the album, The View is Worth the Climb. To play off that title, the album is worth the import cost.

What makes it so good? Well, it might sound simple, but it’s the songs. Finn albums always have sounded good. He is a top-notch arranger, and his vocals are among the most distinctive in rock. But the songs weren’t always there. They seemed more hints at an idea than the idea itself. Working with Neil, he added elements that gave texture to his brother’s pop sensibilities. But on his own, he seemed to lack the hooks necessary to put a song over the top.

On The View, he brings the complete package. The songs are simple and direct, their hooks are strong. And the arrangements are simpler still. Where in the past he seemed to want to adorn his songs with bells and whistles, here they are largely conveyed with acoustic guitars and his vocals, with all other elements shading the picture rather than dominating it.

This transition began on his last album, The Conversation. It stripped things down from its predecessor, Imaginary Kingdom. The View maintains that simpler feel, but it contains better songs. Maybe I’m simply getting older and this more mellow music is now in my wheelhouse, but I think it as much that Finn is finally making music that feels organic, natural and content. Whatever the cause, it’s a winner.