Lightsleeper

Lightsleeper
Studio album by
Neil Finn and Liam Finn
Released24 August 2018 (2018-08-24)
StudioRoundhead Studios, Auckland, New Zealand
Length48:57
Label
Producer
Neil Finn chronology
Out of Silence
(2017) 		Lightsleeper
(2018)
Liam Finn chronology
The Nihilist
(2014) 		Lightsleeper
(2018)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Paste6.2/10[3]
PopMatters5/10[4]

Lightsleeper, released 24 August 2018 is the first collaborative album by New Zealand father and son duo Neil Finn and Liam Finn.[5][6]

The album includes the track "Hold Her Close", gifted by the Finns to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the occasion of the birth of Arden's first child.[7]

Critical reception

Reviewing the album in The New Zealand Herald, Karl Puschmann wrote: "Each song is filled with little sonic details that are gradually revealed and melodies that take sudden turns to catch you off guard, but never sound anything less than completely natural and effortless." His verdict on the album was "Move aside Lennon/McCartney, we've got Finn/Finn."[8]

Singles

"Ghosts/Hold Her Close" and "Back to Life"[9] were released as singles before the release of the album.

Track listing

All songs were written by Neil Finn and Liam Finn, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Island of Peace - Prelude (Neil Finn)"2:44
2."Meet Me in the Air (Neil, Sharon, Liam & Elroy Finn)"4:42
3."Where's My Room"7:01
4."Anger Plays a Part (Liam Finn)"3:01
5."Listen (Neil Finn)"3:27
6."Any Other Way"3:49
7."Back to Life"4:09
8."Hiding Place"5:52
9."Ghosts"3:32
10."We Know What It Means"6:25
11."Hold Her Close"4:12

The 12-inch double vinyl features the additional track "Troubles"

Personnel

  • Neil Finn – vocals (tracks 1–10), piano (tracks 2–10), Wurlitzer (tracks 3–4, 10), acoustic guitar (tracks 7–8 and 10), electric guitar (tracks 3 and 7), bass (tracks 7, 9–10), ARP Strings (track 4), synth (tracks 1–3, 6–7, 11), slide guitar (track 7), Mellotron (track 10), beats (track 1), drum synthesizer (track 5), Drums (track 3 (3rd movement only))
  • Liam Finn – vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (tracks 2–5, 7, 9–10), bass (track 3, 5–8), beats (track 3, 6–7), drums (tracks 4 (4th movement only), 9), acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 8, 10–11), synth (tracks 4, 6–8, 11), sound effects (tracks 5, 8, 10), samples (track 5), loops (track 10)
  • Elroy Finn – drums (tracks 2, 7), percussion (track 3), slide guitar (track 10)
  • Sharon Finn – bass (tracks 2, 10), vocals (track 9)
  • Mick Fleetwood – drums (tracks 4, 6 and 10), percussion (track 6)
  • Connan Mockasin – electric guitar (tracks 2–3, 6), choir (tracks 1, 7)
  • Elias Dendias – bouzouki (track 7)
  • Spiros Anemogianis – accordion (track 7)
  • Barnes Family – choir (tracks 1, 7)
  • Devo Finns – choir (tracks 1, 7)
  • Jimmy Metherrell – choir (tracks 1, 7)
  • Elliot Finn – vocals (track 2)
  • Harper Finn – whisper (track 2)
  • Matthew Eccles – percussion (track 2)
  • Kody Nielson – drums (track 3 (2nd movement only))
  • Victoria Kelly – string arrangements (tracks 3, 8, 11)

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 180
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 146
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 8
Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] 35
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 83

References

  1. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  2. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Lightsleeper - Liam Finn, Neill Finn". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  3. ^ Salmon, Ben (6 September 2018). "Neil and Liam Finn: Lightsleeper Review". Paste. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  4. ^ Bergstrom, John (24 August 2018). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  5. ^ Ferguson, John (5 June 2018). "Neil and Liam Finn unveil Lightsleeper". NZ Music Business. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  6. ^ Noted. "Why Neil and Liam Finn's new album is a work of genius". Noted. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  7. ^ muzic.net.nz. "Neil & Liam Finn Reveal 'Ghosts' / 'Hold Her Close'". www.muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  8. ^ @CritiKarl (22 August 2018). "Album review: Neil & Liam Finn, Lightsleeper". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Neil and Liam Finn release single and announce new album". Radio New Zealand. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Neil & Liam Finn – Lightsleeper". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Ultratop.be – Neil & Liam Finn – Lightsleeper" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Neil & Liam Finn – Lightsleeper" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Neil & Liam Finn – Lightsleeper". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 September 2018.