Crowded House- Crowded House

I’ve never had a relationship, which places me in a difficult situation because this album is all about the messy aspects of relationships. Based on that you can probably imagine, this album does not make relationships sound very appealing. There’s just so much need for control, a wanting to “progress” too quickly even at the risk of emotional damage, and desperate want to stay together in the face of what sounds like better judgment.

That latter aspect is explored in detail in their big hit “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” and it deserves to be. It has just enough contradictory elements to warrant relistens but without being off putting. That can’t be said for the rest of the album. Neil Finn, lead songwriter, loves playing with contradictions on this album, to the point that it gets confusing. But maybe that’s the point, trying to evoke the feeling of being in a certain kind of relationship. Or maybe all long term relationships, how should I know?

Here’s a question: what makes an album “deep”? I’m not going to try and write the thesis I could on this question, but I ask it because this album wants to be deep, but I’m not sure if it succeeds. What it succeeds in is being ambiguous, contradictory and at times uncomfortable because of those two elements. But is that enough to be considered “deep”? I suppose it would be if that is in fact how relationships are, in which case its a subtle portrait. I have no way of judging that.

Another possibility, is if an album gets you thinking about things like love and relationships AFTER you stop listening, that would at least be a sign of some kind of depth. In this respect, Crowded House does not succeed. While it is not exactly forgettable, I only found myself thinking about the confusion I felt while listening, rather than any of the themes the album wants to examine. I have the sneaking suspicion that this album is not as deep as it thinks it is.

1/5 A word on my grading system. I grade based on whether I think you should listen to the album, so in this case I don’t think you need to. A five is "Go and listen! I implore you!” I’m not trying to assert anything about the quality of the album, but whether I think it could add quality to your life.