Guided by voices in his head

Liam Finn with collaborators Eliza-Jane Barnes and Elroy Finn  ...  ''I kept going back to demos...
Liam Finn with collaborators Eliza-Jane Barnes and Elroy Finn ... ''I kept going back to demos I had done and tried to put my finger on why they had more magic.'' Photo by Ken Clark.
Liam Finn's latest album is an attempt to capture the many voices in his head, writes Shane Gilchrist.

Liam Finn seems pretty happy to be talking about his new album, The Nihilist, if only because doing so allows him to come to the realisation all that tinkering and tweaking, not to mention soul-searching, is over.

Well, for the time being at least. As you read this, it's likely he's already come up with a few new ideas.

That's Finn's nature. He's programmed that way. After all, this is a man who played no fewer than 67 instruments on his latest effort, even though he had a proper band, comprising long-time collaborators Eliza-Jane Barnes (vocals), his brother Elroy (drums) and fellow New Zealand songwriter Jol Mulholland (bass).

Now based in Brooklyn, New York (he holds a three-year work visa for the United States), Finn says Manhattan might be regarded as a fifth entity on The Nihilist, even though he was initially wary of heading there to make his ''New York album''.

''I didn't really want it to be like that. Yet Manhattan did have a massive influence. It feels like this living, breathing entity. And every day you walk around there it feels surreal. It is stimulating and provides new ideas.

''David Byrne once said something about every street in Manhattan having its own tempo. And I immediately struck upon that. There is a pace to the city that you tap into,'' he explains during a recent visit to New Zealand.

Finn, who found a studio space not far from his new-found home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline, says the process of making The Nihilist combined strong collaborations with his band-mates as well as plenty of late nights spent exploring and experimenting on his own.

''I'm interested in making music that is much more than singer-songwriter music. I'm finding indie-rock music in general a little bit stale.

"I wanted to record and produce by myself, to realise those visions in my head. That took a long time, but when I got there it showed it was worth putting that work in.

''The band had a big part to play in the evolution of a lot of the songs, even in the words sometimes. It felt nice to let go a little bit more.

"This time, I had more of a chance to explore the songs with the band, to work them up like you would before you start touring.

''The album is something in between being personal to me and fun to make as well. I'm enjoying playing the songs as a band and realising what an awesome force we have become as a group of people.

''I went into it hoping it would be a real band record with a live feel, but I kept going back to demos I had done and tried to put my finger on why they had more magic.

"So that's when I went back to the really meticulous process of working on my own. For six months I worked in my own studio trying to re-create the sounds in my head.''

Finn also dug deep into his psyche, attempting to create a range of characters for his songs.

''I accessed thoughts or fears I'd had in my life and tried to inhabit them. That allowed me to get beyond that safety barrier and reach heights of emotion.

"You realise there are only so many things going on in life, so to be able to express other things, perhaps something incredibly light or dark, is cathartic.''

The Nihilist continues Finn's progression from 2007 debut solo album I'll Be Lightning to six-track EP Champagne in Seashells and 2011's full-length FOMO: opening track Ocean Emmanuelle is a dreamy reflection, offset by Snug As F..., a melodic duet with Barnes that hints at Finn's work as a teenager in New Zealand band Betchadupa.

Elsewhere, Burn Up The Road offers fizzy guitars, 4 Track Stomper is exactly as its title describes and the album's title track reinforces an overall feeling of unhinged tension.

In short, Finn once again mixes psychedelic, otherworldly arrangements with pop hooks.

The release of I'll Be Lightning in 2007 earned him a 2008 New Zealand Music Award (Tui) for best male solo artist (a category that was claimed by his uncle Tim the previous year) and set him up for a hectic touring schedule, including sharing stages (and recording time) with the likes of Eddie Vedder, The Black Keys and Wilco.

Yet life in New York is not exactly easy for the son of Neil Finn.

''It is a constant struggle,'' he admits.

''I've been using my skills to work with other people. I've had to look outside the box. The industry has changed so much. No-one is giving you money to make records, so you have to work out other ways to do things.

''But that's why I moved to New York, really. I didn't go there to be comfortable. I went there to be hungry and inspired. And that's exactly what I got.''

Still, Finn is not complaining. He has a weekly residency at Brooklyn venue Union Hall, ''an intimate place'' that allows him to invite friends to join him on stage when they are in town.

''I'm not making too many plans. I've got this studio now, so I'm excited about sticking around and making new music and working on other projects. I like the idea of having this space that is better than your bedroom but not as sterile as a proper studio.

''In this room I have, I can experiment as much as I want.''

The record
Liam Finn's The Nihilist (Liberation) is released on April 4.

 

Add a Comment