Ocelopotamus

Earlier this year it was announced that Neil Finn was getting back together with bassist Nick Seymour and guitarist Mark Hart to reform Crowded House. The new version will of course be missing its original drummer, the late, lamented Paul Hester, whose duties will be taken over by former Beck drummer Matt Sherrod.

The band is already playing some warm-up gigs, and the latest news is that their new album Time on Earth is due out in July:

“Time on Earth” will be released July 2 in the U.K. via EMI’s Parlophone label, though there is no confirmed release date or label for North America just yet. Sister label Capitol handled U.S. distribution for Crowded House during its first incarnation.

The album was formed from the foundation of what would have been frontman Neil Finn’s next solo album, which was in the works with Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour.

… One cut, “Silent House,” was co-written with the Dixie Chicks, whose own version of the song appeared on last year’s Grammy-award winning “Taking the Long Way.” Guitarist Johnny Marr, formerly with the Smiths and now with Modest Mouse, contributed to a pair of songs.

The official EMI site adds:

The long-awaited new album contains 14 songs and, in old Crowded House tradition, the album cover features a Nick Seymour painting. The band were joined by Johnny Marr on two tracks, ‘Don’t Stop Now’ and ‘Even a Child’, which he co-wrote with Neil Finn. The album also contains ‘Silent House’, which Neil co-wrote with the Dixie Chicks, and whose version of the song has been released previously.

The Crowded House page at Frenz.com has the tracklist for the album, and says the first single from the album will be “Don’t Stop Now,” released on June 25.

I’m thrilled that Johnny Marr is collaborating with Neil again. Below is the clip of Neil and Johnny performing “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” together, from the video 7 Worlds Collide, with Neil putting a brilliant spin on one of The Smiths’ best songs. The climactic high note he hits in the closing stretch of the song is an absolutely sublime touch. And for some reason I love the way Neil and Johnny call out each others’ names at the end of the song, too.

 
And let’s have some classic Crowded House: click through for the video for my personal favorite CH song, “Distant Sun.”

Bonus: Visit the em-pea-three section at Something So Finn for tracks from a live Finn Brothers gig at Regent’s Park in London from August 2004.

• Previously on Ocelopotamus: Music: Split Enz & Sparks