Liam Finn

I’ll Be Lightning (Yep Roc)

If your father were Neil Finn (Crowded House, Split Enz), some of that songwriting would probably have rubbed off on you, too. Not that Liam Finn copies his dad, but there are similarities in their obvious love of simple melodies, hooks aplenty, and the Beatles-esque production on I’ll Be Lightning, Liam’s solo debut. What’s striking about this set is that except for some drum parts and Neil playing bass on one tune, Liam’s Lightning is bottled in his own one-man band, old-fashioned studio tricks and tape manipulation filling the gaps since he proudly proclaims that no computers were used in the making of the album. An imposing concoction of mixed moods, from the roof-lifting “Lead Balloon” to the psychedelic fog of the title track and energetic skiffle of “Energy Spent,” Lightning‘s uplifting and imaginative vision is all Liam Finn’s. (Thursday, March 13, Ale House, 11pm; Friday, March 14, Ale House, 10pm.)

***.5

This article appears in March 14 • 2008.

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