By Ari Halbkram
Liam Finn is one of those rare musicians who's much beloved by his fans but completely ignored by everyone else. Despite this, he seems to be having a moment.
When he released his first album, I'll Be Lightning back in 2007, he had a lot to prove. The son of acclaimed Kiwi/Aussie 80's pop icon, Neil Finn, Liam took a very small part of the world by storm with an album that's not quite dream pop and not quite alternative rock. The result was a handful of songs that play like ethereal stories about love and second chances that hang out in the same sandbox as Radiohead without trying to actually be Radiohead. What a novel idea.
It helps that he puts on an undeniably killer live show where he often plays guitar, drums and theremin at the same time.
For his follow up, FOMO, Finn takes the same model he employed on I'll Be Lightning only now he piles on the guitar fuzz a little heavier, the angst a little stronger and the message a little grittier. This time we get a more Muse-like effort, which is really just Radiohead without the introspection.
On the lead single, "The Struggle," Finn paints a confusing portrait of a musician who found a modicum of success and can't quite figure out what comes next. "They came alive when I sold my soul," he sings. "I've been waiting at the crossroads, just hoping that they'd come."
Overall, FOMO (neospeak for "fear of missing out") is a good, catchy album. Finn asks "are you worth the trouble?" but I'm sure it's rhetorical. He no doubt knows that his fans are legion and will line up at the ready to hear whatever magic he cooks up.
Is FOMO worth your trouble? Absolutely.
Rating: Listenable
