Liam Finn - FOMO

Mon 30th May, 2011 in Music Reviews

Liam Finn can’t seem to shake the shadows of his past. He’s had to prove he is more than just Neil Finn’s son, prove he doesn’t need the comfort of his first band Betchadupa and prove he can move onwards and upwards from his excellent first solo record I’ll Be Lightning. Liam could have made I’ll be Lightning part 2 and a lot of people would have been happy, but instead he has pushed forward with his sound and a new state of mind.

Album opener Neurotic World belies the true nature of this record. Its lilting piano riff and hushed falsetto vocal have a melancholic feel, a sense of longing permeates as light guitars and synths swirl underneath the pianos refrain. This mood is broken with the following track Don’t Even Know Your Name, it’s driving drum beat and tremolo picked guitar pull you forward as the vocal melody rises to epic crests and swooning dips as Finn sings of instant attraction between strangers.

FOMO stands for ‘Fear of Missing Out’ and this theme permeates the record. Liam is always looking forward for what he may not be experiencing, romance, culture or home. Despite the weight of the subject matter it never seems to weigh the record down, as Finn approaches them all with an eagerness and spirit of adventure that helps the records more sombre moments, such as Real Late, feel as though there is a positive resolve waiting around the corner. I’ll Be Lighting was heavy with what was behind him, but on FOMO Liam is bubbling with the anticipation of new experiences.

The instrumentation of FOMO, almost all played by Liam, adds a dreamy air to the lyrical theme. At times it’s hard to even tell what instruments you are hearing, as a synth warmly burst over a faded guitar lick on Reckless or sprinkled keys and soulful bass lines on Cold Feet. Drums and drum machines take prime place in the mix and pulling up the songs where they have potential to drag, creating a brisk record from not necessarily brisk songs.

Despite the sonic fuzz and blips this is still a record of classic pop songs. Liam Finn has combined his talent as a classic pop writer and his youthful spirit of adventure to create something new out of something old. Ex-Gerling member Burke Reid handled the albums production and the aid of a second creative voice has helped Finn cut the fat and keep the records concise pop nature unhindered by a cavalcade of sonic experiments, all the while keeping it’s exciting exploratory nature.