Crowbarred's Mellow Mix Volume 2: MM Vol 2 - 099

MM Vol 2 #099

Betchadupa

"Empty Head"

(2001)

................Genre: Alt Pop...............

* WaaachoooSQUEALkaff * Sorry, i sneezed. Must be this cold I've got. I checked my Flu Dictionary called "The Stand" by Stephen King and it mentions no flu called piggy flu. Which is good news because now i don't have to use any oinkment. I know ... bad pun. Now there was serious rumour that the virus originated from New Zealand and not Mexico [Remember, I did make a prediction about Mexico in March 23, '08 in Def 1000 #517, as you know, dreams of prophecy can be hard to interpret] but what did actually originate from New Zealand was our very own "Betchadupa" a band with "pedigree" heritage, namely the genetics of Split Enz [Uncle ~ Tim Finn] and Crowded House [Father ~ Neil Finn], the lead singer Liam Finn is truly blessed with pop sensibility, greatness of melody and songwriting genius. What more can you ask for?

What long white cloud?

Coming after three increasingly well-received EPs and released just after the youngest member of this New Zealand quartet, Betchadupa, turned 18, Aphabetchadupa is the first full-length release by a band that's unfortunately always known as "the band led by Neil Finn's son." Liam Finn is no Frank Sinatra Jr., however. Despite a superficial vocal resemblance to his father's mellifluous pipes, Liam is very much his own man throughout Aphabetchadupa. Considerably mellower and more melodic than their sometimes noisy EPs, many of the songs on Aphabetchadupa recall the mellow vibe of UK bands like Coldplay and Travis, yet even on ballads like the deeply emotional "Lucy's Song" or "Easy As It Seems," Liam avoids the prevalent trap of sentimental mopiness that ruins so many similar albums. More important, he's got a real knack for writing extremely catchy guitar pop tunes like the sublime first single, "Supa Day," and the sassy riff-rocker "Filthy McNasty." Neil Finn was the same age as Liam when he joined his older brother's band, Split Enz, and remade it in his own pure-pop image; Aphabetchadupa shows that precocious pop smarts run in the family. ~ [Stewart Mason, All Music Guide]

For Split Enz see Def 1000 #619, #671

For Crowded House see Def 1000 #394

For Coldplay see Def 1000 #769

For Travis see Def 1000 #523

This song has a crowbarred rating of 62 out of 108

One day i will get around to making a video [promise]