Neil Finn - Out Of Silence

Out Of Silence is the fourth solo studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn, released in February 2014 via Lester Records.

Throughout 2017, Neil Finn gave his fans the opportunity to follow the progress of his new album Out of Silence, with four weekly live streams over the internet. The weekly sessions concluded with a final four-hour session, which was also live-streamed over the internet.

The making of this album is in complete contrast to its predecessor Dizzy Heights (2014), in which Finn spent a lot of time on the production of the album, and not so much on recording the basic tracks for the songs.

Anyone who had been watching this album sessions unfold online will know just how crucial Victoria Kelly, already feted for her work with director Peter Jackson on The Hobbit and The Lovely Bones, has been to the process. Prior to Out of Silence, Neil and Victoria had worked together on the acclaimed Dizzy Heights album and a string of ensuing live shows. Both relished the challenge of recording Out of Silence in this way.

The same, of course, could be said for the manner in which the recording sessions proceeded. It is hard to believe that the majority of Out of Silence was recorded in a single four hour burst. But perhaps the greatest mark of its success is that, were you not watching it happen in real time, you would never be able to guess. A mere week later, Out of Silence was available to download and stream, with physical releases on CD and Vinyl following later.

For Neil, it was the culmination of a life-long ambition. “Sometimes making music and making records don’t always feel like the same thing. But I always felt there had to be a way to merge them. And for me, this was the way to do it. I finally worked it out!”

The album swaps the traditional guitar led songs to an instrumentation layered around piano, strings and voice. This is a big change from the electronic sounds on its predecessor Dizzy Heights. The arrangements and backing instrumentation accentuate the songs themselves, some of which are moody and reflective. There is a touch of politics added within the songs “Terrorise Me” and “The Law Is Always On Your Side”. The album harks back to the simple production approach of bands that recorded in the 1960s and 1970s, bringing out the best of the song itself, without being overproduced and overdubbed to the point where the music sounds “manufactured”.

On this album, Finn bears it all, warts and all.

Check out the tracks:  “More Than One Of You”; “Second Nature”; “Chameleon Days”; and “Terrorise Me”.

This LP record is on black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeve, pressed in Australia.