Neil Finn
7 worlds collide

THE REVIEW

It's evening. Tired and stressed, I set out to find a CD that can accompany me to sleep, following the nuances of my flow, without distortions and without too many solitary surges... "7 Worlds Collide" by Neil Finn falls into my hands and I realize I haven't listened to it in too long. Play. We are in Auckland, in a theater with a warm atmosphere, and we are about to attend a concert where Neil Finn, an artist from New Zealand, will introduce us to some friends... maybe far more famous than him, but it doesn't matter!

It starts with "Anytime," accompanied by the presence of Ed O'Brien, Johnny Marr & Lisa Germano. A guitar riff and the lights come on, the valves of the amplifiers start to warm up, turning reddish, and the notes flow lightly. Shy. Ready, go, and on stage, with track number two, comes one of the most charismatic figures in American music: Eddie Vedder. The unmistakable voice of Pearl Jam is the first life force of the album, the first jolt, the first flash in this serenely rock sky. Vedder comes on stage, lights up the scene, and then hides again behind the curtains giving more space, once again, to the evening's first guests. The acoustic returns and thus unravel another 6 light, mystical but incisive tracks. With "Angels Heap" and "Edible Flowers" it's time for Tim, Neil's brother, and the atmosphere becomes familiar, the audience applauds, the guitar first and then the piano, caress and accompany their voices, united from the first notes. I begin to relax as well. Blue lights. Thick. Melancholy on the horizon. With track 11, Vedder's warm voice returns to the stage and the album, perhaps, reaches its peak. "Stuff And Nonsense" is a whispered and endless story, interrupted only by the distortions of "I See Red" played with incredible energy by Vedder himself and Tim Fill. More light rock, at times pop-like, and it's Lisa Germano's turn. "She Will Have Her Way"...

That "7 Worlds Collide" is a swing of emotions and sounds has been clear from the start, and so Vedder returns, with Neil's brother Tim, dusting off the evergreen "Parting Ways." There's room for everyone, for the ukulele and viola of "Paradise," and for the grand finale, always acoustic, with "Don't Dream It's Over." This "7 Worlds Collide" is certainly not the album of my life, but perhaps it will serve to bring the good talent of Neil Finn and his undisputed friends out of New Zealand's borders (and anonymity). Now I can sleep, my flow has found a traveling companion. Music. Immortal as always.