Crowded House: Afterglow

You don't miss certain bands until they're gone, and few fit that description better than Crowded House. Formed by Neil Finn after the dissolution of the seminal new-wave act Split Enz (itself originally formed by Finn's brother Tim but later reinvigorated by the addition of his pop-genius brother), Crowded House came out of left field—well, New Zealand—to hit it big in America with its self-titled 1986 debut. But, as the band's popularity in this country waned, it grew to superstar proportions around the globe. By the time the group released its 1993 swan song Together Alone, Crowded House had to struggle for airplay in the States even as it headlined massive festivals in Europe, and in these U.S.-centric times, the pressure of the discrepancy eventually led to an amicable split. Listening to Afterglow, an excellent collection of B-sides and demos mostly from the latter half of the band's decade-plus run, it's remarkable that anyone would take a talent like Neil Finn for granted. The term "Beatles-esque" was tossed at the group a good deal, but in Crowded House's case, it was an apt compliment. Arranged with care, Afterglow is a solid album in its own right: "You Can Touch," "I Am In Love," and "Left Hand" are stellar, while it's nice to have spare versions of "Private Universe" and the early live staple "Recurring Dream" on hand. "Sacred Cow" is a tailored-together gem combining two unfinished songs, while "I Love You Dawn" is a gorgeous ballad to Neil Finn's wife that should have ended up on an album. Drummer Paul Hester gets one of his trademark goofs included ("My Telly's Gone Bung"), but even that song is of the highest order. Afterglow may be little more than a top-tier barrel-scraping tease, but better late than never.