Liam Finn: FOMO

Liam Finn’s moody but mannered debut featured a song called “The Shadow Of Your Man.” Why be coy, though I’ll Be Lightning bore the musical DNA of Elliott Smith, but Liam himself bears the genetic material of Crowded House and Split Enz frontman Neil Finn. His sophomore effort, FOMO, is a valiant, largely successful attempt to carve out a unique identity by dint of buzzing guitars, overdubbed harmonies, and busy production. It helps that Finn has never been as convincingly unhinged as he is on “The Struggle,” where he wails “Are you worth the trouble” over a seesawing synth line and bad-dream bass. It’s just one of the indicators that FOMO is a ruder, more bruised and bruising album than I’ll Be Lightning. He does reproduce himself one too many times with yet another skittering closing jam on “Jump Your Bones,” but at least he’s learned to avoid the slower, sparser numbers that put too much pressure on his pleasant but unremarkable vocals. And while Finn isn’t being entirely honest when he claims to have grown a thicker skin on the pulsing opener, “Neurotic World,” that’s all right. Scars can help you stand out.