LIAM FINN (son of NEIL FINN, with whose CROWDED HOUSE he’s toured as an auxiliary musician) created a neat homemade album last year called I’ll Be Lightning. He’s followed up with Champagne in Seashells, a 5-song EP co-credited to ELIZA JANE BARNES, a member of his backup band who co-wrote three of the tunes. Despite its brevity, this disk is, to my ears, stronger than Finn’s debut. The classic combination of finely crafted pop songs with kitchen sink psychedelic production gives “Won’t Change My Mind,” “Honest Face” (the only song to betray an overt Neil influence) and “Plane Crash” an exceptional potency. As does “On Your Side,” which features Barnes on mellifluous lead vocals. Champagne in Seashells sets as even stronger foundation on which to build than did I’ll Be Lightning, and that’s saying something.
