For Pajama Club, Neil and Sharon Finn are joined by former Grates drummer Alana Skyring and friend Sean Donnelly. The result is a refreshing collection of tracks for their self-titled debut album. They combine to create pop-rock sounds that adventure into sonically sparse realms of diverse vocal activity and electronic instrumentation. Golden Child a fantastic example.
The Pajama Club benefit vocally from their boy/girl balance; their combined experience and talent goes without saying. Drums feature prominently throughout the album, opener Tell Me What You Want delivers with surprise; it’s sexy and struts to an infectious beat. Daylight is fun, youthful and reminiscent of post-Beatles Lennon. TNT For Two being the closest thing you’ll find to Neil Finn’s earliest sojourn’s into music.
Go Kart sees input from former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who was part of Finn’s impressive collaborative project, Seven Worlds Collide. It also featured members of Wilco and Radiohead and in a sense the Pajama Club’s multiple flavours reflect the sounds and experimentation from both those outfits. Diamonds In Her Eyes certainly playing with percussion and keys to mesmerise the listener.
‘It’s an experiment in progress’, the Finn’s say of Pajama Club. An experiment worth delving into.
Best Track: Tell Me What You Want
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Sky Blue Sky WILCO, Broken Bells Broken Bells
In A Word: Fun
JOHN DONALDSON
