Pajama Club: Pajama Club – review

The lacklustre band name – picked because main members Neil and Sharon Finn formed Pajama Club while lounging in their jim-jams one night – is a terrible introduction to an unexpectedly off-kilter project by the Crowded House leader and his wife. Who would have guessed the composer of all those beautiful mainstream melodies also had a lo-fi, funk-influenced streak – and the ability to turn it into a compelling album? Though Crowded Houseish harmonies slip into Dead Leg and TNT for 2, the bulk of this record is unlike anything Finn has done before. Sharon's bass and breathily intoned vocals are often the crux of a song, and sparseness and restraint always the watchwords, with even guest Johnny Marr reining himself in so his guitar sinuously entwines with the bass and synth lines on Can't Put it Down Until it Ends. These Are Conditions is another good moment, meshing Fear of Music-style Afropop and spiky husband-and-wife harmonising. A welcome surprise.