I have been a huge Crowded House fan right from the beginning. They could do no wrong in my opinion and I was heart-broken when they broke up....then elated when they got back together. Their return CD, Time on Earth was very dissappointing for me. With so much time in between CDs to have written songs, I was expecting great things. But that didn't happen IMO. The album was dark and brooding, recorded after the suicide of CH's former drummer and friend, Paul Hester, it's understandable that Finn may have been in a more melancholy mood while recording this, but it just never worked for me. So, after the disappointment that was Time on Earth, I was hesitant to buy Intriguer.

I finally pulled the plug a couple of weeks ago and I'm sorry that I waited. Although this CD is still not up to the former glory of classic albums like Temple of Low Men and Woodface, this is a very good disk and more back to form. If not expressing the same quirkiness of their earlier work there are, at least, hints of it here. This is a new era and a new Crowded House...and that's not a bad thing.

It's taken a while to grow on me, but this CD is getting better with every listen. The songs are catchy without being too hooky and annoying. The second track, Archer's Arrows sound like it could have been an early Bowie tune and is probably my favourite track. But that could change, I'm hearing new things on each listen. The intricacies of simple melodies are what I've always loved about this band.

If you're a CH fan, you have to have this album. I was doubtful about the band's future after Time On Earth, but Intriguer has restored my faith and put them back on my auto-buy list.