Admit it. Anytime you hear a rock star is doing a project with his wife, your first instinct is to run in the other direction. Fast.
Pajama Club is one of those side dishes, but we listened instead of ran. Neil Finn, leader of the band Crowded House, and his wife Sharon found themselves empty nesters and reacted by picking up instruments. Neil sits behind the drums for the first time, Sharon picks up a bass guitar and they invited along a friend known for his electronica music, Sean Donnelly.
Sharon shares vocals with her husband, and as a singer, she's a fine boutique owner. But this disc has a certain let-your-hair-down, lo-fi charm to it. It allows plenty of pressure-free time to experiment; "Go Kart" sounds closer to Kraftwerk than Crowded House ever will. Neil's melodic sense never goes away, either. It is burned into the Finn DNA.
Just don't go in expecting depth or polish. It wasn't the point.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: The sexually playful "Tell Me What You Want," with Neil singing the verses and Sharon the chorus, pulls you in immediately with its tribal drums and bass and synthesizer squirts. It opens the disc with a sense of great fun.