7 Worlds Collide release -preview

Neil Finn of Crowded House is back again with another 7 Worlds Collide project.

The name 7 Worlds Collide comes from Crowded House’s 1993 single “Distant Sun” (”seven worlds will collide/whenever I am by your side”). The original 7 Worlds Collide group formed in 2001, with Finn teaming up with Eddie Vedder, Johnny Marr (of the Smiths), Ed O’Brien and Phis Selway (of Radiohead), Tim Finn (Neil’s older brother), Sebastian Steinberg, Lisa Germano and Betchadupa (which features Neil’s son Liam) for a musical collaboration truly deserving of the word “supergroup. The group played five shows that later became the album 7 Worlds Collide: Neil Finn & Friends Live at the St. James.

Now Finn and friends (which include the returing Marr, Selway and O’Brien) are giving us the sequel, the double-disc album The Sun Came Out. Joining the group this time around are KT Tunstall and members of Wilco: bandleader Jeff Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt, drummer Glenn Kotche, and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Tweedy’s teenage son Spencer also pitches in.

The album, due September 29 via Sony Music, is truly a collaborative effort, with band members trading off songwriting duties on each track. Selway even sings lead vocals and plays guitar on “The Ties That Bind Us,” a rare vocal turn from the drummer.