Crowded House: "Together Alone" (Capitol)

Crowded House write perfectly-structured pop-songs, and nobody's going to let them forget it. It's usually said in an accusatory sort of way, as if any bunch of upstarts could do the same if they learned the recipe. Gather some tender young harmonies, pluck a nicely ripened chorus, simmer for three minutes, and there ya go.

If it's that easy how come the number of bands who can actually manage it could fit into the one taxi? Why aren't there more songs like the glorious 'Distant Sun' on the radio in place of those innumerable barrels of sludge? And 'Distant Sun' isn't even the finest track here. Crowded House are that good.

It's difficult to tell as yet whether Together Alone is as exceptional as Woodface, as their songs, more than most, really do need to be lived with for a while. Stylistically it's more ambitious, and heavily influenced by the remote area of New Zealand where it was recorded. The title track and 'Private Universe' are pivotal, both featuring the percussive talents of a group of local log drummers, while elsewhere you can hear the Waka Huia Maori Choir and a full brass band.

The sheer beauty of some of these melodies can overwhelm you. Like all the best songs they seem distantly familiar, and it's probably because the progression always seems so absolutely impeccable, with twists in the most becoming places. Like Neil Finn says on 'Fingers Of Love', it's the chiming of a perfect chord; the way the discordant, staccato verses of 'In My Command' give way to a sweeping, exhilarating chorus, or the harmonies in 'Nails In My Feet' ebb and flow. The louder they get, the less potent their material tends to be. 'Black And White Boy' does sound just the teeniest bit reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, while 'Skin Feeling' presumably wasn't meant to sound anything like 'The Fly'. But even here, the songs are far more involving than those superficial comparisons would suggest, and any how, there's always Neil's voice, infusing everything with a grace that makes you shiver.

No wonder Crowded House are sometimes taken for granted. It's their own fault, really, for making the sublime look so effortless. Makes you feel sad for the rest.

• Lorraine Freeney