Liam Finn + The Luyas at Hideout, April 5 | Concert preview

When your father’s Neil Finn and you grow up surrounded by the songcraft of Split Enz and Crowded House, it’s a given that at least a few pop smarts have been passed down. But who would have predicted that Liam Finn would follow so ably and prodigiously in Neil’s footsteps? (It certainly didn’t happen with the Lennons.)

From his voice to his songs, the younger Finn shows all the talent and melodic gifts of his father. Yet Liam supercharges the pop package with a manic energy and sense of adventure more akin to restless pop savant Jon Brion, literally leaping from instrument to instrument as he assembles one perfect nugget after the other, hook by hook.

Lately Finn’s going the easier route, playing with a backing band, the Come Agains, but the additional support only frees him to do more. Considering his impressive solo debut, I’ll Be Lighting, was released four years ago and his next album, FOMO, isn’t due until summer, fans will catch Finn at an interesting creative crossroads, debuting new material while finding fresh ways to present and interpret his past works.

Opening are Montreal’s enjoyably loopy the Luyas, whose Dead Oceans debut Too Beautiful to Work, their second album, embraces exotic quirk and whimsy—i.e., toy pianos and zithers—without sacrificing atmosphere.