Time and Tide stands as
Split Enz's creative peak and most fully realized effort. On previous albums, the band remained distant and removed, only revealing what little they did between the lines; for
Time and Tide,
Tim and
Neil Finn, while still clearly standing as outsiders, opened up, giving a rare glimpse at their feelings and thought processes.
Tim exorcised demons and fears in the funky workout of "Dirty Creature," experienced a joyful communion with nature in "Never Ceases to Amaze Me," outlined a global view in "Small World," and explored ancient folk music with "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" and "Haul Away," an autobiographical sea shanty.
Neil, on the other hand, gave darkly evocative yet slightly more abstract accounts in "Giant Heartbeat," "Take a Walk," and the claustrophobic "Log Cabin Fever" while still producing an infectious rocker in "Hello Sandy Allen." In addition to the peaks in songwriting,
the Enz never sounded tighter as a band, with lean, tasteful arrangements. The result is a timeless, thoroughly consistent album and the high point of the
Enz catalog. ~ Chris Woodstra