Neil Finn is recording an album live on Facebook

Crowded House star Neil Finn is inviting fans to watch the creation of his new album on Facebook.

Every Friday in August, the singer-songwriter is streaming sessions live from his studio in Auckland, complete with a full choir and orchestra.

The project culminates on 25 August, when the entire album will be recorded in one marathon session. The record will then be mastered and released a week later.

It's an ambitious undertaking - but Finn says it has sharpened his writing.

"Normally in the studio, there's a lot of time to indulge and procrastinate," he tells the BBC. "But when you're in full view you just get down to it.

He adds that recording songs live, with a full band, "is a reminder of a very old, tried-and-true method of making music".

He explains: "Nowadays, with everyone working on laptops, it's very common to build a song in the studio. But when you sit in a room and apply yourself to the task of making music beautiful, with talented collaborators, it's a joyous, soulful thing to do."

Neil Finn's album Out of Silence is out on 1 September. He was speaking to BBC Music's Mark Savage.