ABBA - Arrival

It seems to me that ABBA can often be unappreciated. There's no legitimate reason why they should be - I say it all the time: when it comes to music, ABBA were geniuses. There's just no denying it. I may be slightly biased because I love the band, and have been listening to them since the time I was a kid, because my mother played a lot of ABBA around the house (yup, I think I inherited this particular musical taste). But even so, if you take any ABBA song and analyse how it works, they're incredibly clever and are in a league away from your typical formulaic pop standards.

I'm under the impression that people are often afraid to like ABBA, just because they're inextricably linked with the Eurovision. Don't get me wrong - I like the Eurovision - but I guess the popular opinion is that anything that's associated with this competition is inherently tacky (and more often than not, this can sadly be true). It's very possible that this view leads to people rating this album with more skepticism than they would with an album by a non-Eurovision act. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the album in terms of how it stands up to such scrutiny. I believe that ABBA's music represents much more than this pop-cheesiness of the Eurovision, and this review will explore the factors that make this album great in itself, as well as pointing out areas where it may be criticised for being overly Eurovision.

First, a little history. Arrival is ABBA's fourth studio album, and was released in Sweden on 11 October 1976. While they had already gained a lot of attention before this release, this album really pushed their place in the limelight. It contains three of their biggest hit singles: 'Dancing Queen', 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' and 'Money, Money, Money'. The track listing is as follows:

1. When I Kissed The Teacher

2. Dancing Queen

3. My Love, My Life

4. Dum Dum Diddle

5. Knowing Me, Knowing You

6. Money, Money, Money

7. That's Me

8. Why Did It Have To Be Me?

9. Tiger

10. Arrival

Before I start, just a little disclaimer: I understand that not every song in the Eurovision is tacky or cheesy, and there is often a wide variety of material in it. However, when I discuss a "typical" Eurovision song, I am referring to songs like ABBA's 'Waterloo' and Bucks Fizz's 'Making Your Mind Up', etc. 

'When I Kissed The Teacher' is a quirky upbeat track, and I like it a lot. When I first heard the opening line 'Everybody screamed when I kissed the teacher', I was really taken aback. I suppose that's probably a good thing - I mean, it grabbed my attention straight away, didn't it? I was suddenly struck with the bizarre yet somewhat funny image of a classroom in disarray. However, it's the vocal harmonies that make this song for me. The different vocal layers are all really catchy in themselves. When you put them together, it's just 100% pure vocal-melodic-harmony-poppy goodness. In this sense, the song is a little complex; it's difficult to create different melodies that work alongside each other, yet are still individually good. For this reason, I think this song stands above your usual Eurovision song. I prefer it to 'Waterloo' for sure, and I love the energy that's in it. 

'Dancing Queen' is a song that I've never liked all that much, but it's still respectable in several ways. I love how the piano interacts with the vocals - it doesn't just provide an accompaniment, but is interesting in itself. It comes in just at the right times, and doesn't take too much attention away from the main melody. Saying that, the song would be completely different without it. There's a lot of emotion in the vocals, and that's something that's important, as it makes a song genuine. It wouldn't be out of place in the Eurovision, but it's still a decent enough song on it's own. I can't really explain why I don't like it; it's a perfectly written song, but it just doesn't do too much for me for some reason.

'My Love, My Life' is one of my new favourite ABBA songs. I never knew it until I listened to this album, but now I'm absolutely addicted to it. It's a very sad song, and describes a breakup. The singer doesn't want the split, but has no choice in the matter. The general message of the song can be summed up with these lines:

I know I don't possess you, 

So go away, God bless you.

You are still my love and my life.

The lyrics are heart-wrenching, and they're also painfully honest. It's refreshing to hear a song about a break-up that doesn't involve anger or spite. The music is beautiful. The main vocal melody is very strong, and the harmonies are subtle which really works. The backing music is also great, and the chord progression is just different enough to catch your attention but still familiar enough to be pleasant on the ear. The whole song is really nice (dare I say slightly Beatle-esque?) and is definitely an extremely respectable song.

'Dum Dum Diddle' is an extremely catchy song, and I love it. Unfortunately, I can't find much in it that sets it apart from typical Eurovision songs. It follows a standard formula, and has a catchy (but in my opinion cheesy) riff. The words 'Dum dum diddle' also seem a little childish to me, and it's a bit of a tacky title. It's the type of song that I'd describe as a guilty pleasure, and I think that says it all.

'Knowing Me, Knowing You' is obviously great. I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it. The use of overdriven guitars is different for ABBA, and it really works in their favour. As always, the vocal harmonies are brilliant, and make the song really stick in your head; they're just as memorable as the main melody. I really like the guitar riff a lot too, because it has a really bittersweet sound to it. Everything about this song is great in my opinion, and it really has become a classic, hasn't it? So yeah, this is a brilliant song in itself and earns ABBA a lot of respect.

'Money, Money, Money' is an awesome song. The piano riff is kind of malevolent, and it adds a dark edge to the song. The lyrics handle a great topic - the desire every person has to have lots and lots of money; the desire to live a luxurious life. It's a vice of human nature, and I think the music portrays that perfectly. It's very brooding and driven - it has such a sense of urgency to it, as if the singer needs money right now. The little synth idea that occurs before and during each verse keeps the song moving, and adds to the overall feeling of sinister urgency and desperation. The chord progression also adds to this and is insanely memorable. There's so many things at play in this song, and I could easily spend all day talking about it. Any song that has this much going on in it certainly deserves a lot of respect and recognition.

'That's Me' is another song that doesn't really stand out too much for me. I do like it, but I think it's a bit lacking in terms of complexity. It's better than 'Dum Dum Diddle', and the rising chord progression before the chorus makes for a cool feeling of suspense, but it's nothing they haven't done before. It's very catchy, and is definitely a good song; I just don't think it's the same standard as some other songs on the album.

'Why Did It Have To Be Me?' is stylistically different from the rest of the songs on the album, and that makes it quite cool I think. The blues-inspired piano riff works as a main component of the song, and holds it all together. Again, the vocal harmonies are excellent, and the rising sequences at the end of the chorus are fantastic. I like the way the different voices interact with each other, and overall I think this is a brilliant song.

'Tiger' is one of my favourite songs on the album, because it's so ridiculously catchy. It's so threatening, both lyrically and musically. The vocals are harsher than usual, which works flawlessly with the menacing tone of the lyrics: 

The city is a jungle, you better beware

Never walk alone after midnight

The drums give the song a great momentum, and that suits the sinister edge of everything else and brings it all together. It's definitely worth listening to, as I think it's an under-appreciated song, and not everyone knows about it which is a crying shame. Definitely a high quality song.

'Arrival' is amazing. When I first heard it, I couldn't believe that ABBA could have created something so different from their usual stuff. It's an instrumental piece (there are vocals in it, but no lyrics), and is the best closing song for an album I've ever heard. It's majestic, jubilant, powerful, and deserves way more attention and credit than it gets. After hearing it, I asked some of my friends and family to listen to it and guess who the artist/band was. None of them guessed it. Not one. I wish ABBA had composed more music like this in their time, because it's so so good. Honestly, if you don't know it then go listen to it - I think it'll surprise you as much as it surprised me. What's more, Mike Oldfield covered this song. Yes, Mike frickin' Oldfield, who composed 'Tubular Bells'. I think that says something for the high standard of this music. If anybody ever criticises ABBA around me in the future, I'll sit them down and make them listen to this. It would prove any naysayer wrong.

Final Rating: 7/10

My favourite songs: 'My Love, My Life', 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', 'Money, Money, Money', 'Tiger' and 'Arrival'

In my next post, I'll be discussing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill.

995 albums to go!

The Human League - Dare

Before I start this blog post, I want to get something straight - I love synthpop. I love everything about it. In my mind, the 80s stand out as one of the best decades for music, mostly because of synthpop. Saying that, when it comes to The Human League, I actually wasn't familiar with a lot of their music until I decided I was going to review Dare. I mean, obviously I knew 'Don't You Want Me' and I was sort of familiar with  'Love Action (I Believe in Love)', but in general I was more or less ignorant of their contribution to the 80s pop music canon. 

So, listening to a lot of classic synthpop that I had never heard before was an absolute treat. When I decided to listen to this album, I was expecting lots of synthpop anthems like 'Don't You Want Me' - you know, general chart-topping songs that are not particularly adventurous or innovative (not that this makes for a bad song; this song is still one of my favourites on the album). 

I was so incredibly wrong. This album isn't just an album full of synthpop songs; it's an album that explores synthpop. Every song is like a study, or an experiment. Actually, scratch that - every song on this album is a work of art. I had never known that The Human League were such pioneers during their golden era, so this album really was an eye-opener for me, and I had a really rich listening experience.

So, with all that said, I'll look at every song individually. The tracklist is as follows:

1. The Things That Dreams Are Made Of

2. Open Your Heart

3. The Sound Of The Crowd

4. Darkness

5. Do Or Die

6. Get Carter

7. I Am The Law

8. Seconds

9. Love Action (I Believe In Love)

10. Don't You Want Me

'The Things That Dreams Are Made Of' sounds so dark and menacing, but has a great underlying message in the lyrics. It promotes living life to its absolute fullest - going on adventures, meeting new people, generally having new experiences and enjoying every day. It's a philosophy I agree with and it's a large part of the reason why I think this song is so great. Of course, the music itself is also brilliant. The opening synth riff is so catchy, without sounding too much like regular pop. It's a great hook to open the album with, because it's immediately strange yet entrancing. I also love the chorus - not only is it vocally interesting (let's admit it, Phil Oakey has a really cool tonal edge to his voice), but the main synth line is also so strange but incredibly addictive. 

'Open Your Heart' is your more typical 80s synthpop song, but it's still fantastic. Saying that, it's quite complex in its composition, as it's made up of multiple synthesizer and drum machine layers. Everything about this song is insanely catchy, from the beat to the synth riff to the vocal melodies. The harmonies in the chorus work really well, and the way that the main hook is also being played by a synthesizer is a great addition.

'The Sound Of The Crowd' is definitely one of my favourites from the album, if not my absolute favourite. Released as a single in April 1981, this song was the band's first commercial breakthrough. Honestly, I can see why. I don't really dance, but if I heard this song in a club I think I would feel compelled to head towards the dance floor - I can just feel that beat taking me over. Obviously the vocal melodies are very catchy, but what I really love about this song are the instrumental sections. Everything works really well together, and it's always what I have stuck in my head after listening to the song. It's a great synth dance song, but it's still so incredibly unique - it's dark and compelling, with a really different instrumentation that makes it stand out.

'Darkness' is a great following track. The subject matter is quite unusual; it describes the feeling of fear that can come late at night while surrounded by darkness after reading horror books. The vocals are brooding, the chord progression is catchy (yet sorrowful), and the synth in the background is unobtrusive but adds to the general feeling of indulgent fear.

'Do Or Die' is a bit of a strange song, but I really enjoy listening to it. There's a great sense of urgency about it, which is fitting with the title. The opening riff is at once unusual and enthralling - seriously, I can't listen to the start of this song without sticking through until the end. The beat is also full of momentum, and that alone makes the song worth your attention.

'Get Carter' is one I don't have much to say about. Just over one minute in length, it serves as an instrumental interlude before 'I Am The Law'. It's a cover of Roy Budd's theme for the movie Get Carter, and is played on a Casio VL-1. It sounds quite eerie which is cool, and it blends really well into the following track.

'I Am The Law' kind of carries on the same mood from 'Get Carter'. It's dark and slightly twisted and I love it. It's the slowest track on the album, but definitely doesn't suffer from that. There's no drum beat for the majority of the song, which adds to the feeling of  atmospheric space. The lyrics are slightly threatening, and that works perfectly with the music.

'Seconds' is a little bit said, and it really makes you think. The lyrics describe the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. The tone of the music is sombre and reflective, and the lyrics are just perfect. The line "It took seconds of your time to take his life" will stick with me forever. I don't have much more to say about this song, but it's absolutely brilliant.

'Love Action (I Believe In Love)' is one of the few songs on the album I already knew before listening to it (not because of the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, I swear...). It's obviously very catchy, but I wouldn't ever call it a pop standard. It's The Human League at their best - it's very definitive of their general sound, with the catchy synth riffs; cool vocal harmonies from Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley; and an overall 80s-fueled appeal.

'Don't You Want Me' needs no introduction, but I'm giving it one anyway. Released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from Dare, this song is the band's biggest commercial success to date (ironic given the fact that Phil Oakey did not want it to be released as a single). I love everything about this song. I love the intro, I love the rising chord progression and melodic sequences in the pre-chorus, I love the fact that it's a male-female duet, I love the story told in the lyrics, and above all I love the simple yet brilliant chorus. I defy anyone not to dance to this song when they hear it, even just a little bit. I'm going to be really cheeky and add that I've also uploaded a cover of this song on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/justin-p-ryan/the-human-league-dont-you-want-me-cover.

Final Rating: 10/10

My favourite songs: All of them. Literally all of them.

In my next post, I'll be discussing ABBA's Arrival.

996 albums to go!

Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo's Fuzzy is an album that really surprised me. Up until recently,  I had never even heard of this band, and I really feel like I've been missing out. The unique Americana rock sound of this album really blew me away.

The album was released in February 1993 by the label Slash, and was deemed "the best album of the year hands down" by Michael Stipe of R.E.M., who Grant Lee Buffalo were often a support act to.

Everything about this album appeals to me. Some songs have a really laid-back feel to them, which I love, while other songs are more dark and have an alternative sound (which I also love).

Here's the tracklist:

1. The Shining Hour

2. Jupiter and Teardrop

3. Fuzzy

4. Wish You Well

5. The Hook

6. Soft Wolf Tread

7. Stars 'N' Stripes

8. Dixie Drug Store

9. America Snoring

10.Grace

11. You Just Have To Be Crazy

'The Shining Hour' is such an energetic opener. I love it. I'm addicted to it. It's my jam. It's fast-paced with a minor tonality - always a cool combination. The drum beat is catchy and infectious (ok, I don't know much about the drums, but it sounds great to me). The piano riff after the first chorus is so dark yet relaxed; it just makes for some really good listening. The overdriven guitars sound great, and they make the song really edgy too. Overall, it's just a great song. Go listen to it. Go listen now.

'Jupiter and Teardrop' is a nice song. Not as edgy as 'The Shining Hour', but I guess it's not supposed to be. It's a nice acoustic-rock ballad with some nice lyrics. Not much to say on this one, but I like it a lot. It's pleasant, easy-going and is great to listen to on a lazy sunny day (something which is admittedly rare this time of year!).

'Fuzzy' is the title track of the album, and it's beautiful. It was initially the song that hooked me on the album. The melody is haunting, the falsetto in the chorus is heart-rending, and the guitar solos are perfectly emotional. The vocals are great too, and the acoustic guitar gives the entire song a really somber edge.

I think 'Wish You Well' is probably my favourite song on the album. The opening guitar riff that is present throughout the majority of the song is the thing that I love the most about this song. The entire song has this awesome ethereal feel to it, and the guitar riff really contributes to this. The vocals are also great, and the lyrics are really insightful:

Newspaper cloaks to wrap the truth

Propagand-acid dropped on the youth

It's easy to see like pulling a tooth

No one in line in the ballot booth

'The Hook' is a sweet but sad song. Again, not much to say on this one, but it's really nice. The vocals are gentle but also strong in all the right places. It's just a really great acoustic ballad.

'Soft Wolf Tread' is awesome. Just awesome. The lyrics are awesome. The vocals are awesome. It has a great momentum which is aided by the rhythm. It's a rough-sounding song for one that's built around acoustic guitar - but it's a great sound. Definitely one of the highlights of the album.

'Stars 'N' Stripes' is good, but I find it a bit dreary if I'm not in the right mood. It's more depressing than sad, and it doesn't help that it has a very slow tempo. Saying that, I have enjoyed it a lot, just not every single time I listen to it. It has its catchy moments and is still a good song, but it's not one of my favourites.

I love 'Dixie Drug Store'. Admittedly, it took a while for it to grow on me (mainly because the piano riff really annoyed me) but after listening to it a few times, I began to like it a lot more. The lyrics tell a crazy story about superstition and ghosts - it starts off normal enough but just gets stranger and stranger as the song progresses. Sometimes bizarre lyrics can make a song, and this is a prime example.

'America Snoring' is such a feel-good song. It's probably the most catchy song on the album, and definitely a good song to listen to when you wake up in the morning - it always gets my day off to a great start! With the combination of a memorable chorus and an unobtrusive guitar riff and accompaniment, it's a great hit.

'Grace' is a great song to listen to LOUD. Personally, I think it would have made a great closing track (especially given its length) but regardless, it's still a strong addition to the album. It's one of those in-your-face kind of rock songs that still has a really pleasant sound (if that makes sense). As always, the vocals are great, and so is everything else. 

'You Just Have To Be Crazy' is, in a way, a nice break from all the craziness of the album (ironically). I find it a bit repetitive, but at the same time it's laid-back, calm, relaxed. Not a bad song overall, but it doesn't stand out too much.

Final Rating: 9/10

My favourite songs: 'The Shining Hour', 'Fuzzy', 'Wish You Well', 'Soft Wolf Tread' and 'America Snoring'.

In my next post, I'll be discussing The Human League's Dare.

997 albums to go!

Pearl Jam - Ten

Pearl Jam's Ten is not an album I took to instantly. Sure, I kind of liked the most well known songs like 'Alive' and 'Jeremy', but the rest of the album didn't do much for me.

Well, after about 6 months of listening to it, I'm now in love with it. Ok, my favourites are still 'Alive' and 'Jeremy', but I could still listen to the whole album comfortably (more or less).

So, here's a little history. Ten was released on August 27, 1991 (a month before Nirvana's Nevermind) through Epic Reocrds. It was the band's debut album and did not prove to be an immediate success. However, by 2013 it had reached 10 million sales.

The tracklist is as follows:

1. Once

2. Even Flow

3. Alive

4. Why Go

5. Black

6. Jeremy

7. Oceans

8. Porch

9. Garden

10. Deep

11. Release

'Once' is a great opener, and I love it. It has great momentum and a catchy chorus, not to mention cool overdriven riffs. Eddie Vedder's vocals are so gritty and angry, and it suits this song perfectly (of course, this applies to every song on the album). What more is there to say? It's one of my favourites on the album, for sure.

'Even Flow' is another song that's worth listening to. I mean, whenever I discuss this album with somebody, this song always gets an honourable mention. The melody and harmonies are haunting - and it really is surprisingly melodic for a grunge song, but it works.

'Alive' is probably the best known song on the album, and it's for a reason. It's what I'd describe as an anthem. It's all about Vedder's adolescent realization that the man he believed to be his father wasn't actually his father at all. It's very angsty, and I think it could reach just about anyone on an emotional level. Combine that with an infectious chorus and an awesome guitar solo, and you have an amazing song.

'Why Go' isn't a bad song, but doesn't stand out as much as the others. Don't get me wrong, I'd never skip over it when I'm listening to the album, but it's a little bit dull compared to some of the better songs on the album. There isn't much of a melody, and the guitar is just a little bit too grungy for my taste. I still like it a lot, but it certainly isn't the highlight of the album.

'Black' is more or less the first slow song on the album, and it's a nice break from the boundless energy of the first four songs. It's quite sad, and can be a little bit dreary if you're not really in the mood for it. However, when you wanna hear a good heart-wrenching rock song, then this is the song for you; the melodies are beautiful and the lyrics are touching.

'Jeremy': What. A. Song. The first time I listened to it, I enjoyed the melody and the tone of Vedder's voice, and the rest of the instrumentation was something I enjoyed too. But I didn't come to LOVE the song until I started paying attention to the lyrics and found out about the story the song is based on. Vedder based the lyrics on an article he read about a high school student who shot himself during class on January 8, 1991. Knowing this, the lyrics took on a whole new meaning for me - and particular lines became incredibly deep and haunting, like "Try to erase this from the blackboard". Wow. If you don't know it, you really should listen to it. In my opinion, it's not just the best song on this album, but Pearl Jam's best song in general.

'Oceans' has this great surreal feeling to it, which is achieved through the strange rhythm of the guitar riffs and Vedder's rare use of falsetto. I think it suffers a little because it comes after 'Jeremy', which is a hard song to follow. It's a shame, because I think it's a really cool song in itself, but sometimes it can be easy to forget about.

'Porch' is really energetic, and I really like it. I mean, there's nothing particularly amazing about it but it's still a good song. Expect a forward-moving beat and some overdriven guitars - enjoy!

To be honest, 'Garden' is where the album starts to wear a bit thin for me. It's nice and everything, but just a bit too dreary. I really like the chorus - it's full of raw emotion - but it's still not a song I could listen to a lot.

'Deep' really doesn't do anything for me either; it just seems unnecessarily long, drawn-out and repetitive. It has good vocals and the instrumentation is ok, but... meh.

'Release' is a nice closing song. I really like the opening guitar riff - it's simple but effective and sets up a cool mood for the song. The vocals are solid and so is everything else. I guess I would have preferred a more energetic song to end the album with, but this wasn't a bad decision. The hidden track 'Master/Slave' isn't bad either.

Final Rating: 7/10

My favourite songs: 'Jeremy', 'Alive', 'Once', and 'Even Flow'.

In my next post, I'll be discussing Grant Lee Buffalo's Fuzzy.

998 albums to go!