What We're Listening To
CD
Foot of the Mountain, A-Ha
3/5
IN A NUTSHELL
A-Ha are more comfortable back in the world of synth pop, even if it's not entirely a spectacular effort.
REVIEW
A-Ha wandered off into the forest a little while ago looking for a different sound.
Foot of the Mountain signals that they're back home in the gumdrop world of synth pop, no doubt moaning about the grotty food and muggy weather in the lands without keyboards.
The legend of A-Ha was created on the synth, and the style fits in neatly with the band's ear for pop anthems and the rich, tinkling vocals of Morten Harket. But since they've been off questing, other bands have popped into their beds like a chart-topping Goldilocks.
Keane has frequently sung the praises of the Norwegian band, and this album's title track feels like it wouldn't be out of place on the Sussex act's debut Hopes and Fears. The band do get brownie points, however, for wrong-footing fans by releasing the single the day after they set it down in the studio.
Elsewhere there are peaks and troughs, but the best moments include a vintage Harket chorus in the bright Riding the Crest, and the more mournful Shadowside.
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2 Comments
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Read The Wharf E-Edition
Come on! Did you bother to listen to the album more than once?
I didn't think so.
With my first listen of the cd, I couldn't find anything toe-tapping except "Nothing Is Keeping You Here". I didn't really see what was so great about "Foot of the Mountain". (The video makes no sense)
But, now that I have listened to the album about 2 dozen times, I can't find a bad song on the album. OK, maybe "Start The Simulator" could use some work. But it reminds me of "White Dwarf" from Analogue. Somebody in the band has a bit of space exploration in their blood.
The last 4 albums from a-ha are better than their first 4. Of course, that is just my opinion.
a-ha have always been underestimated, this album is fantastic, you can't listen to it once and make an opinion. I think "The Bandstand" and "Shadowside" stand out and show a more mature sound. If you've never listened to their other albums, you should as some of their best work never gets released. They are so much more than the 80s Boyband that the media would have us remember for ever. I think the "Foot of the Mountain" video portrays a sense of longing, when you grow up somewhere as beautiful as Norway if you couldn't be there you would feel that way too.