Anvie Kay
Star Rating: ★★★★★
With the remnants of a successful 1D Day – despite several technical difficulties, that were (of course) pre-meditated – Midnight Memories is here ladies and gents! In the last week One Direction have been kind to fans and released 3 bonus tracks – Diana, Midnight Memories and Strong – along with some previews of several other tracks on 1D Day. But for those of you who weren’t able to watch or pre-order the album, here’s a track-by-track review…
Now before we get into this review, I’d like to say that this album is summed up in one word: resonance.
I say that because this third album resonates with their earlier albums, that is, it stays true to much of the 1D-sound-formula, were each of them shine and come together brilliantly in the choruses. But when I say that this album is summed up with “resonance”, I also mean that it resonates with the 80s and 90s in every aspect. It tells a story from Best Song Ever all the way through to Better Than Words. This album draws on musical geniuses of the past and recreates them for the present in order to be appreciated for the future.
Let’s get into it…
Best Song Ever was written for their doco-concert film, This Is Us, and is also the first single from the album. With a great video that gave the boys the acting experience that they refused to do for their film, Best Song Ever is fun, catchy, and gets everyone to belting it out and not just singing along when it plays.
Story of My Life takes a different direction, tempo wise, and slowly weans fans from their previous sound and prepares them for the explosion of what it looks like when 1D (almost) take full control of their music. The lyrics are simple, yet profound and the video shows us a glimpse of the previous lives of the boys and how nothing much has changed – they’re still grounded by the people who love and know them the most, their families.
Diana, as previously reviewed, is one of many songs where fans are thrown back to the 80s as it musically resonates with Sting and various other rock legends from the era. I’d like to make the disclaimer that I previously noted that this song was a reply to fan named Diana, but this is not the case. Nevertheless, I do believe that this song is purposely written for the fans who have written to the boys who continually thank them for saving their lives.
Midnight Memories is a lot like Rock Me from their Take Me Home album, but one thing I like about this song is that it demands you to belt it out. It’s edgy musically and for the first time, I think I actually want to head-bang to a 1D song – it’s that much fun!
You & I is a beautiful acoustic-based love song. The harmonies by the boys in this song are really powerful, so much so it leaves you almost speechless. Lyrically it’s simple, yet witty – it’s the kind of song that works because the accompaniment pulls back and let’s you listen to the lyrics. The full-throttle of the accompaniment comes at the end of the song and by then there’s nothing left to sing but, “You and I.” This song is easily one of my favourites from this album.
Don’t Forget Where You Belong talks about life on tour and how the boys stay grounded. It’s a song the boys (along with McFly) wrote for themselves really. Home is home and even when you get homesick, you know that you’ve four other mates that are feeling the same. I think it’s a great song for anyone, but it’s definitely one that the boys wrote to remind themselves that there’s no place like home, and being thankful that when they travel together, they take a piece of home with them.
Strong is another one of my favourites. Like I said when it was released, it’s a mix of Survivor and Phil Collins as it talks about love. What I really do like about this song is the lyrics. It’s simple (like much of this album) and the accompaniment, much like You & I, leaves you listening – but when the chorus hits, it’s like a declaration. It literally shouts: “I LOVE YOU!”
Happily sounds like something Avicii would release, minus the techno-beats. The beat is perfect for light dancing, while the lyrics are playful and inquisitive. It’s a cheeky song about being the other man with no remorse. It’s a song that begs the girl in question to drop the word “other” and let him be “the man”.
Right Now sounds like something that could have soundtracked the movie, The Vow – the idea of “moments of impact”; it has an element of ‘epicness’ to it. It’s one you listen to, but not necessarily belt out. Listening to it makes me think of U2 or Coldplay, were you appreciate the perfect combination of vocals, music and lyrics. Quoting Stephen Chbosky’s, Perks of Being a Wallflower, it makes me feel somewhat, “infinite.”
The Little Black Dress is any woman’s perfect accessory on a good night out in town. We’re back in the 80s with this song. It’s very rock-like in the sense that there are multiple voices singing the verses rather than just the chorus. It’s cheeky lyrically and lots of fun musically.
Through the Dark is another acoustic-based love song, but this time it’s a lot more upbeat. It’s about being there for the one you love no matter how hard things get. The beat that reverberates throughout this track again resonates with Avicii, but it works really well for the lyrics of this song. Another one of my favourites.
Something Great sounds like a song you’d hear on an advert, but it doesn’t mean it’s cheesy. It’s not for Coke or for Apple, but more like your favourite place on earth or a place that you dream of going to. It has a magical touch to it as it talks about endeavouring for something more, the urge to make what you’ve imagined a reality.
Little White Lies is much like Little Black Dress minus the chorus-like sound throughout the entire song. I have to say that the accompaniment overpowers the vocals, but not in the way that you can’t hear them. It’s overpowering nature compliments the lyrics perfectly as it talks about only focussing on the lies that are being told.
Better Than Words closes the album with a feel-good beat that has you bopping from start to finish. The melody is catchy and begs you to sing along. The lyrics are almost non-existent, which is the point! Not to say that it’s just “oohs” and “ahhs”, but rather, a summary of how good life is with this girl in what you do together rather than just they words that are shared, since “words aren’t good enough”.
Overall this third album is an excellent step forward for One Direction. Although it’s still sounds like them, I do believe that it is very different – a great kind of different. I’m giving the boys a collective eight out of ten for their writing skills and I can’t wait until the boys take full control of the process in future. Midnight Memories is a great indication of where the boys are headed and it’s one that anyone and everyone will appreciate from start to finish.
Purchase Midnight Memories on iTunes.
For the tracks on the Deluxe edition review: strictlyleisure.blogspot.com.au
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