18

The questions of the day are:  Why haven't I posted in weeks and why am I just posting about this topic now?  I unfortunately can't really answer either of them.

Remember when I said how I was really hoping I would like One Direction's new album more than Midnight Memories?  That hasn't quite happened...

Yes, the album is very good, and yes, their sound has evolved a lot in the past year, but there's something missing with this album that was present with their third record.  For one thing, this album doesn't have the edge they were saying it was going to.  I heard months ago that this was going to be a very edgy album, something along the lines of Midnight Memories.

Here's the track list:

1. Steal My Girl
2. Ready To Run
3. Where Do Broken Hearts Go
4. 18
5. Girl Almighty
6. Fool's Gold
7. Night Changes
8. No Control
9. Fireproof
10. Spaces
11. Stockholm Syndrome
12. Clouds
13. Change Your Ticket *
14. Illusion *
15. Once in a Lifetime *
16. Act My Age *

* Deluxe tracks

'FOUR' Deluxe Tracks

The boys have made it clear that this album connects the most with them since they contributed to most of the writings - yes, that means they're written from personal experiences.  "Fool's Gold" is supposedly about Harry Styles' ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift.  Call them even because she has some songs about him, too.

But apart from growing socially, musically the boys have shown growth from a boy band to a man band with the album.  "Fireproof" is a soft-rock tune that, according to Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone, can be compared to Fleetwood Mac's "Gypsy" with "Christine McVie-style keyboards."

"18" is my favorite track.  Co-written by Ed Sheeran, the song starts off with an acoustic, like most of the tunes Sheeran has written for the boys.  Then with the second chorus comes a wave of percussion and what could be a group of string instruments.

"Night Changes" was the second single released for the album.  The ballad's music video was directed by Ben Winston, who also directed the videos for "Story of My Life" and "Best Song Ever," their highest peaking song at number two on the Billboard charts.

[Source:  YouTube]

Listening to the whole album shines a light on the evident '70s and '80s rock-influenced tracks.  Out of 5 stars, I'll give the record 3 1/2.  They worked extremely hard on this album and it is clear in the lyrics and the compositions, but I still wish they had tracks like "Little Black Dress" and "Little White Lies" on this album.

Illusion

One Direction's fourth album FOUR was released at 11 PM last night.  I don't know if I've ever said this, but I have to have the actual CD - I don't buy albums on iTunes.  I won't have the CD until Friday (don't worry, my mom already bought it), so to hold me over until then, I bought the deluxe tracks on iTunes last night.

They have had better deluxe tracks.

All of their deluxe albums thus far have had some of my favorite One Direction songs on them - "Nobody Compares," "Does He Know," etc...

My favorite album of theirs is Midnight Memories.  I loved the edge they had with that album, but they still had some stuff that sounded like a mature continuation of Take Me Home, like "Best Song Ever," and some stuff that sounded like current British folk rock, like "Through the Dark."  I'm hoping this album as a whole can live up to the edgy potential it should.

I have not listened to the songs yet because I'm waiting for Friday when I have the CD in my possession.  From what I have heard, though (ie "Steal My Girl," "Night Changes," and "Fireproof"), the album put together isn't bad.

"Illusion" on the deluxe version is my favorite deluxe track - I love it.  The opening measures sound like "Little White Lies" from their third album.  "Act My Age" is very fitting for the only Irishman in the group, Niall Horan, with the Irish kick to it.  The song doesn't have as quite an edgy sound as a Dropkick Murphys song, though.

"Change Your Ticket" sounds like a song by The Script.... or a very pop-y song by The 1975.  That one is my second favorite deluxe track.  And "Once in a Lifetime" reminds me something but I can't remember.  That one's my least favorite on the deluxe album, but I'll listen to it over and over anyway because I know every word to every single One Direction song and there's no way I'm stopping now.

I've been listening to the deluxe tracks since I started this post.  As I continue to listen, they're not terrible at all.  And from what I have heard from the album, I'm pretty excited to listen to the rest of it.  When there was just Up All Night out, I loved it.  Then when Take Me Home was released, that one became my favorite and then the same thing happened with Midnight Memories.  I just hope the same thing happens with FOUR.