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49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A-ha - Le Magnifique, 8 Jun 2009
Foot of the mountain sees A-ha return to the roots and produce a master-class in 80's synth laden pop, resulting in their finest album since their comeback in 2000, and arguably the finest of their 25 year career.
The album kicks off with Bandstand, an outstanding track that has a distinct Kraftwerk sound whilst remaining quintessentially a-ha. It is an excellent opener and sets the tone of the album perfectly.
Riding the Crest follows, a track that will be familiar to those who attended the RAH concert in May 2008, or to those who have listened to the YouTube concert clips. If you have heard the live versions, you may be disappointed as the album versions of Riding the Crest and Shadowside both lack the dynamism of their live performances. Don't get me wrong, they are still excellent songs, even with the somewhat subdued production, however the live performances showed that they have the potential to be epic. I suspect that the production of these two songs have been made to fit into the album as a whole and that single remixes will be done at a later stage, if they follow the live versions, expect them to be massive hits. These are minor criticisms, although as it stands, it looks like a spectacular own goal.
What there is, was premiered at the Brazil concerts earlier this year and fan reactions were mixed, this probably stemmed from the spectacular computer programming problems. The album version of What there is, is an entirely different affair, brilliant, a song that has the laid back vibe and sophistication of a Daniel Craig bond film theme song.
Foot of the mountain is the first single to come of the album, and well it fits nicely enough without being groundbreaking, a song so deeply ingrained in the sound of Keane that it almost fails to be a-ha, until of course Morten's vocals soar into the ether. I should state at this point that Morten seems to have regained his voice, a magnificent instrument in itself but sadly underutilised in their recent comeback albums.
And then there are the album tracks, normally a weakness for a-ha (maybe maybe, and you tell me, the way we talk); the album tracks on this album are excellent. I am convinced that the backing to `Nothings keeping you here' is essentially the backing to Nilsson's `Everybody's talking', however the similarity is limited to the riff and the song provides a real energy to the album.
The Real Meaning is a song that is atypical a-ha, looping keyboard riff, other worldly effects and the soothing tones of Morten's vocal to a heartfelt lyric.
Mother Nature goes to heaven has a slightly rockier edge, coupled with a background riff from the sun always shines on tv it's a guilty pleasure.
Sunny Mystery would not look out of place on the last Coldplay album, the song builds and builds, ebbing and flowing to the soaring chorus. In many ways this feels less at home on the album than any of the other songs, but it is a worthy inclusion none the same.
Start the Stimulator is a slow building epic end to the album, a lovelorn song to times past and acceptance. Pal Waaktaar is perhaps the world's most underrated songwriter, with this song he has created another masterpiece.
All in all, not just an excellent a-ha album, an excellent album full stop, and if Ladyhawke, Bat for Lashes, Keane and Coldplay can be successful copying the a-ha trademark sound, then a-ha deserve to reclaim their UK success with the Foot of Mountain.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A-hafantastically retrospective, 28 July 2009
This has to be A-ha's greatest album yet! From the Stay On These Roads sounds of title track 'Foot of the Mountain' to the stirring, dreamlike feel of 'Start The Simulator' ... Expecting a similar album to Analogue, the first album I had purchased by A-ha since their departure from their trademark sounds post Memorial Beach, I have relistened to this album since getting it yesterday. What more can be said? This is like A-ha's own retrospective of their own history. The musical styles. The echo of Hunting High and Low is there, as is Scoundrel Days, right through Stay On These Roads, on to Memorial Beach and beyond.
I loved Analogue, but this album has left me stunned and I hope this is not the end of A-ha's musical career.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Top of The Mountain - album of the year, 28 July 2009
I've been a fan since 1987 and Scoundrel Days. Every album they produce has punctuated a time in my life since then - all their albums have standout points that move me to tears, however this time with Foot of The Mountain, they've gone hyper - 9 out of 10 of these songs are instantaneous and are brilliant. Shadowside was the one that made me well up this time! A song about the effects of depression on a relationship. Other highlihgts i just can't stop listening to are: The Bandstand, Sunny Mystery,What there is, the title track, Mother Nature Gone to Heaven and Riding The Crest. The electronic sound is fresh really reminds me of early Depeche Mode in places - so more like 1981 than 1985!
Very, very VERY exciting!!!!! Buy this album!
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