A-HA - EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON

If you think all the way back to the mid-eighties, you might remember A-Ha. They were one of those little synth pop groups that were sprouting up everywhere on the heels of the New Romantic or New Wave movement. What set them apart from other bands was the almost angelic quality of Morten Harket's vocals. His range seemed endless! Taking advantage of his vocal flexibility, the group wrote highly catchy melodies with sweeping scales and dramatic builds. In addition to decent songwriting, A-Ha's record label pumped money into state of the art videos for the band's singles. On the backs of firm promotion and a quality product, they topped the charts a few times and then dropped off the radar becoming just one of many background noise bands throughout the decade.

What makes them even more interesting is their tenacity and how they survived to continually release albums, even today. Listening to A-Ha is like watching a child learn to play an instrument. In the beginning, they were a sweet little synth band, tinkling away on their keyboards. One could credit a producer with creating the full sound they had on their first album. Each subsequent record shows more and more musical diversity and an ever present metamorphosis that we see more fully realized here on 'East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon'. They ended the 80's as one of the more remarkable New Wave acts and started the 90's completely revamping their image.

From the opening lines of 'Crying In The Rain', a Carole King cover, you can hear the difference. Gone are the layered keyboard motifs and to the fore come guitars and piano. This move away from synth pop isn't as much a move away from an unpopular musical form as it is a progression of musicians learning and developing over time. It's actually fascinating to listen to this record. When we first met them, A-Ha were a group of boys out to win the world. With this record, they're more seasoned and mature.

With 'Early Morning', the band moves from the subdued cover of 'Crying In The Rain' to a more urgent but also relaxed number. The rhythm is set by the melody repeating a fast paced scale over and over. Harket's vocals are incredibly expressive on this number. The adult contemporary nature of this record is everywhere. 'East Of The Sun' is also powerful and focuses more heavily on Harket's lower range vocally than most other songs. He doesn't spend a great deal of time on the higher end for this record, and yet his move towards the lower half of his range is just as calming and stimulating as previous efforts.

My favorite tracks on this album are 'Sycamore Leaves', 'Rolling Thunder', 'Early Morning', 'Cold River' and 'East Of The Sun'. But even those songs I'm not hugely fond of are enjoyable to listen to. The disc has a wonderful flow and easy listening quality making it perfect to play in the background or sing along with in the truck.

Put it in, turn up the volume and be shocked that this is the same band that gave us 'Take On Me'. My final word: DARING.

A-HA - EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON
01. Crying In The Rain
02. Early Morning
03. I Call Your Name
04. Slender Frame
05. East Of The Sun
06. Sycamore Leaves
07. Waiting For Her
08. Cold River
09. The Way We Talk
10. Rolling Thunder
11. (Seemingly) Nonstop July