This same track 30 years ago would have Prince turning down Dr. There’s something in the mix here that’s fascinating in the realm of producers as pop stars. The synth then explodes and overshadows the vocal, and much of anything in the rest of the track is amazing. “True Believer”Įven on the most traditional dance-sounding single on Stories, “True Believer” features a fat, vamping synth reminiscent of Prince and the Revolution directly in the middle of the mix. Compare the hook of “Broken Arrows” (“Sometimes you choose, and sometimes you lose / Sometimes you shoot a broken arrow in the dark, but I see the hope in your heart”) to “The Gambler” (“Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em / Know when to walk away, know when to run”), and it’s entirely too close to ignore the seemingly intentional similarity. Calling this the EDM answer to Rogers’ 1978 crossover hit “ The Gambler” wouldn’t be too far off. A metronome beat with a tambourine tacked to it copies the drums, while Zac Brown turns into Kenny Rogers. The song’s intro features a ‘70s-style analog synth that mimics what a jangling country guitar would sound like in opening the track. “Broken Arrows”Ĭountry stalwart Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band gets into the mix. I’d almost want to hear this track done acoustically with Avicii on the piano, featuring a gospel choir and soloist, than in this very pedestrian EDM-type delivery. The programmed claps and kicks feel nearly out of place. “For a Better Day”ĭoo-wop torch songs bathed in Baptist church-inspired piano runs would be the last thing one would expect from Avicii, but that’s what’s delivered here. The imprisonment of heartbreak, as explained through progressive bass, is a difficult topic explored in both a heavy and sonorous manner. Add in the halftime, dubstep-style breaks soon thereafter, and this hits a feel similar to Alex Clare’s “ Too Close.” Then, layer in the Zapp & Roger vocoder effects on the keyboard with the double-time drum loops, and this reaches another level. When the male vocal reaches the upper registers, it finds the soulful impulse in the lyrics. The prominent folk guitars heard on “Wake Me Up” make their Stories debut here along with haunting, Ed Sheeran-style vocals. It’s possible this funky outlier could do some pop chart damage. Spiraling vocal loops wrapped around major-key piano chords and a crunching, mid-tempo beat set the Top 40-trending track “Touch Me.” The brassy female vocal screams more classic Chicago house than 2015 Billboard chart-topper, and if you’re playing the Avicii home game, you already know he’s bending and shaping those rules against their will in so many ways these days.
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Add in some tropical house steel pans, and for those for whom dance is enjoyment and not obsession, this one leans left enough of “ Wake Me Up” to feel completely refreshing in every way. The violins and guitar-style chords dance against the bassline here and almost do the work for those with two left feet heading to dancefloors in droves worldwide. “Talk to Myself”Ī clear homage to Jellybean Benitez’s new-wave-meets-freestyle synth work on Madonna’s 1984 smash “ Into the Groove,” “Talk to Myself” expands Avicii’s sonic palette. But on an initial listen, it definitely makes the listener want to hear it again. Does this mean it’s also easy to grow weary of hearing the track overplayed ad nauseam? Possibly. These elements make the song an incredible earworm overall. It’s all here: the amplified kick on the fourth beat of the bar the lyrics in the actual vocal hook and Garrix’s trademark xylophone-style synth work over the bridge. The lead single from Stories-“Waiting for Love,” coproduced with Martin Garrix-might, in the best way possible, exceed the record set by David Guetta and Black Eyed Peas’ “ I Gotta Feeling” for number of hooks allowed in electro-pop anthems. A mixed bag of explorations into what dance can be, it delivers a blend of both outstanding and underwhelming productions, too. In 14 tracks, Avicii dives headlong into country, reggae and rock, with straight-ahead dance tracks actually bringing up the rear. After becoming a global superstar synonymous with electronic dance music following True-his platinum-selling album also responsible for more than 80 million singles worldwide- Avicii follows up the massive 2013 release with Stories, an album that meets the tall order of expanding beyond expectations to satiate a much broader audience.