I’ve enjoyed One Direction since “What Makes You Beautiful,” but only because I understood one hundred percent what they are — a boy band.

The guys were literally thrown together by Simon Cowell and made into superstars. I understand the “1D can do no wrong” mentality their fans have towards their manufactured music because I lived it with Backstreet Boys and Aaron Carter (yeah, I thought “How I Beat Shaq” deserved a Grammy). While I generally listen to more “indie” music, I’ve always appreciated One Direction for their contributions to my “Getting Ready” playlist, or my drunken loud sing-a-longs. All that being said, the guys surprised me with their latest album “Midnight Memories.”

While the band’s past two albums have been more on the pure pop side, “Midnight Memories” has a very obvious rock (mostly 80s) edge to it. “Best Song Ever,” which most obviously bridges the gap between “Take Me Home” and the latest LP, is the pure pop song we’d expect from the quintet. But don’t think people didn’t notice that nod to The Who’s “Baba O’riley” in the opening. The album’s title track “Midnight Memories” seems very influenced by Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” From the deluxe version of the album, “Does He Know?” is clearly an ode to Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” “Little Black Dress” also addresses 80s rock, with a messy and sexy song that sings, “I wanna see the way you move for me baby,” which will surely have 90,000 girls screaming every night on their just announced 2014 “Where We Are” stadium tour.

The band began when the boys were just 16, 17, 18, so now, three years later, it would be pretty sad if their albums didn’t continue to show some growth. Since the guys are still young, (Harry, the youngest at 19) the songs have become very sexually charged, but with some amount of subtlety in their “rock ‘n roll” lyrics. After all, One Direction still has young fans, ones which they don’t want to quickly lose like Miley Cyrus did. The chorus to “Midnight Memories,” sings, “Midnight memories oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.. Baby you and me, stumbling in the street singing, singing, singing, singing. Midnight memories, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Anywhere we go never say no. Just do it, do it, do it.” The “Little White Lies” chorus says, “You say you’re a good girl, but I know you would girl.” However, you’re not fooling anyone over 14 with those lyrics.

While the 80s rock bit might be fun for the parents dragged to the show to listen to, the songs sometimes feel forced. Instead of being rock, it sounds more like “Hey, I’m a rock (pop) star!” This is fine though, because it’s what’s to be expected from a boy band with an “edgier” album. The songs that sounded more genuine were the folky, Mumford and Sons paddle-drum-inspired tracks. The band’s second single, “Story of my Life” is a perfect example. All five of the boys helped co-write the song, which is by far one of the best songs on the album. With the acoustic aspect, the strong writing, and super developed vocals from all five of the boys, this feels like the most natural next step for the group. Following in a similar suit is the Lumineers-esque “Happily” co-written by Harry Styles. The song is very reminiscent of and just as catchy as — if not more so — than “Ho Hey.” “Through the Dark” and “Something Great” also fit in with these songs. If I were to pick the direction (ha) their next album would go, it would be in the style of these four, which by the way, all feature at least one of the members as a co-writer (as do all but three songs on the Deluxe edition).

Other songs on the album are everything you want to have in a One Direction song: a perfect balance of all five guys singing, super catchy choruses, fun up-tempo dance songs, and cute ballads that will make everyone swoon. “Diana” is very infectious, following suite with the more 80s rock influenced. “Don’t Forget Where You Belong,” written by Niall Horan and McFly, is very anthemic, clearly written with a stadium tour in mind. “Why Don’t We Go There” is one of the more “pop” songs on the album, and I have to give credit to Niall who sounds great at the end of the song (really through the entire album, his voice has matured the most). “You and I” and “Half a Heart” will surely bring some tears and aw-ing from the girls, as well as raised cell phones and glow sticks (do they still sell those?). Although, I have to remark on the awkward line in “Half a Heart”: “I’m walking around with just one shoe.” That’s not endearing, go find your other shoe.

While the band had some solid songs that begin to show signs of artistry in some of the members, others are completely unmemorable. Songs like “Strong,” “Better Than Words,” and “Right Now” were among my least favorite, mostly because they felt unnecessary. The songs added nothing to album, and honestly, it took me a few listens to even remember them. “Alive” is another one, but due to the poor songwriting. The beat and melody are catchy, but the song is saying “Yes, go sleep with every girl you see. It’s okay, ‘if it makes you feel alive'” No thanks. These songs, mixed with the more “forced” sounds, and the “almost-there” songs, show how rushed this album was. Three albums in three years? If the lads had taken their time on this album, perhaps had the opportunity to write more songs without co-writers, the album would have felt more like an album, and less like a cluster of singles. Although rumors of a 2014 album have already started, I hope they take their time on the next one.

But hey, most of these songs are catchy beyond belief, and I may or may not be buying tickets to their 2014 stadium tour…so, I think they’re doing something right.

 Score: 3.5/5

OCTOBER 2- Unless you’re an avid Spotify listener, chances are you’ve never heard of Noah and the Whale, but if their Oct. 2 concert taught us anything it’s that us American’s are behind the times and their music needs to catch on stat.

The House of Blues Anaheim was filled with mostly young teenagers, all in anticipation to see the five guys of Noah and the Whale perform. As the background music and lights turned off, the half empty venue was filled with screams, and the band began the opening strings for “Tonight’s the Kind of Night” from their 2011 release, “The Last Night on Earth.”

Noah and the Whale has seen a few band member changes since their start in 2006, but is now made up of lead singer and guitarist Charlie Fink, Tom Hobden (violin and keys), Matt Owens (bass), Fred Abbott (guitar and keys) and Michael Petulla (drums). The band’s debut album “Peaceful, the World Lays me Down,” was released in 2008 and made it to number five on the UK Albums Chart. The band has seen little stateside success, especially in comparison to “similar” UK cross over bands, like Mumford and Sons.

Similar doesn’t really seem like a fair comparison since the music only compares on paper. Both bands are often called “folk” but Noah and the Whale’s genre varies from album to album (and in concert, from song to song), while still managing to keep a distinct sound that’s very Charlie Fink. Perhaps it’s his deep soulful voice singing about heartbreak and giving out life advice on top of catchy pop infused folk-esque music.

The average age of the audience was surprising: around 16. One of the first times Noah and the Whale made some splash in the US was when their song “Blue Skies” was featured in an episode of One Tree Hill in 2009. Perhaps they caught up on reruns of the show and discovered the band late. Nonetheless some of Noah’s newest music spoke to them as Fink wrote to his younger self, as you can see in the second song that was played “Heart of Nowhere.” The song begins with “Your parents hide, they live in fear. They’re lying restless, as the dawn comes near. But you want to live, you want to try. You hear a whisper of the world outside.”

The transition from “Heart of Nowhere” to the third song of the night, “Waiting for my Chance to Come,” showed just how much Noah and The Whale’s music varies. The former being more of a pop song, while the latter displaying a more country/folk side with the violin. And to add just a little more spunk, “There Will Come a Time” from their latest release, “Heart of Nowhere” showcased an indie alternative genre with a bit of an 80s feel mixed in.

The band, who has become a European music festival staple now, has unfortunately not managed to convince the US audience. Their setlist showcased mostly older songs that the American audiences may be more familiar with, including a song from their debut album called “2 Atoms in a Molecule,” which the band told the audience was rarely played before, until they discovered how well audiences responded. It’s a shame the venue wasn’t sold out so more people could experience the infectious tunes and energy showed through quirky footing from Charlie Fink. Fink’s intricate dance moves would have made him a shoe in for the Footloose remake … I kid I kid, but he probably would be a hit at 80s clubs. He was so animated it almost seemed like he was just dancing in front of a mirror in his bedroom, he made us want to dance.

The band was all smiles throughout the entire show, and shared endearing stories with the crowd, including a story about how someone had gotten engaged at a previous show. But really, any American would be enamored with their British accents. Before closing the night, the band performed one of their most well-known songs, “5 Years Time,” which had everyone clapping and dancing. To completely change the mood, the band came back for an encore of the sad ballad, “My Door is Always Open.”

Set List:
1. Tonight’s the Kind of Night
2. Heart of Nowhere
3. Waiting for My Chance
4. There Will Come a Time
5. Give It All Back
6. L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N
7. Give a Little Love
8. Blue Skies
9. First Days of Spring
10. Old Joy
11. 2 Atoms and a Molecule
12. Shape of My Heart
13. Rocks and Daggers
14. Love of an Orchestra
15. Still After all These Years
16. Lifetime
17. 5 Year Time

Encore:
18. My Door is Always Open

Photography by Rosemary Vega.
[See image gallery at hollywoodtimessquare.com]

Yesterday, Fun. announced they would no longer be performing at the Gentlemen of the Road show in St. Augustine, Florida. The show will still take place today, with Mumford & Sons (the creators of the show series), Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Walkmen, and many more.

The cancelation is due to some vocal issues lead singer Nate Ruess has been experiencing. He posted the following statement on the bands official website:

Hey Guys,
I just wanted to take a second and explain the unfortunate circumstances in which we had to cancel our set today with Mumford & Sons.
Since Xmas time last year, I had been experiencing some crazy and annoying vocal issues. For me it’s been particularly tough, because in all of my years of touring (including the early years of doing 12 straight shows), I’ve never had to cancel a show because of my voice. However, last winter my vocals finally started getting the best of me.
After seeing a doctor, we decided that it was best that we change a few things in the touring schedule, as well as in the way we would approach shows in the future.
Because of that, I’ve been able to get away with almost 10 straight months of touring, without any issues.
But the last few weeks, things have started to change again. This is really hard on me…my voice is my life. As much as it might suck for fans to miss the show, it feels equally as terrible for us. After all, our live performance is what we’ve built this band around, and to be honest, right now in the middle of this tour, we are really rolling.
But in order to keep the tour going (as well as any sort of tour in the future), I found it necessary to cancel the show today. I went to the doctor the other day, fortunately there isn’t any permanent damage, but he concurred that a few days off would be crucial.
It’s a massive drag to cancel a show/festival with a band that we not only admire as artists and live musicians, but also as people. If we could be there, we’d be wearing bells.
Our apologies to the ticket buyers, and to everyone involved in the Mumford show tonight. We promise to make it up to you. We always do.
See you soon,
Nate

 

Feel better Nate!