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a-ha: Minor Earth | Major Sky

2000 CD Wea International 82183
2000 Wea International 83816

Sixth album for pop trio from Norway who first hit big in 1985 with their huge hit 'Take On Me'. 13 tracks including the first single 'Summer Moved On'. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

After several years apart, A-Ha have roared back with their best album ever. The songs are expertly crafted, beautifully performed and yet dark and deeply emotional. Morten Harket's voice is crystal clear and he truly inherits the crown of best tenor in rock from the late Roy Orbison. Outstanding tracks include the title track, 'Summer Moved On,' 'The Sun Never Shone that Day,' 'To Let You Win' and the majestic beauty of 'I Wish I Cared.'

A-ha's sixth studio CD (seventh if their greatest hits collection is included) came seven years after their previous album, Memorial Beach, and in that time it seems that a-ha have to mellowed out. They do not seem to have concern about attracting the youth/dance market, but instead seem to be focusing in on how to make perfect middle of the road pop songs with '90s technology. This is not a criticism, as it produces several fantastic songs, such as "Little Black Heart" and the wonderful "I Wish That I Cared." These, and many others, are full of catchy, beautiful melodies and Morten Harket's vocals are near perfect as usual - his voice has not lowered one octave since their debut. The one problem with this CD is the relative sameness to some of the music. The tempos do not change a great deal, and by the end the songs seem to run together. More variety would have been beneficial. However, in terms of production, this is as close to perfect as a CD can get, and the lyrics keep things interesting throughout. Overall, a good album, and one that fans will enjoy.

Aaron Badgley, All-Music Guide, © 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.

After a seven-year absence during which the Norwegian pop trio went off to paint or record solo albums, A-Ha return with Minor Earth Major Sky, their sixth studio album. Recorded in New York over the course of a year, this one is filled with characteristically subtle melodies, sweeping pop production, and a haunting melancholy. Some tracks (like the winsome "Sun Never Shone That Day") border on the bland, but there are songs that have bite--such as the icy, William Orbit-style ballad "Little Black Heart"; the big, blowsy title track; and the satirical "The Company Man," where the band sing frankly of being ripped off by their record label ("Deals fell into our arms / And out of our hands"). There's also a nod to the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" in the epic, socially conscious ballad "Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count."

Lucy O'Brien, Amazon.com

Eines Tages größer als die Beatles zu sein, das hatten sich nicht nur Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen und Morten Harket aus Oslo vorgenommen. Aber die drei a-ha-Mitglieder hatten es in den 80er Jahren fast geschafft. Singles wie "Take On Me" und der James-Bond-Titeltrack, sozusagen der Musiker-Ritterschlag, zum Film The Living Daylight sorgten für rekordverdächtige Verkaufs-, Award- und Zuschauerzahlen (bis zu 200.000 pro Festival, 16 Charts-Singles, sechs Top-30-Alben allein in Deutschland).

A-ha waren an der Entwicklung des typischen 80er-Sound, orchestral, synthetisch und moll-lastig maßgeblich beteiligt, Musikfreaks schätzten ihre Vielseitigkeit und das Teenie-Publikum den umwerfenden Charme von Sänger Morten. In den 90ern wurde pausiert, im Jahr 2000 stand das Comeback an. Die Klippe des Anachronismus, an der viele Wiederbelebungsversuche ihrer 80er-Kollegen scheitern, umschifften a-ha geschickt: Ihr Stil ist unverkennbar -- getragen, melancholisch und melodisch üppig. Ihr Sound wurde zwar nicht ans neue Jahrtausend angeglichen, keine Techno-Ausflüge also, dafür aber in einen quasi zeitlos-schwebenden Raum versetzt. Alle Möglichkeiten der modernen Studiotechnik wurden genutzt, eine satte Produktion und hervorragende Musiker sorgen für ein exquisites Klangerlebnis. A-ha sind wahrhaft fit fürs neue Millennium!

Kati Hofacker, Amazon.de

Yes! It's really true: a-ha, (they always spell their name in lowercase) Norway's most famous New Wavers, have returned from the sunset into which they had disappeared, releasing an album in 2000. That sunset occurred eight years ago although some may have assumed it took place not long after the wild success of their debut album Hunting High and Low (1985), with its immortal single and video, "Take on Me." After dead-on-arrival North American receptions for Scoundrel Days (1986), and Stay on These Roads (1988) (which contained their other inalienable claim to fame - a Bond theme - "The Living Daylights"), subsequent albums received limited US distribution and faced waning sales in Europe. After 1993's Memorial Beach came and went, the trio went on hiatus. But you just can't keep a pretty band down - and pretty are they still.

At first glance, Minor Earth Major Sky (which, again, has been given no stateside distribution) holds exciting promise. The packaging is masterful. The cover photograph, with the husk of an airplane's silvery cockpit, slyly and perfectly encapsulates the phenomenon of a-ha's return - the wreckage of modernism's truest believers on a (post-) postmodern shore.

And when one surveys the current landscape, one may conclude that a-ha's return was brilliantly timed; electro(nica)-pop, after some tenuous steps, has finally re-ignited as a vital and viable popular genre. Artists such as Madonna, The High Llamas, and Eiffel 65 have recently demonstrated that pop albums powered by electronic engines can be highly satisfying - and creditable- creations. And imagine what the group who made "The Sun Always Shines on TV" in 1985 could do when set loose in a studio in 2000! Imagine the uninhibited yet surgically-precise lab work of Mirwais or Trevor Horn, applied to one of the New Wave movement's best songwriting machines.

But rather than drawing upon the youthful angst - yes, angst! - and electro-urgency of the group's earliest work as a template, Minor Earth is more of a continuation of a-ha's 1990s evolution toward a more pared-down, acoustic-based sound. This is not clear at the onset. The first track, "Minor Earth Major Sky," is one of the album's best. It is also the song whose production is most evocative of their 1980s albums. The long instrumental opening and the lyrics that follow capture the struggle between wide-open sonic spaces and clipped, claustrophobic motifs that have always been present in their best work. It's a great single. The sentiments are vague, but they are put forth with an infectious conviction that builds steadily toward the final, glorious-sounding refrain.

As is the case with so many albums, Minor Earth's strongest material is placed at the front, leaving the remainder to sputter on fumes. Tracks 1-6 have a good kinetic flow, although of these only the first four tracks are actually good songs. Track 4, "Summer Moved On," is the album's high point, the kind of song you want to throw onto a mix tape and share with friends. Again, as on the first track, that signature a-ha sound is there, updated yet immutable. Lush orchestration and rave-y electronic ripples establish a backdrop that is, well, summer-like. Morten Harket's vocals in the opening verse are plaintive, evocative, and crystalline, touching upon the melancholy of fleeting moments, over and irretrievable. Then comes the chorus, which astounds. All of that verdant backdrop is suddenly swiped away, and we are left with Morten on one of his effortless high notes, on the word "stay!" The note floats in zero gravity for a moment, just before we are assailed with the bleating of a full orchestral string section. This is drama, excess, and expression - and it is what a-ha does best.

Track 5, "The Sun Never Shone That Day," starts off strong, and it features some of their tightest, most compelling playing. This tune stalls out in choruses, as a cheeseball electric piano takes over and Harket confesses "I can see point of turning everything upside down / I can see the point of greeting everything with frown." And the frowns keep coming. The album's lyrics, primarily written or co-written by the group's longtime leading songwriter Paul Waaktar-Savoy, descend too often into murky, work-a-day doldrums that, unfortunately, are not particularly insightful. Where is the writer who penned "Living a Boy's Adventure Tale?" And from "The Blue Sky," on Hunting High and Low, we get this observation: "At the coffee shop - the lady at my counter doesn't want me here / I just want to talk to her / But when she laughs at my accent and makes fun of me / It doesn't seem like the blue sky's here for me." There's an unforced poignancy here that rarely emerges on Minor Earth. Waaktar and his songwriting partners are now exhausted by the everyday, mundane brutality of adult life. They're suffocating by degrees, and we are made to bear witness.

"Barely Hanging On," a mopey number, features this quatrain: "I used to be so comfortable in a suit / Almost presentable next to you / I used to be so confident in a crowd / Now I can't say my own name aloud." Paired with a lazy swing rhythm, you can almost see the abyss open before your eyes. But at least the sentiments expressed in that song are accessible. Earlier, in "The Company Man," they commit what should be a crime: they present the obligatory "we have been screwed by the recording industry" song. True as it probably is, does anyone need to hear another one of these? a-ha wears bitterness badly. Up to now, they never came off as bitter, merely wounded.

One gets the impression that a-ha has been struggling with identity, both lyrically and musically, to no immediate resolution. They have been moving away from being a group (a collective identity, emphasizing production), toward being a band (individual egos, emphasizing instruments). The music suffers from their inability to commit to one or the other. For as a band, they simply don't have the instrumental chops or the grit or the personality. One can discern no distinctive playing style. Any of the instrumental parts throughout the album could have been played by an uncredited studio musician. The emotional and visceral power of a-ha has long been entrusted to Harket's emotive and pliable singing voice (still one of the most astounding voices in pop), and to the group's coloristic choices in their synth and acoustic orchestrations. And yet this is where they stumble as a group. The electronic elements of Minor Earth coexist with the acoustic elements, but often don't quite mesh. They come across more as (slightly dated-sounding) window-dressing than bolts in the engine. And Harket, when singing on more acoustic, band-ish tracks such as "Velvet" and "Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count," sounds surprisingly awkward and lethargic. For the first time, he sounds out of his element.

Much like their nineteenth-century Norwegian countryman Edvard Grieg, a-ha is known among admirers as masters of the epic-in-miniature, their music prized for its amalgams of sonic color. And just like Grieg, among the listening public-at-large a-ha is dashed off as a lightweight, untested and unproven in matters of structure and substance. (What their fans have long known is that in actuality a-ha's lyrics, on the whole, are highly substantive and deftly developed, even if they come packaged as melodrama.) Perhaps the group grew weary of being discounted, and thus chose their altered trajectory. But, although one should never begrudge an artist the right to change and grow, Minor Earth is a tentative showcase for a band that finds itself struggling to hit the right note between pop charm and grown-up gravitas.

Mark J. Blair
University of Texas at Austin

Above and Beyond 80s Pop Cheese

I had to laugh when I heard that 80s pop wonderboys A-Ha were getting back together and releasing their first album for seven years. The first impression had to be that Morten Harket and co were short of cash and planning a quick killing on the strength of their past fame. How wrong I turned out to be, because Minor Earth Major Sky is one of the most accomplished and fresh albums you are likely to hear.

As soon as the title track bursts into life it's quite obvious from Harket's unique vocals that this is putting them straight back on the high ground they enjoyed with hits such as "The Living Daylights," "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV." And the crackers don't stop there, with "The Sun Never Shone That Day," "You'll Never Get Over Me" and new single "Summer Moved On" all providing the anthem-sounds we were once used to.

In their first assault on the charts, A-Ha sold over 36 million albums and although they got a bit of a cheesy school-girl image, they seem to have shrugged that off with Minor Earth Major Sky. The idea of a reunion first became possible back in 1998 when the trio were invited to perform at the Nobel Peace Ceremony and realised how much they missed it all. And coming after Harket's dissapointing solo album and a distinct lack of talent from the Norwegian pop scene, it's a good job they did.

Far from being a reunion just for the sake of it, this is a strong album that has already gone into the top five in countries across Europe.

By Peter Naldrett
Copyright © 1998-2001 Music-Critic.com / The CriticsNest Review Network, All Rights Reserved.

It's been seven years since A-ha released a record and a few more since anyone cared. Apart from odd murmured rumours about affairs with Lene from Aqua, A-ha's once impressive profile, which rested largely on their sweet and synthetic big pop tunes and their sweet and slightly synthetic-looking singer Morten Harket's big cheekbones, seemed to have sagged somewhat. However, if a quality song can offer any guarantee of success in our increasingly inexplicable pop charts, A-ha would now be certain of a revival to eclipse the hysterical hormonal surge that was their Eighties heyday. Minor Earth, Major Sky is a more mature and more finely crafted work from the former teen idols, but still has much fresh pop charm to recommend it. Songs like the title track. To Let You Win and Barely Hanging On are epics, but they're still perfectly proportioned and well aware of where their talent to entertain lies. This is more indulgent stuff (several songs are at least two minutes too long), but it's still good clean pop fun for the most part. It's just that after 15 years A-ha are rather bigger and better now.

By Esther Sadler, Virgin.Net

The Norwegian Trio of Morten Harket (lead vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards), and Paul Waaktaar (guitars), otherwise known as A-Ha, are back with a BANG! They have released a brand new album called "Minor Earth Major Sky."

For those who don't know about A-Ha, they were one of the most successful bands of the 80's all around the world. They produce pop music with fantastic "foot-tapping" fast melodies furnished with beautiful keyboard cards and brilliantly mastered high pitched vocals and backing vocals. They had numerous hits during the 80's like "Stay on these roads," "Take on Me," "Living Daylights," (from James Bond movie of the same name), and many others.

Their latest album was released in selected countries (to be available in the US in spring 2001), and is being labelled as "one of their best" to date. Morten has once again, "wound in", in his high pitched vocals in most tracks, one of which is called "Summer Moved On." This was the first track to be released as a single in many European countries.

The title track "Minor Earth Major Sky" is exceptional, at least by my standards. It is a beautiful composition with excellent rendering by Morten once again. It has the capacity of becoming an immediate hit. Most other tracks contain beautiful melodies. Knowing A-Ha, this is no surprise. They have always concentrated on providing solid melody foundations in all their tracks over the years.

Do get the album if you can. It is released by Warner Bros Music in most countries around the world. 11 out of 10, a must recommend and a must buy album....if you like good music.

Gobind Nandwani - 16-Oct-2000

What strikes me about the comeback album of A-ha is that they could have done so much more with it. Musically, it's pop/rock standard model A, and it's a bit sad, because they really compose solid pop music.
The single "Summer Moved on", is an exception. The exceptional voice of Morten Harket is put on display nicely here, together with the old A-ha melancholia. There are other highlights as well, but they appear too seldom. "I Wish I Cared" shows how great the 2000 version of A-ha could have been, if they had opted for a more freshly electronic, varied sound. When they drift towards horrible Bon Jovi rock, which, thankfully, isn't very often, I almost start to weep, but the Norwegian trio still has the ability to write impressive songs. A bonus to Morten for still singing flawlessly.

NIKLAS FORSBERG

Morten Harket's boyish good looks are a double-edged sword in the music world. Firstly, A-ha's first wave of success was partly due to their lead singer's finely chiselled cheekbones but they also suffered from critics and heterosexual males alike who dismissed them as teen poster fodder. If that was an unfair criticism at the time, this latest album blows that theory totally out of the water, for 'Minor Earth Major Sky' is an excellent hour's worth of modern adult rock. From the assured confidence and modern production touches on the title track, the Norwegian trio rarely lose their footing thanks mainly to main songwriter's Paul Waaktar-Savoy' winning way with a melody and Harket's admirable vocal range. Over a consistently good 13 tracks, A-ha only slip up once on the soppy balladry of 'To Let You Win' but immediately after things pick up with the bitter-sounding 'Company Man'. The heartfelt 'Barely Hanging On' is exactly the kind of song a bunch of 40 year-olds should be making whilst 'Summer Moved On' and 'Velvet' recall the majesty of their earlier singles. It's a little too late for worldwide success but this is a pleasant surprise indeed.

I wonder how many people would identify a-ha as pioneers of pop music in the 80s. Sure, we had Wham!, Bros, New Kids on the Block and other popular music "bands" who scored huge success and appealed to a broad market, but none of these bands had the raw talent of the Norwegian trio. In guitarist Pal Waaktaar, a-ha have a songwriter of immense talent, and with skilful keyboardist and fellow-songwriter Mags he has written classic tunes like 'Take On Me', 'Sun Always Shines On TV', 'Hunting High and Low', 'I've Been Losing You' and 'Touchy!'. The vocal executioner though has always been the main focus of the band - Morten Harket. The Scandinavian sex symbol has a unique voice that helped make so many of the songs unforgettable.

It is fifteen years since the release of their multi-platinum debut album, and these three men have matured into their late-thirties/early-forties now. It's hard to believe. "Minor Earth, Major Sky" is their first release in seven years after a self-induced break aimed at rejuvenating those creative juices. Has it worked?

The title track kicks us off in rather excellent style - style being the key word. Terrific keyboard and bass work from Mags and Pal in this mid-tempo story of not belonging in the vast universe. The loneliness continues into 'Little Black Heart', a wonderful tune about uncertainty and doubt with Pal's subtle guitar refrain hitting all the right notes. 'Velvet' is a beautifully performed ballad that is not as supremely creative as others on the album, but still provides a quality listening experience.

And when it comes to supreme creativity, I must be referring to the first single, 'Summer Moved On'. A strong concoction of beat, emotion, diverse vocals, strings and even a touch of flamenco guitar! Excellent. We move up a notch with the faster-paced 'The Sun Never Shone That Day' with it's foot-tapping chorus and unique strains of Morten's voice making you wonder where he pulls the notes from!

The chiming bells of 'To Let You Win' help structure the beautiful chorus where Morten switches octaves with to great effect. It's pensive and relaxing.

'The Company Man' is the album's weakest moment as it just never finds it's feet like it should, but order is restored with the powerful 'Thought That It Was You', a song rich lyrically as well as musically. 'I Wish I Cared' shows just how talented Morten Harket is as his remarkable voice carries this gentle gem through with notes that few other male vocalists could see, never mind reach.

The well crafted lyrics of 'Barely Hanging On' are the best part of a decidedly average track. 'I used to be so sensible on my own/Now I'm so sensitive it's a joke/I used to be so confident in a crowd/Now I can't say my own name aloud', crows Morten as he picks through the ashes of his life.

The trio that close off the album are outstanding. 'You'll Never Get Over Me' is completely irrepressible with it's beautiful chorus - probably the best song on the album and with the potential to be the single of the year if you ask me. 'I Won't Forget Her' weighs in with a more funk-based beat, the killer melody and effective backing vocals, make it a winner.

Closing off the album is the very different sounding 'Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count'. The Beatle-esque acoustics and keyboards lend a mysterious and gloriously ponderous aura and the startling honesty of the lyrics are enough to make you stop and think about your own raison d'etre: 'the world's full of lonely people', says Morten. How right he is. Maybe it's okay to be one of them.

While this record is more of a throwback to the over-produced 80s albums, there is enough contemporary influence here to please both new and old fans. I suppose the failure of their previous more rock-based albums ("East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and "Memorial Beach") prompted A-ha to try and find a good blend of both 80s and 90s A-ha. They have certainly done this here. There's no doubt it is a brilliant record but are we going to have to wait 7 years for the next one?

Rating: 4/5
by 9lives (Wed, 14th Mar 2001, 13:47)

Minor earth well worth the major wait

Wow. This new a-ha album is the album I always wished they made. A-ha suffered greatly from never being able to sustain an album with sheer quality, they've cracked it. Maybe it took this time for them to open up and give more meaning to their songs. A classic example of that is the haunting "To let you win" which stands out as a major progression in Morten's songwriting ability which was only hinted at on his debut album Wild Seed. "Velvet" will be familiar to the die hard fans, but this track now oozes class with Morten's vocal, which will always have been a classic in it's own right. A pleasant surprise was the exceptional "I wish I cared", written by Magne on his own, this is his best song to date, although he'll never admit it.

This is not a singles album in a commercial sense, apart from the first single "Summer moved on" and the insanely catchy "You'll never get over me" which will drive you to heaven with it's stunning melody and backing vocals you would be pushed to find songs which will do well in the current market place. My only hope is that A-ha will defy that, as their record deal depends on this album being successful. Even if this is not the case and they never make another album I will always be grateful that they found the will and resolve to make this album which has touched a part of me I thought was lost forever.

A music fan from U.K. , May 2, 2000

Back and better than ever

What a great album. The production quality on many of the songs leaves something to be desired, but otherwise the album does a great job of re-introducing a-ha to the world.

Singer Morten Harket tries his hand at writing songs for the band for the first time on this album. (Devoted fans will know he made small contributions to Take On Me and Touchy!.) Thought That It Was You is truly one of the best songs on the album, and because an acquaintance of Morten's produced the track, it's much "fuller" sounding than many other tracks on Minor Earth | Major Sky (which were primarily produced by Boogieman).

Magne's song I Wish I Cared is a haunting melody and my favorite track. I Won't Forget Her is another great tune on the album. The autobiographical song The Company Man is great, but I feel it's unfinished -- I can imagine at least two more verses about a-ha's experiences with fame. I like Summer Moved On the more I hear it. Songs like You'll Never Get Over Me and Barely Hanging On are signature Pal Waaktaar tunes.

a-ha is back! And they sound more mature than ever before. Play this album loudly in your car with the windows rolled down so everyone can enjoy it.

majorsky from Northern California , May 24, 2000

major directions

This band really endures.

The songs on this collection meander from elegant spiritualism to melodic, sometimes rocking grooves that move you. You never know quite what to expect as each song segues into something slightly different.

The allegation of overproduction on this disc is overstated. This work proves a nice and different complement to what came before. Stepping more in the direction of technology, the production values of this disc bring a-ha into atmospheric realms previously missed on "edgier," more acoustic based discs.

The result is a vocalist who really pushes himself successfully and a sound that is full, almost epic.

The songwriting ain't too shabby, either!

Have a nice glass of wine and slip into the magic of this work.

B.W./author/Labyrinth of Chaos from Dallas, TX. USA , October 12, 2001

Better with age

I have been following A-ha since 1985 when Take On Me hit the top of the charts. This CD marks their entrance into the 21st century with some of their best work yet. They really have evolved into a mature band that you can start out liking in high school and still enjoy their new releases into your thirties. My favs on this CD include "Summer Moved On" and "The Sun Never Shone That Day".... However, I think the track "You'll Never Get Over Me" is one of the best. Even in its simplicity it has a kind of depth to it. The way Lauren Savoy's vocals slowly emerge from the instruments throughout the song is brilliant. This is a must for all who have followed or forgotten about A-ha. I hope they release some of the tracks here and get back on the American scene.

J. Englert from NY State, United States , September 17, 2001

An excellent comeback

When I was 14, I was a huge Aha! fan. I wore leather thongs and ripped jeans, and was completely besotted with the band through Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days (which I still love to listen to). I genuinely didn't like Stay on These Roads and didn't bother with Memorial Beach. By then I'd 'grown up' and moved on. I bought East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but it failed to grow on me, and I simply forgot about Aha!
I went to my school reunion last year, and in a mood of nostalgia, I dug out my old Aha! albums and singles, and had a look for any news of them on the internet. After seeing excellent reviews for their comeback record ME/MS, I went out and bought it out of curiosity. Now it's one of my personal favourites, and I love playing it. It's not as dreary and morose as the late 80s/early 90s music which turned me off them back then. And yet it's not as poppy as some of their earlier material. It's almost a maturer sounding Scoundrel Days - lush, sweeping and melodic. Anyone I've played it for has really gone for it - and none of my friends were ever fans.
I think they're an incredibly overlooked band - people associate them with their boy-band looks and gimmicky videos of old. If a new band released this album now, it would be a critical and commercial hit.
Treat yourself and try it out!

A music fan from Ireland , 24 October, 2001

Superb. Their best to date by miles.

In the 80's I loved AHA. Today this CD has reminded me why. The music is intelligent, crafted with still and feeling. The melodies are wonderful, the music full of clear, deep, harmonies and Morton's voice even better than ever. In short. Buy this CD; turn up the volume; close your eyes and let the music drift over you.

A music fan from Hampshire, England , 4 August, 2001

Quite simply, the most outstanding album of 2000!

'Minor Earth, Major Sky' proves that the seven year wait for a new a-ha album was certainly worth it. After the slightly disappointing 'Memorial Beach ', released in 1993,the bands time away has been well spent.

All 3 band members have contributed tracks here, and its good to see each one's different influences coming through. The quality of songwriting is in evidence throughout the whole album.
The band seem to have fused together the best parts of their 80's synth period, with the more acoustic guitar based sound of 1990's 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon.' and it has worked to astonishing effect.

This is, without question, the best album a-ha have made. Lets hope there's more where this came from!

Standout tracks: Minor Earth, Major Sky, Little Black Heart, Barely Hanging On, You'll never get over me.

A music fan from Essex, England, 9 May, 2001

excellent comeback album

This is an excellent comeback album from one of the best bands of the 80's. The best thing this has going for it is that a-ha are well and truely updated for the next century. They still keep their unique sound but unlike most 80's groups they want to move on and they do here with some style. I can't recommend this album enough, easily one of the best I bought last year and not a duff track on the whole CD. I can't wait for their next record.

A music fan from London, England , 2 April, 2001