Aha! a-ha!

(The Return of a-ha...Again)

Formed in Oslo, Norway, in 1982, the band a-ha--led by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Morten Harket, and Magne Furuholmen--had disbanded five years ago. A sad news especially for those who love a-ha's music, which may be classified as New Wave / Synthpop.

Many New Wave enthusiasts certainly have in their collection a-ha's debut album, Hunting High and Low (1985), where the band's most popular songs may be found--such as "Take on Me," "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," and "Love Is Reason."

However, to those who have a longer attention span and who are able to follow the development of a-ha and New Wave music in general, a-ha is more than this first album; a-ha's studio discography is actually comprised by nine albums:

Hunting High and Low (1985)
Scoundrel Days (1986)
Stay on These Roads (1988)
East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990)
Memorial Beach (1993)
Minor Earth, Major Sky (2000)
Lifelines (2002)
Analogue (2005)
Foot of the Mountain (2009)

And while many fans thought that the last album was indeed the final one, here comes a great news item that says the trio have decided recently to reunite once again not only for a tour but also with a new album in the works (entitled Cast of Steel), slated for release in September 2015.

I'm excited. This should not be surprising. After all, what fan of a-ha, or New Wave music for that matter, will not be stoked about this?

To those who wanted to catch up before the release of the 10th album, I recommend the following compilation, The Ultimate a-ha Discography Experience, which is comprised by two of my most favorite songs off each album.

"Living a Boy's Adventure Tale"
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
"We're Looking for the Whales"
"Maybe, Maybe"
"Touchy!"
"You Are the One"
"Early Morning"
"Waiting for Her"
"Dark Is the Night for All"
"Angel in the Snow"
"Velvet"
"The Sun Never Shone That Day"
"Afternoon High"
"Dragonfly"
"Don't Do Me Any Favours"
"Analogue (All I Want)"
"Riding the Crest"
"Real Meaning"

Eu-reka!

The music of a-ha has been classified as New Wave, Synthpop, and Pop Rock. With the band's nine-album discography, the suggested genres are indeed befitting. However, what gives a-ha's music its best distinctive characteristics are Harket's wide-ranging silky voice, Furuholmen's melodic keyboards and synthesizers, Waaktaar's subtle guitar parts, and the band's overall flare for writing songs with meticulous arrangement and instrumentation infused with strong pop sensibilities and penchant for soaring and catchy choruses.

Final Note
This year is the 30th anniversary of Hunting High and Low, a-ha's first album, which certainly continues to enjoy a 'no-skip, repeat-mode' treatment from any New Wave music enthusiast. Let's celebrate the Norwegian band's music by listening to it now on our respective media players...

And by purchasing a copy of the new album when it finally comes out in September 2015.

Writing Album Reviews

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Writing album reviews excite me very much. It obliges me to listen to music--whether new or old--in a very objective manner and in a more focused and multidimensional approach.

I began writing professionally as early as in my highschool days, in the mid-'80s, that if we would consider writing for the school paper professional writing. After all, there was a chief editor who ensured we followed grammatical standards, so I supposed that it counted. My passion for writing, which really started when I was six years old--by way of listing things that amused and interested me in that little journal that my father gave me--became a lifelong preoccupation--both professionally and as a hobby.

In my university days, I contributed articles and poetry for school papers as well as for national publications and music magazines. When I was already working, I also had the chance to start and write for the corporate newsletter of the company where I worked. I also made newsletters of my own that I distributed to friends and acquaintances, almost similar to fanzines, only that the contents were more professionally written, grammatically speaking.

However, my life as a proper, professional writer really began when I got hired at Diwa Scholastic Press in 2000. I handled academic textbooks and magazines on Science & Technology and English Grammar & Literature specifically.

Here in Canada, where I have been living since 2003, my writing flare simply continued. I have been maintaining a number of columns in the local community newspaper Filipino Journal since 2006. I have also been able to maintain my blogspots for my other more personal writings and other literary interests. But these are just hobbies of mine, for my fulltime work is really as a nursing aide at a hospital or health center.

Writing simply makes my day exciting and worth living. Through this, I am able to express the countless ideas floating in my restless head every day.

Now, back to writing music reviews...

Recently, I've embarked again on writing music reviews professionally. So far, I've written six articles for the websites Jazz Corner and All about Jazz and three articles for CrypticRock.

Michael Sarian - Subtitles (2014)
Sehrang - Dar Lahze (2014)
J.Q. Whitcomb & Five Below - Tales of Enchantment (2014)
Apostle Fractal - The Ichabod Suite (2012)
Rija - Silent Heart (2013)
Ross Prior - Heavy Sheddin' (2014)

Simple Minds - Big Music (2014)
Morrissey - World Peace Is None of Your Business (2014)
Midge Ure - Fragile (2014)

The Ultimate New Wave Experience (vol. 4)

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Here's volume 4 of the series of compilation of songs classifiable as New Wave that I started. Choosing the songs to be included in each volume is both challenging and engaging. Foremost, I ensure that the style of music flows smoothly from song to song, to further illustrate that the genre of music that has long become New Wave really has identifiable characteristics.

As usual, I picked three songs for each decade except the '80s, which has six.

01 Nick Lowe - (I Love the Sound Of) Breaking Glass (1978)

02 The Knack - Oh Tara (1979)

03 The Slits - Typical Girls (1979)

04 B-Movie - Switch On Switch Off (1985)

05 Cyndi Lauper - The Goonies 'R' Good Enough (1985)

06 Indochine - A l'Assaut (Des Ombres Sur l'O) (1985)

07 Eyeless in Gaza - Welcome Now (1986)

08 10,000 Maniacs - Like the Weather (1987)

09 The Sugarcubes - Motorcrash (1988)

10 9 Ways to Sunday - Restless (1990)

11 The Sundays - Hideous Towns (1990)

12 Shelleyan Orphan - Burst (1992)

13 Camera Obscura - I Don't Do Crowds (2001)

14 Trashcan Sinatras - It's a Miracle (2004)

15 The Magic Numbers - Forever Lost (2005)

16 Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work (2010)

17 The Cranberries - Tomorrow (2012)

18 Morrissey - Staircase at the University (2014)

Notes:
The Knack is not only about "My Sharona." It's about time to revisit the band's music. "Oh Tara" is actually a far more romantic fast ballad.

Cyndi Lauper may have been associated more with Pop music, but much of her early outputs were obviously oozing with New Wave sensibilities. 

Compare the introductory interlude of B-Movie's "Switch On Switch Off" with that of Cyndi Lauper's "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough."

The Philippine FM radio station WXB102 used to play Indochine's "A l'Assaut" and Eyeless in Gaza's "Welcome Now" back-to-back. Every time I play them now, I get suck back to 1986.

I got to discover 10,000 Maniacs and The Sugarcubes already in the late '80s, via another Philippine FM radio station, NU107.

Many people automatically think of "Here's Where the Story Ends" when asked about The Sundays. This is the reason I picked a different song for this compilation.

If the music of The Sundays may be regarded as New Wave, then why couldn't the music of Shelleyan Orphan, Camera Obscura, and The Cranberries?

Many fans have long forgotten The Cranberries. To them, the band is only "Dreams," "Linger," and "Zombie." To me, I do my homework--I keep myself updated. If you've been doing your homework too, then you shouldn't miss "Tomorrow."

Personally, Morrissey's latest album is the best, lyrically it's still Morrissey being Morrissey; but musically, the songs are more well-structured and the instrumentation is more intricate. 

GET them here and listen to the songs yourself.

Fixx Me with Your Secret Reformation

(On the Return of The Fixx)

by aLfie vera mella

The Fixx is a British band that became popular during the peak of New Wave music in the 1980s for the singles "Red Skies," "Secret Separation," and "One Thing Leads to Another."

The band disappeared from the commercial radar as the 1990s loomed, just like many other New Wave bands before and after them; but unbeknownst to many, The Fixx has released albums in the ensuing decades.

In 2012, The Fixx returned with an album of new materials—with the classic lineup of Cy Curnin (lead vocals), Rupert Greenall (keyboards), Jamie West-Oram (guitar), Adam Woods (drums), and Dan K. Brown (bass). Entitled Beautiful Friction, the 10th album was their first since 2003.

The Fixx has so far released 10 studio albums.

The first single off Beautiful Friction was “Anyone Else,” which sounded unmistakably New Wave—owing to the repetitive staccato guitar melody in the intro, the slow buildup of the rest of the instruments, the synth sound in the background, and the distinct vocals that conjure a nostalgic image of familiar red skies. Other songs from the album that I personally liked were “Just before Dawn,” “What God?”, “Second Time Around,” and “Follow That Cab.” The overall music of The Fixx shared a similar feel with that of fellow New Wave bands like U2, Simple Minds, and Babybird.

"Anyone Else" is the first single off the latest album of The Fixx ( Beautiful Friction, 2012).

The complete studio-album discography of The Fixx is as follows: Shuttered Room (1982), Reach the Beach (1983), Phantoms (1984), Walkabout (1986), Calm Animals (1988), Ink (1991), Elemental (1998), 1011 Woodland (1999), Want That Life (2003), and Beautiful Friction (2012).

The Fixx in 1982, with a performance of their classic single "Red Skies"

Another personal favorite The Fixx song, "Secret Separation"

Here's perhaps the most popular song of The Fixx, "One Thing Leads to Another."

Final Note

The college friends Curnin and Woods formed The Portraits in 1979. After recruiting additional members, they changed their name to The Fix; then became The Fixx through the suggestion of the recording company that signed them—to dissociate the band’s name from the drug innuendo of the word fix.