the music

a-ha are musically ambitious. Ever since they began writing music as teenagers, they have had high aspirations. Pål and Mags wanted to write a rock opera. Morten felt that music had the power to change people.

Classical music has been a subconscious source of inspiration for them. However, the guys have drawn their main inspiration from such musical giants of the rock world as the Doors and Jimi Hendrix, with their raw and uncompromising music, as well as from the simple but catchy tunes for which the Beatles are still the best example.

Up to now, we only have one album, ‘Hunting High and Low’, to judge them by, so it is still too early to know whether a-ha’s musical ambitions will be realised. The Bridges album appeared too early in their development, and the trial demo tapes of songs that weren’t included on ‘Hunting High and Low’ have still to be released. However, their first album already sees them exhibiting an impressive range of material.

‘Take On Me’ is an optimistic pop song with an unusually catchy intro. The keyboard theme is constructed with ingenious simplicity, and the melody gives Morten the opportunity to exploit his full vocal range. The song also demonstrates one of a-ha’s greatest assets: the combination of Morten’s strong, clear voice, together with their complex, powerful musical accompaniment. Morten has a unique voice. He can sing a melody alone, but is also capable, like Freddy Mercury of Queen, of producing a whole choir of voices all by himself.

The second song on the album, ‘Train Of Thought’, reveals the group’s other side: Morten’s voice pitched in an even, deep range, with an almost exaggerated dramatic expression, while somber background harmonies create a gloomy atmosphere. Added to this we get the purposefully monotonous bass-synth and rhythm that hold it all together.

‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’ and ‘Hunting High and Low’ display the group at their most symphonic. The first contains some dramatic mood alterations. A quiet, almost religious opening with piano, Morten’s high voice and the floating synth-harmonies builds up to a crescendo that explodes into a guitar riff that any heavy metal band would envy. But the riff is only repeated a few times, then the music takes off in other directions. It isn’t until later in the song that Morten introduces the main melody line which culminates in the powerful refrain. The different ingredients shift throughout the song – once again with effective use of pauses and rests. I think it’s the strongest hit single on the whole album and it says a lot about a-ha’s potential.

‘Hunting High and Low’ is quieter, almost a ballad with a lonely acoustic guitar in the introduction backing up Morten’s clear voice. Seagull cries, piano, synth-strings and overdubbing of Morten’s different vocals build up towards a short section where horns (synthesizers here too) rise into an almost baroque theme. The melodic development is unusual for a ballad since it’s not tied to one key theme, but changes from mood to mood.

‘The Blue Sky’ seems to be a more traditional, ordinary synth-pop song where the main impression is created by the bubbling drum machines and synth-bass. ‘Love is Reason’ has some of the same artificiality, but is saved by a very effective refrain which offsets the mechanical precision in the accompaniment. ‘Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale’ attempts some of the same symphonic effects as ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’, but doesn’t quite take off to the same degree. Although a synth-oboe gives fine contrast to Morten’s voice and the melody is powerful, the arrangement is not quite as creative and effective. ‘And You Tell Me’ might have been inspired by the natural exuberance the Beatles displayed in their prime. It is light and airy, without a strong underlying rhythm, but it has delicate harmonies coupled with surprising synthesizer effects which unexpectedly dominate the tune.

The music on the album ‘Hunting High and Low’ demonstrates a group with its finger on the musical pulse of the eighties. All the positive elements of the synth-pop movement are present and there’s a full appreciation for the commercial pop-refrain. Fortunately, this is enhanced by musical themes and chord changes that raise it beyond the simple pop framework. Thus the music acquires a much longer life-span -it tolerates continual listening. You can come back to it again and again.

It is, as yet, too soon to know whether a-ha will accomplish their ultimate goal and become musical legends. But they’ve made a more than promising beginning with a first album that has shown they are far from being a ‘one hit wonder’.