happiness

regarding HURTS happiness:

i've been posting (in anticipation) about this album for months, all based on how much i love, LOVE, the lead single, "wonderful life".

last week i came across a preview version of the album (thrilled), and having given it a couple listens, now, have the following impressions:

"wonderful life" is still the stand out track from the album. favorite single to pop out in the past several months. too many of the tracks are similar to "wonderful life", with heavy-handed bass and beats (said with admiration), but, applied to what would otherwise be mellow adult-pop songs. some come off a little too...easy-listening...or something.

which is not to say that the album is a loser. just doesn't live up to (what i interpreted as) the promise of "wonderful life". and that's to be expected, i suppose.

other stand-out tracks are "sunday" and "feels better than love", with their string-like arrangement. and there's a duet with kylie minogue, if you like that sort of thing.

i've kind of held the impression that HURTS is like spandau ballet, without the jazzy influences, especially after they released, "blood, tears & gold"...but much of this album is actually more like a-ha, particularly later a-ha (not "take on me").

i still have this on heavy rotation, so my impression may change.