A-ha

Hunting High & Low

Before boy bands roamed the charts...

Review Score:

(8/10)
...there was a-ha. For a moment in time, this trio ruled the airwaves and were the hottest band around. "Take on Me" was a defining single and video.

In "Hunting High and Low" - one uncovers a-ha's distinctive style. More than straightforward pop-meisters, a-ha wrote and executed some interesting tracks in their debut album. Morten Harket's pristine, sweeping vocals are the highlight of each song. The album veers between bright pop synth ballads ("Blue Sky"; "Love is Reason") to progressive whimsical love songs ("Living A Boy's Adventure Tale"). The band's matinee idol looks didn't hurt either and greatly enhanced their success.

Given their appeal to teens, the image aspect of a-ha did sometimes overshadow their inventiveness as musicians (this was the era where pop bands could play and compose their own music as with predecessors Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode etc), and much of a-ha's later music tried to find new ground - moving away from the bright pop landscape they create in this album, but somehow never quite recapturing the youthful charm.

But the best way to describe this album is: endearing. It's refreshing to hear the guys play with a sense of spontaneous abandon. Compared to today's over-produced boy bands who love covers and lack a distinctive sound - a-ha has held their own. There are some pop gems in here and hats off to Morten, Mags and Pal for pulling it off with oomph.

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