Changing my mind about Avicii

avicii

When Avicii first saw mainstream success with “Levels,” I was a bit baffled. I didn’t really think the song was particularly different than other instrumental tracks of the genre, and while I was happy to see a dance song see success, I poked around a bit more of his catalog and thought the music felt a bit same-y, which for me is a turn off when it comes to dance music.

When “True” came out, I didn’t give it much thought, although “Wake Me Up” had certainly caught my attention as it had many others. “Hey Brother” as the follow-up caused me to take another look, given that it was the second track in a row that had deviated from the previous formula and seemed to be blending genres in some more creative ways.

I really dig “You Make Me,” which is more of a straight-ahead dance track than many of the others, but it’s also one of the more catchy. “Liar Liar” merges in old-school organ instrumentation, “Heart on My Sleeve” is driven by strings, and “Lay Me Down” feels like it comes from an earlier era.

Elsewhere, “Addicted to You” is married to a scorching vocal and starts out beautifully with just the vocal and guitar before leading into a more straight-ahead beat.

The album is a diverse, well-plotted excursion into the EDM genre, but really shows the flexibility of it and how there’s a lot of areas to play and explore. Avicii has won me over with some great music.

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