Review: One Direction - Four
By Sarah Weingarten, Contributor
[Columbia/Syco; 2014]
Rating: 7.5/10
Key Tracks: “Clouds,” “Girl Almighty,” “Stockholm Syndrom,” “Night Changes”
Here’s the reality of One Direction’s music career--it’s going to be a long one. These five European boys have made smart musical decisions when it comes to maturing their sound, which is the reason they even have a 4th album boringly named Four. With every album One Direction has released, the group has slowly been disassociating itself from poppy boy band stereotypes.
Four is still a pop album, but it has way more complexity than previous 1D albums. There are hardly any lyrical fillers, such as the “La La La"s and “Na Na Na”s which used to be heavily peppered in One Direction’s songs. Four has more creativity and better production behind it; the group is by no means plateauing, so get off that high horse and love this boy band that isn’t really a boy band.
Whoever is choosing the singles for Four is an idiot. The singles chosen, “Steal My Girl” and “Fireproof,” will never get the radio time seen by “What Makes You Beautiful.” This is a shame because more than half the songs on Four are better than One Direction’s first huge hit.
The last track, “Clouds” is a super simple song, but proves that One Direction finally figured out how to use each member’s vocal strengths in a song. It only took four albums, but it was worth it. However, this doesn’t mean that One Direction hits the vocal arrangement on the head for every song.
“Clouds” is simply a feel good, light song that monumentally shows One Direction’s growth. Beforehand a basic nothingness pop song would be overridden with unnecessary instruments and too much vocal layering. “Clouds” is simple, clean and very good. The lyrics are already being made into soft grunge Tumblr posts with colorful gradient backgrounds as you read this: “You’re gonna see the things that I see / You’re gonna want the air that I breathe / You're gonna wish you never left me.”
One Direction sings straight poetry in “18.” Lyrically gifted friend Ed Sheeran wrote the song, which explains why this track is a fan favorite. “18” is a sappy, heart melting song about young love that flourishes and grows as the couple grows up.
The concept is overdone and tacky but the lyrics make “18” sophisticated and thoughtful. When they sing this live, so many 12-year-old girls will be crying. “So kiss me where I lay down / My hands pressed to your cheeks / A long way from the playground / I have loved you since we were 18.”
But not every song can be a winner. “No Control” has so much potential but for some reason Louis Tomlinson is the one who sings the chorus. This is a weird, unintelligent move on One Direction’s part. Tomlinson has never had long solo’s for a reason--he just can’t carry the song, which is a shame because “No Control” is almost so good.
Half of the bonus tracks are good and the other half is boring as hell. There is nothing bonus or extra about “Illusions” and “Once In a Lifetime;” they’re just not worth the time. “Illusions” is chock full of magic puns; nothing lamer than puns and magic put together in a song. On top of all of that, One Direction sings the verse in a weird choppy, start and stop manner and it’s all very exhausting. “Once In a Lifetime” is just boring and slow and that’s all worth noting.
Three of 16 tracks were flops, so statistically One Direction is still on top. Four is a great commercialized pop album, without being really overt. Nobody is too good for pop music so stop trying to be. Four displays that One Direction is becoming more refined and more incisive in its sound and direction as a band.
