I Want To Write You A Blog [REVIEW: One Direction’s Made in the A.M.]

The long wait is over and finally, Made In The A.M., the last album (at least for a while) of One Direction is out and as per usual the carrot is back to make a sort of review of each of the tracks. Releasing 8 out of the 13 songs on the standard edition prior to the November 13th release date, I may or may not have an initial view of the whole thing and it's been mostly good so far. So here we go. Same disclaimer as the good ol' April reviews applies (the following are just my preferences and opinion that you may or may not totally agree with and that's quite fine). And this is rather long as expected so consider yourself warned.

1. Hey Angel - Most of the early-released album reviews have been comparing it to The Beatles' Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (to my delight) although to be honest, I am hearing more of Coldplay. It also doesn't hurt that Styles has been randomly teasing the fans/tweeting lyrics adding up the hype to this song. It has this certain heavy Brit-pop riffs that is really interesting (I may be a bit biased but I really like it!) and has just shown how much they have grown musically from the previous album. Louis' voice and the harmonies reminded me so much of A Rocket to the Moon's Life of the Party. Harry's a rockstar and his highlight solos in this song is great. Definitely a nice album opener.

2. Drag Me Down - This, to me is just an okay song (a complete contrast to the general public's opinion when this song was first released). Also, with Drag Me Down being officially the first single without my lovely Zayn Malik, it felt to me like Harry had to prove something (like hey, look I can hit those notes, too) and well, he did. Don't get me wrong, though, it is such a good jam (with commendable lyrics, too!) but it just felt a bit Harry Styles-centered than an actual One Direction song to me (despite Nialler's impressive runs on the chorus).

3. Perfect - A rather clever retort to Taylor Swift's Style, although of course, Louis and Harry (being the ones who collaborated in the writing process) will never admit it. Giving the girl a taste of her own medicine is just brilliant! It is catchy and so pop and it blended really well with Style and I have to admit I liked the mashup more than the original because I felt like something's missing? Or someone's voice is missing. Ha. It probably is just me but, yes. Hearing all the tracks, though, I felt like this one's been misplaced or maybe it's just too pop for my taste. Anyway, it still is a fun song to sing along will your Swiftie girl friends.

4. Infinity - I love Infinity (more than Drag Me Down, anyway). I even made a separate review of this song when it was out that you could read here.

5. End of the Day - A catchy song that is totally a jam when you're on a road trip or somewhere having drinks with your friends. It sort of reminded me of a FUN track off Some Nights and some good ol' pop song that I still could not figure out what up to now. The song is about knowing what/who you want and going out for it/him/her no matter what it will entail at the end of the day. Although it is somehow a love song, it may be a lowkey prod on Zayn pursuing the music that he really wanted ("..you follow your heart even though it will break sometimes..") and therefore has left the band and to the band who's moving forward and apparently doing what they really want and that is to stay together ("..you love what you love, there ain't no other way..") ("..everything will be alright...You and I can stay awake and keep on dreaming..")

6. If I Could Fly - Such a tearjerker. A legit boyband ballad that makes you just want to tear up. That is how genuinely sounding this song is and I'd like to think this is probably one of the best songs Harry has co-penned to date. Whether you are shipping Larry Stylinson or not (especially if you are *winks*), this song will get you the feels. Seriously, though, the chorus after the bridge part and the harmonies that followed just solidified everything, how strong these four has become after everything that has happened, musically and figuratively.

7. Long Way Down - With lyrics that went like "Point of no return and now it's just too late to turn around / I tried to forgive you but I'm struggling 'cause I don't know how." they want me to drown in my tears. I hate you all. Don't even get me started with the melody. I am already an emotional mess with the lyrics alone. Next track, please.

8. Never Enough - The Irishman's jam!! I love how quirky this sounded with all the effects at first but I have grown to love it especially towards the chorus (and hey, the trumpets!!)

Major bonus: Liam did a "thing" towards the end. It's nice. And of course, Niall shone all throughout. COME OWWWNN!!

9. Olivia - Literal butterflies in the stomach!! Clever wordplay that'll make you all mushy with love but not too much (just enough). It just makes you feel all loved up and that's a good thing, yeah? And Louis. Just Louis. He slays his parts every single time.

10. What A Feeling - The vintage 70's pop vibe fits them real well I could actually picture them all suited up with a mic stand in front, and you get the idea? Classy. The Fleetwood Mac influence is really evident. It's Liam's song though I must add Louis sounded superb too in this one.

11. Love You Goodbye - No, Louis, just no. You don't have the right to mess with my feelings like that. Depending on to whom you want to connect this song with (Zayn or Eleanor Calder), this is the song that Tommo has been vocal about being his personal favourite and one that's really close to his heart and man, does it work. Maybe it is Harry's strong vocals that it has kind of reminded me of Westlife, I don't know. But hey hey hey! OH!

12. I Want To Write You A Song - a very nice folk-pop acoustic song or whatever you want to call it. With straightforward lyrics that goes like "So anytime I'm gone you can listen to my voice and sing along..", it is like an assurance to the fans that they will always be there, despite all the rumors and stuff. Or at least their songs will. Louis' vocals will kill you on this one.

13. History - "There's so much history in there for not to be love". Liam (when asked about Zayn on a previous interview), just noooooo! You don't get to tease me like that! That is probably a reason why this one's been my early faves even when I haven't heard it yet. History, just like EOTD and IWTWYAS is like a major reassurance of them sticking together for the fans and because making (this kind of) music together is what they really want.

14. Temporary Fix - "A love song with a bit of dirt", says Horan. Bit of dirt, my arse. This is a Jack McQueen* anthem!! (Fight me on this haha). And if the second verse (major nods for Harry!!) doesn't remind you of a certain scene on And Then A Bit amd These Inconvenient Fireworks**...well. Musically, though, I love the Neon Trees and old school Arctic Monkeys vibe that this song has. Niall really has stepped up his game. This is such a fun song to dance with!

15. Walking In The Wind - This song's riff is reminiscent of Ready To Run and Through The Dark from Four and I'd like to believe LiLo has specifically written this for a certain tatted boy that they've been missing. Or if that isn't the case, it's another reassurance that someday, somehow everything will fall in its proper places. It is one of the most replayed songs on my player at the moment.

16. Wolves - This song has grown on me and got me LSS-ing as well, surprisingly. A bit Stockholm Syndrome-y song (Four). They all sounded so good especially Liam. And this one is apparently very infectious as well.

17. A.M. - At first it sounded a bit of Jason Derulo's Whatcha Say but no, it's far different. Very fitting. The four of them had a hard time, and they came back stronger. A great song to top off this solid heck of a record.

Home - This is off the Perfect (EP) but is included in the Japan release of the album (such lucky people!!). This, in all honesty, sounded like One Direction (or what they wanted to sound like). This (coming from a Zayn girl), for the first time, has not made me look for any traces of Zayn (although it has been confirmed by Liam that you could actually hear Zayn's voice somewhere because they have mixed it with Harry's). This is just Harry, Liam, Louis and Niall singing their hearts out. They have found their sound. They have found their home.

Favourite tracks: This is hard, to be honest. The record has that "this is my fave song" and then you listen to the next track and you'd go "no, this one is the bomb!" and so on. But I have a soft spot for Walking in the Wind and Long Way Down (what do I say, this fellow is a sucker for sad songs and because you know, as far as my interpretation is concerned, I see Zayn everywhere). Then there's Temporary Fix and Hey Angel and If I Could Fly and Love You Goodbye and Infinity and didn't I tell you it is really hard to choose?

One review has mentioned how Made in the A.M. is theirs as The Beatles' Let It Be. And having heard The Beatles' full discography couple of times, I just have to agree. What I like the most is that the album theme is so intact in the sense that if you are to lose songs on your iTunes and you would have to choose just a few tracks and records, you may end up retaining all of the songs off this record because one just fit better with the other and so on. They have definitely found their own sound. Zayn is pursuing his own, too, so I guess somehow it is all good for both parties.

This album is more of making the best out of what is left / what they have. I am ever glad that Louis is now being given the chance to showcase the best of his singing abilities. He's always been tagged as the weakest before (though his voice is never the weakest to me). Made in the A.M. is his as Take Me Home is to Zayn, as what the good old fans coin it.

I also loved the fact how they have stepped up to the challenge of putting up the best record even with a short span of time. The songs are so world tour ready!! Now imagine if they have more time to write? That is at least something real good to look forward to in the looming hiatus which is to be honest, just normal for musicians but knowing how erratic their schedule has been for the past five years..it is something new to their fans. I do think the "break" is well-deserved, though.

One Direction has grown so much from a typical bubblegum pop boyband (music elitist would say) to a legitly infectious folk/pop rock band and they deserve so much respect. The music has evolved so much along with the legion of fans and although Midnight Memories may still be my favourite album, Made In The A.M. is their game changer. People will be able to see now (or hear) that they are more than just the pretty faces with teenage girls chasing them everywhere and that they have so much to offer musically as well.

They have broken plenty of world records and had sold out major shows and who knows, they could pull off a Paramore in the future, too. (Lose key members, release a solid record and take home a Grammy in the process). We'll have to tune in for that. But here's to appreciating rad music that is more than just a guilty pleasure, for now.