Over the past 4 years Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii, has undeniably been on top of the dance music scene for a variety of reasons. With the “EDM Boom” taking place over the past couple of years, dance music has seen it’s ups and downs when it comes to the quality of music. But Avicii has never faltered in his ways and has kept his sound true and unique.
The Swede’s sophomore album Stories is a one of a kind musical masterpiece. The evolution of Avicii’s production has made significant growth and change since his early work. This album follows the same style of his debut album True, relying on more acoustic elements to create tracks rather than synths and plug-ins. This is an actual artist album and not just a collection of dance floor anthems.
The album opens up with “Waiting for Love” which has been a mainstay in Avicii’s sets this year. The track, co-produced with Martin Garrix, is a powerful anthem with extremely catchy lyrics and can resonate with almost any dance music lover. This track showcases a blend of Avicii new and old. We hear the new acoustic elements Avicii has been taking up combined with the powerful emotional anthem feel we got from his earlier work.
After the opening track we go into an array of new and fresh sounding tracks that encompass the new direction Avicii is taking his work. Off the bat we notice a variety of different tempos getting away from the typical 128 BPM. The track “Touch Me” stands out next as a slower funky track with spine-tingling vocals from Celeste Waiste.
One of the most surprising tracks on the album comes in the form of “Ten More Days.” This track sounds like it could be in the final scene of an epic movie. A slow trap-style beat with an eccentric vox melody to add to the powerful beats.
In 2013 Avicii premiered his new direction with the smash hit “Wake Me Up,” which was immediately received as “Country House.” Despite the haters, Avicii has kept true to his passion for more folk sounding elements on this album. The track “Broken Arrows” is a sentimental track with vocals from country heavyweight Zac Brown. This new style combines an infectious guitar and kick-drum combo that is sure to have anyone tapping their feet. Combine Avicii’s superior melody creation with this formula and you will get amazing tracks like “Trouble.”
This album is full of stand out tracks which are all unique in their own right, you don’t see much repetition when it comes to style of track on this album. But among these great tracks their are a few that stand above the rest. What makes this album different is that the tracks aren’t based around the dance floor, but instead based around composing and writing a proper song to just listen to.
Though these songs are more based around listening purposes, it doesn’t mean you can’t dance to them. “Pure Grinding” is a track you may have never expected to hear from Avicii. This track has a hard hitting vibe that you will want to get down and dirty too.
The tracks “Can’t Catch Me” and “Somewhere in Stockholm” really catch you by surprise when listening to this album. These downtempo tracks really show how much Avicii has grown as an artist. These are not dance tracks, these tracks are beautifully created pieces of art. When listening to these tracks you get taken away from reality into a whole new world that enhances your emotions and put you into a musical trance.
The final track worth mentioning is entitled “Sunset Jesus.” If you were a fan of 90’s rock then this song will hit you right in the feels. Parts of the track come from Avicii’s own remix of his track “Dear Boy” but have been transformed into a rock type anthem. The illustrious lyrics and vocals are enough to capture you into this great track. This track has potential to be the Swede’s next radio hit.
In closing, Avicii’s sophomore album is a true breathe of fresh air in the over-saturated world of dance music. We have seen many trends in dance music that come and go and many artists get lost in the scene because they never truly discover their own sound and rely on what is “in” at the moment. The reason why Avicii will remain atop the dance music scene is because he continues to evolve with the times without following others and continually pursues to create the music he feels is right. This album is a timeless piece of work and will cement Avicii not just as a top dance music producer, but as one of the top producers in all of music.
You can purchase the album here.
Connect with Avicii:
https://facebook.com/avicii
https://twitter.com/Avicii
https://soundcloud.com/aviciiofficial
https://avicii.com/
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