Search - A-Ha :: Lifelines Pt.2

Another good single

cam h. | USA | 08/06/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most a-ha singles (particularly stuff before Major Earth, Minor Sky) were, well, disappointing. Not because of the additional material, but because of the lack of additional material. After the single we were just left with other album tracks, or "remixes" that were just the song with the vocals removed. There were exceptions, like the concert recordings on the "Shapes That Go Together" single, the remixes of "Major Earth Minor Sky" and "Summer Moved On," the extras on various Japanese eps, and the interesting demo and amazing live stuff on the single to "Forever Not Yours." But looking at their total output, singles have been a tad boring. With the Lifelines singles so far, it looks like a-ha have finally gotten around to doing singles the right way. New material gets included, or demos, or rare versions, and quality remixes. This one is a revealing contribution to a-ha's body of work, and I especially like Magne's comments about the tracks. His remarks nicely sum up the tracks, but here are my further contributions. "Solace" is one of my favourite tracks from Lifelines, and I enjoy the remix well enough, though the original is far better in my opinion and really nails the emotional content of the song. The remixed music is too scattered and divorced from Harket's voice. The "You Wanted More Remix" sounds barely different and so is a bit of a bland listen, but it's interesting to see how things evolved or what decisions were made. That's the point, as Magne writes. Still, the slight differences in the music hint at the possibility of another version. I think Harket could have changed the vocal melody a bit and made the version more interesting and a whole lot catchier. Having an edit of the album version of "Lifelines" is neccessary for the song's single, perhaps, but boring. (An edit of a good song is always wrong!) This cd's other unheard-of versions, remixes, or demos, really make it interesting listening. The original version of "Dragonflies" is included. The music is different as well as the vocalist. It is a folkier version and sounds a lot sweeter and more vulnerable with Magne's voice. I like the album version, but this version is getting more frequent listens recently. The "Lifelines" demo is nice, too. It has a lazier feel and you hear Anneli Drecker's contributions much more clearly. Also, the words are a bit different. I don't think I like the "Turn The Lights Down" version as well as what made it onto the album, but like most of the other tracks, it is a worthwhile, interesting listen.In short, this one reveals more of their talent and is that nice extra "shot" for those of us who crave more even 2 days after the album comes out! I hope they continue to release this sort of single. Part One of this set (a remix cd) is also worth it, too, for the "Console" and "Millenia Nova" remixes."