'Made in the A.M.' Is a Masterpiece

The members of One Direction - Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson - have really outdone themselves with their new album Made in the A.M. The band went through a lot this past year, with the departure of the fifth member, Zayn Malik, but that didn't stop them. They only grew stronger and proved that nobody can drag them down (song lyrics intended). The release of this album was especially emotional because One Direction is taking a well deserved hiatus this upcoming year, after non-stop touring and recording for the past five years.

Made in the A.M. is so difficult for me to express in words; it left me speechless. It is brilliantly crafted and and so real. All four group members collaborated and wrote most of the songs on the album, sharing their inner emotions and personal experiences with their fans. It is apparent that One Direction matured in this album; not every song is peppy and about love, like earlier hits such as "What Makes You Beautiful."

Although both the band and their music have grown up and evolved, they only tweaked their sound slightly; they have stayed true to their original style and what their fans initially fell in love with. Overall, the album gives off a feel of enjoying life and sharing good times with family, friends and lovers. If there was a soundtrack playing in the background of my life, it would be this album. Each song has its own personality, so I'm going to review them individually.

1. "Hey Angel" is the ideal song to begin the album with; the powerful electric guitar came right at me. It made me feel like the heavens were opening up and sunlight was streaming down on me. Enough said.

2. "Perfect" is the classic catchy, pop song; it's the 1D we all know and love. It expresses a relationship with spontaneous adventures and causing harmless trouble, just being young and enjoying yourselves, which makes it a fun tune.
3. "Infinity" is a beautiful ballad with imagery that made me envision a serene, boundless galaxy. It's simply mesmerizing.

4. "End of the Day" has contrasting sounds in the verses and chorus. The verses have smooth voices with clapping, almost mischievous-sounding, and the lyrics describe a love falling apart. Despite the love falling apart, the chorus has both music and lyrics that depict an "it's all good" and "everything will be okay" vibe, making the differing sounds coincide with the paradoxical ideas.

5. "If I Could Fly" is another strong ballad that is dominated by the piano and begins with Harry's raw vocals, which gave me the chills. It's such a real song, and the members reveal their vulnerability and really open up. When the violin comes in toward the end, the intensity builds; it's the most emotional song on the album.

6. "Long Way Down" discusses the fallout of a relationship that was once so strong, and the analogies to the past love are so vivid and make the song heartrending and memorable: "We sailed the ocean and drowned in the waves, Built a cathedral but we never prayed."

7. "Never Enough" combines a barbershop quartet, old-fashioned feel and a pop-rock feel, giving it a cool vibe. It includes the trumpet and has the common theme of young love, but with a different feeling, making it fascinating.

8. "Olivia" has a sound similar to the Beatles' music; One Direction even recorded it at the famous Abbey Road Studios. It's a cutesy love song and incorporates violins and trumpets, and is innovative and current, ironically because of its many parallels to Beatles' songs from earlier decades.

9. "What A Feeling" gives off a mysterious aura and sounds like a track that would be in a spy movie in the '70s. It's an outcast on the album, but that's what lured me in and intrigued me.

10. "Love You Goodbye" commences with the lyrics, "It's inevitable everything that's good comes to an end," making it so real and sad and once again portraying vulnerability, touching my soul.

11. "I Want To Write You A Song" is a lovely acoustic song and my favorite on the album. It's romantic, and the members of the band are being such gentlemen. They're the polite, caring boyfriends that every girl dreams of, with lyrics like, "I want to write you a song, One that's beautiful as you are sweet."
12. "History" is extremely sentimental because 1D dedicated it to the fans, singing, "You and me got a whole lot of history, so don't let it go, we can make some more, we can live forever." To further show their gratefulness for their fans; some fans were even included in the recording of the chorus, as a "crowd vocal." It's friendly and sweet and unforgettable.

13. "Temporary Fix" is reckless with the electric guitar and describes the realities of life as a pop star with one night stands, temptation and beautiful girls. It's a fun song and is honest because the band sings truthfully about their love lives, not just ideally of love.

14. "Walking in the Wind" sounds like it would be in the Lion King; it's a colorful song that had me in a trance. They discuss that there are no hard feelings in the break-up and that they'll always be there for their ex-lover, "I'll be by your side, any time you're needing me."

15. "Wolves" sounds like it would be a theme song of a television series on ABC Family. It compares all the other guys trying to get to this girl as "wolves" preying on her and the band members are shooting the "wolves" down, to get this girl. Their lyrics made me envision this scene, and I felt like I was a character in the song.

16. "A.M." concludes the album. It's an acoustic song that is so genuine and portrays how your deep, inner-thoughts come out late at night. The A.M. is when "all [their] favorite conversations]" take place, demonstrating their love for truthfulness. These lyrics encompass the feel of the song, "Don't want to sleep cause we're dreaming out loud."
via Source