2014-04-25
Avicii, aka Tim Bergling, from Stockholm, Sweden, is a grammy-nominated DJ who has been known to pull down 6 figures for a one night show. Musical influences include Daft Punk and Swedish House Mafia. "Wake Me Up" remained the #1 download in the country (and world, actually) for many weeks in 2013 and deemed one of the top 100 best songs of that year by Rolling Stone. With Aloe Blacc providing vocals, it is a feel-good country-rock diversion from Avicii's pounding beat. "Hey Brother" runs a close second as most popular tune on this album with vocals by bluegrass musician Dan Tyminski (Alison Krauss & Union Station and O Brother, Where Art Thou?). "Dear Boy" as sung by Marie Orsted has peaks and valleys and ends with a full minute of a singular percussion loop without "music." The vocalist on "Lay Me Down" is Adam Lambert [American Idol runner-up]. Besides being partial to "Wake Me Up" and "Lay Me Down," my personal fav is "Hope There's Someone" - a breathy ballad by songstress Linnea Henriksson. The song builds from acoustic guitar to synthesized strings and EDM beat in this instrumental powerhouse. In True, Avicii's debut studio album, all tracks bring their own genre-bending flavor and belie categorization as electronic dance music. Reviewed by Pam VandeKerkhoff
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