List | A | Adolphson & Falk | 'I Nattens Lugn' CD 1986

Track:	Name:	Time:
1.	Någon	5:07
2.	Ett Barn Av Buddha	6:12
3.	Aha	4:08
4.	Mr. Leitch	6:19
5.	Fångad Som Ett Djur	6:28
6.	Ifrån	4:29
7.	Ge Inte Upp	3:58
8.	I Nattens Lugn	5:31
9.	Nu Lever Jag Igen	5:24
	Total	47:36

Comments:

This album is less hi-tech than the previous, both in sound and lyrical content. The songs are less synthetic and more standard mid-80:s pop, relying more on samples than synthesized sounds.

'Någon' is a pop-reggae type depressing love song, not very good. My least favourite A&F track. 'Barn Av Buddha' is about a hypocritical girl who think she's a buddhist, so clean and pure. She knows everything, but acts without conviction. Musically, it's quite like their older material. 'Aha' is a bouncy nonsense pop song, fluffy and simple. The lyrics are about a girl who thinks in simplistic terms and just says "Aha" when he comes with his complex thoughts and problems. Actually, it's so bouncy and poppy it makes me think of 'Take On Me' by A-Ha. This cannot be a coincidence. My guess is that A) either A&F wanted to do a similar song or B) the record company wanted a poppy hit single, "like those guys in A-Ha". Pure speculation on my part, of course.

I don't know who 'Mr. Leitch' is, but the song is about a lonely man whose pathetic life feels temporarily better by consuming alcohol, picking up a woman and dreaming about being young again. It reminds me a bit of Utanför in both sound and atmosphere. It's really a sad song. More loneliness in 'Fångad Som Ett Djur', which is also musically similar to the previous track. This one seems to be about Elvis, trapped in his home by his own excessive fame. Another calm, slow sad song, with the occasional agonising screaming synth in the chorus. Together with 'Mr Leitch' it's definitely one of the highlights of the album.

'Ifrån' is poppier than the previous two, but the lyrics aren't much happier. It's about going away ('Ifrån') from something heartbreaking, sitting on a train and thinking about what you're leaving, not what you're travelling towards. Is it really about travelling or is it about time and regrets? Poppy, yet melancholic. An even poppier tune is 'Ge Inte Upp', an optimistic song about not giving in to your problems. Not as bouncy as 'Aha', but close. 'I Nattens Lugn' is a slow song about the thoughts and contemplations of a man sitting up in the middle of the night, finally getting peace of mind in the stillness of the night. To close the album is the Big Hit Single 'Nu Lever Jag Igen', a catchy and poppy synthetic tune, with optimistic lyrics about feeling good and regaining one's lust for life, feeling the energy flow again. In all it's simplicity, it usually puts me in a good mood after those sad songs.

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