Which of these is not like the others?
Mumford & Sons. Bob Dylan. Merle Haggard. Willie Nelson. One Direction.
For the last year and a half, One Direction has been the anomaly in my list of favorite artists.
For years I had been impervious to its boyish, British charm, but then I went in deep: a friend of a friend canceled plans and I ended up with a free ticket to one of its concerts.
I devoured “Four” when it was released last November and lamented the announcement the boys would be taking a break after the release of “Made in the A.M.” After releases like “Drag Me Down” and “Perfect,” I couldn’t wait to hear the album — downloading it was the first thing I did last Friday.
The evolution of One Direction has been fun to watch. It went from being a pop-centric boy band fresh off the “X Factor” on 2011’s “Up All Night” and 2012’s “Take Me Home” before developing a more rock-star-status sound on 2013’s “Midnight Memories.”
“Four” saw it go more acoustic in 2014 with a folksy kind of sound that wasn’t a huge departure from its earlier stuff. However, “Made in the A.M.” is unlike anything we’ve heard from them while simultaneously being just like everything we’ve heard from them.
Simply put: the sound is inconsistent.
We have tracks like “Drag Me Down” that sound like classic One Direction.
Songs like “What a Feeling” and “Long Way Down” give a Fleetwood Mac-like vibe.
“Olivia” has a Beatles-esque feel and weirdly sounds like “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” for a second.
Then there are rambunctious songs like “History” and “Temporary Fix.”
“End of the Day” feels like two songs pasted together.
Despite its messiness, the album still appeals to its target demographic, me included.
Honestly, “I Want to Write You a Song” and “If I Could Fly” left me misty-eyed.
With ankle-boot aficionado Harry Styles among the writing credits on “If I Could Fly,” the ballad will undoubtedly be crooned through tears by every Directioner when the boys go on hiatus in a few months’ time.
The boys’ weariness has seeped into their lyrics.
They need a break.
They’ve done five albums, four tours and two concert movies in five years.
There have been public breakups — personally and professionally — I’m looking at you, Zayn Malik.
It’s telling, though, that every One Direction fan I’ve talked to admits the album’s faults but still proclaims their love.
That’s why I’m conflicted: this isn’t a bad album to listen to, but it’s lacking commitment to a cohesive sound.
I’m just not sure what direction they were going in with “Made in the A.M.”
I don’t think they did, either.
