Wafflecakes
Member
LTTP review....wasn't really a fan till this fall and no one had reviewed it yet. So yeah. Tried to be as objective as possible.
Track By Track Review:
What Makes You Beautiful 4.5/5
Their signature song at this point in their careers for very obvious reasons. Not the deepest song on earth, but it fills a niche and really captures the spirit of One Direction. I really enjoy listening to the track and it rarely bores me the way other tracks with similar themes often do. Its catchy and fun.
Gotta Be You 3.5/5
I really enjoy the opening to this track. It has a great vibe that is unique to the album. However, at the same time it lacks the punch of WMYB and I am not surprised at all that it failed to be a radio hit. I don't really find myself coming back to the track much despite its quality. Maybe the track is a bit too long?
One Thing 4/5
Catchy song that suffers from the symptom of being way too similar to WMYB (the superior track) in theme and approach. On the other hand, a major boon it has is that I really cannot imagine liking it as much performed by any other group/artist. Just another fun, catchy song. There is no specific section of the song that I can point to as a flaw and its pacing is pretty much perfect.
More Than This 2.5/5
Solid song that isn't really spectacular or memorable. Well produced and designed overall and is an enjoyable listen on occasion, but the song feels repetitive and doesn't really go anywhere. Hard to give it too much love. A depends on my mood type track.
Up All Night 3.5/5
The funnest song on the album. Its cheese, topped by fun, topped by more cheese. The track on the album that screams I am a teenager. You don't like it? Well fuck you...I am too busy having fun to care! in its approach. Initially this track didn't do much for me, and I think it would be VERY hot and cold for people depending on what mood they are in. While its by no means a masterpiece, I have really grown to appreciate its energy and vibrance. I imagine crusty old men will hate it with a passion though.
I Wish 3/5
Another enjoyable listen that could use a bit more punch. Its not a bad song but still feels a little like filler. Its very safe, which is a big issue with many songs on the album. It is another song that I feel is really a mood song where you love it or meh it depending on whether you can identify with the lyrics in the moment. At least its a relatively unique theme for the album.
Tell Me a Lie 3.5/5
If I have one significant problem with this track its that whenever I listen to it I hear the Kelly Clarkson version in my head, and this one just doesn't stack up (not that anyone can compare to Kellegend). It is a completely unique composition for this album in a way that makes me feel like it doesn't quite fit, though I go back and forth on it. Chorus is great (I do feel it could have been sped up ever so slightly) and the track is still good overall. Hard to complain too much about it since its a nice listen and feels completely fresh. The fact that I keep coming back to it is a good sign.
Taken 3/5
Once again another song that depends a lot on you personally being able to connect with the lyrics in the moment. The composition itself is fairly unremarkable. One thing I will say is that this song really shows off Harry Styles pleasant voice. It has a nice flow and is ok all around. No particular section is offensive. I do find the bridge to be a nice change up.
I Want 2/5
Fun song. Really not a whole lot to say about this. It is what it is. It feels like it keeps going in different directions way too fast with the chorus, verse, and bridge all feeling like they are too short or missing something. Fills a similar niche to Up All Night, though their subject matters are very different. Not a fan of the P!nk-esqe instrumental bridge. Could have benefited from increased pace. Almost....but not quite.
Everything About You 2.5/5
Essentially What Makes You Beautiful/One Thing set to a different track. The song itself is not bad, but seeing that it is the worst of the three songs, it is the one that gets the brunt of the wrath when it comes to repetitiveness. Still, the song is fun and uptempo while keeping things moving nicely. I just have a hard time coming up with a reason to listen to this song again.
Same Mistakes 3/5
Incredibly conflicted about this song because I LOVE this type of track and the lyrics really do work for me. At the same time I do recognize that 1D really doesn't bring a lot to the song, and the song isn't incredibly unique or interesting when it comes to its sound and structure. So I give it an ok/good rating while also pointing out that despite that, I still love the song.
Save You Tonight 1.5/5
Real flop for me. Just feels redundant and a bit cliché. I feel like I have heard this before sometime during the 90's. Chorus isn't good enough, though it has a nice beat during the second half. Verse is uninteresting. Bridge is trash.
Stole My Heart 1/5
Ugh. Copy/paste everything from Save You Tonight over to this track. Everything applies. In particular I think that the chorus of this song is the worst on the album. Its a bad attempt at a dance type track. Last two tracks of the album are complete throwaways. I felt like instead of making the track work with One Direction's sound they forced 1D to fit into the songs instead.
