True North

I’ve been sad. It’s the time of life when parents die and children fly off to go about living their own destinies. I’ve been kind of lost. The American mind seems to be infected with a virus of dissatisfaction that feels unsettling at best. I’ve had a sneaking suspicion lately that before being overtaken by adulthood and motherhood I perhaps had an identity. I decided to set out on a hero’s journey to find her. Music seemed like the place to begin. A-ha’s “Hunting High and Low” was the second album I owned, after MJ’s “Thriller”. I bought a cd of it recently and realized that 11 year old me was correct: it’s still simply lovely. I set out to see what those fellows have been up to for the past 30 years or so and haven’t been disappointed! My growing collection of a-ha cd’s is currently the soundtrack of my life. This one, True North, is my absolute favorite. I know of no other band that can evoke a feeling of place like they can. I feel cold expanses, groves of evergreen trees, and most of all what a breeze coming off the sea in a boat must feel like. All of the songs are good. There’s haunting sadness, swells of joy, and tangible curiosity and wonder. “Bluest of Blue” evokes some strange mixture of delight and tears every time. If I could write a song for my children it would be “You have What it Takes”. Thank you for this music.

I loved Mortens voice since the 80s ... So many years later his voice is still haunting and his songs on this CD are heartfelt and longing. Great CD to listen while relaxing or driving!

This album is a masterpiece, track after track, or should I say poem after poem? a-ha fans will be rewarded with beautifully crafted songs that convey important messages: have faith, believe in yourself, find your north. True North is an album with a different perspective, and sounds; the only bad thing about it...is that it leaves you wanting more! Five stars!

I tried to order this when the album originally came out in October but Amazon couldn't get it. I was finally able to months later. It came as advertized and on time. The album I think needed a bit more production work. The orchestra overpowers Morten's voice in "Bumblebee". In addition, the strings give a feeling that Mags and Pal are just there in the background. The 'a-ha' sound is lost in translation to a degree. Even with that said, the title track "True North," "Between the Halo and the Horn" and "I'm In" are the ones that a-ha fans will appreciate.

This Album is a masterpiece. Such beautiful music with an orchestra and the main band. 2023 album amazing songs. Listen to it on YouTube. A-HA is underrated the are very talented and great song writers as well. This is an unforgettable experience.

Item was priced good and shipping was quickly

Unfortunately, this album felt underwhelming. I think the only song I liked after taking a listen was the first one. Will listen again and see if that perception changes. It's unfortunate, because to me their post 80s music is generally their best. I know it's been a while, but Minor Earth Major Sky and Lifelines are some of their best work.

A-ha never disappoints. I really enjoy this album with a jazzy style with Morten's angelic voice it is such a joy to listen.

El último álbum del grupo noruego, uno de los mejores de su carrera , es una obra musical de corte nostálgico pero bien elaborada.

I love this CD, and first came across it flying home from Europe in June 2024 (a long overdue holiday). So pleased I decided to listen to this - could not get it out of my head! Something went 'array' with the ordering - I ended up with two of these CDs - so I gave the second copy to a long-time friend. I hope she enjoys it as much as I do! :-) Robyn

Je suis fan depuis tout petit du groupe A-ha, je rêve depuis longtemps d'avoir tous leurs albums, j'adores leur style et la voix de Morten Harket, leurs compacte disque ont un son fabuleux, le meilleur groupe de tous les temps !

Wer auf dem neuen Album von a-ha Smash-Hits oder ein 80er Jahre-Revival erwartet, sollte sich anderen Bands aus dieser Ära zuwenden. Wer aber toll arrangierte Musik mag, die leidenschaftlich und mit Herz produziert ist, ist bei "True North" richtig gelandet. Das Album ist in sich sehr konsistent – irgendwie wird spürbar, dass Morten, Mags und Pál hier noch mal alle Kräfte gebündelt haben (ich persönlich glaube nicht, dass noch ein weiteres Album folgen wird). Das Ganze ist überaus melancholisch und verträumt. Am besten und schönsten entfalten sich die Songs über Kopfhörer, da viele kleine Nuancen des Orchesters besser hörbar sind. Meine Highlights: - "Between the Halo and the Horn" (man möchte zusammen mit Morten in Melancholie ersaufen... zum Steine erweichen!) - "Bluest of Blue" (ein Beatles-Feeling stellt sich ein... harmonisch singen die Drei im Chor und man fragt sich "Wie großartig könntet Ihr sein, wenn Eure Egos Euch nicht im Weg stehen würden") - "Summer Rain" - "I'm in" (das Zugpferd des Albums) - "Bumblebee" - "Forest for the trees" (Tanzbar! ;-)) Das Album läuft bei mir gerade rauf und runter – ich liebe es (die Musik-Kritik übrigens auch).

The COVID 19 pandemic broadsided our lives, forced us to regroup and spend time with family and simplify our lives. A- ha had begun their mammoth Hunting high and low tour which I caught on the second night in Belfast in November 2019 They were able to get a clutch of gigs done in early 2020 in the Middle East South Africa and Australia before the hammer came down By the time they recommenced the tour in Argentina at the end of March 2022 ,they had a new album in the bag and 2 songs from it added to the tour set. The idea was fascinating. They recorded the new album live in November 2021 with the Arctic Philamonic Orchestra in Bodo, Norway. If this was a novel way to record an album, a companion film was made which the music served as a soundtrack to. This was directed by long term collaborator Stian Anderson who has shown a superb visual eye from the many band photos he has produced. I first heard "forest for the trees" and "you have what it takes" from the clips from the South American gigs in 2022. The first by Pal ,quirky and Beatley the latter by Magne majestic accoustic pop. July saw the release of "I'm in" a soaring shimmering beauty of a song and which takes the ranks with the classics. "Hunter in the hills" is excellent funky baseline and drums coupled against Bond theme strings and incongruous lyrics given the romanticism of the production. "As if" starts off with Yazoo type keyboards before Beatles like strings kick in."Between the Halo and the horn " is an accoustic Magne gem with lovely Spanish guitar solo. "True North" has echoes of Stay on these Roads with excellent lyrics using the compass metaphor of finding your way home. "Bumblebee" is a Pal curio inspired by Brazilian 60s pop production, the archaic keyboards sound like Wings Band on the run. "Forest for the trees" as mentioned is superb accoustic electric Beatles which would fit on Rubber Soul. "Bluest of Blue"is a lovely accoustic number about marine conservation. " Make me understand" is a grower with lovely 70s pop type strings in the middle. " You have what it takes" is better than the live version with beautiful orchestra accompaniment. "Summer Rain" another beautiful Magne composition and the final "Oh my word" is beautiful lilting jazz a la Pal. Why is this album a triumph? The live format with orchestra which worked so well for the MTV unplugged brings a consistency to Pals half and Magne's half. The songs are brought to life organically and there is no opportunity for overproduction. The songs by and large are growers and the orchestration is sumptuous and spot on. The film whilst beautifully filmed is mildly bewildering but suffices as visual set pieces to each song rather than the intended music as soundtrack to film . This album is up there with "Scoundrel Days" and among A-ha's finest works. It makes amends for the overproduced disjointed mess that was the "Cast in steel" fiasco from 2015. Gentlemen if this is your Swan song then you are going out at the peak. Bravo!!