By Laura Reineke

With 'Four,' Are the Boys of One Direction Growing Up? | NOISEY

You probably hate this band. That’s cool. But with their new album, it might be time to take a listen.

By Laura Reineke

One Direction’s new album Four leaked over the weekend, and it’s way better than it has any right to be. Wait, wait, wait—I know you think you don’t give a shit about One Direction. But while you’ve been busy aggressively avoiding them, the British boyband has evolved from cuddly-cute Euro-poptarts into a bunch of beautiful long-legged diet Springsteens (albeit less in political inclination than in “Hell yeah!” attitude and commercial accessibility). Four is a lively 80s throwback adventure awash in power guitar chords, piano, anthemic choruses, and walls of harmonies. It’s a vibe that totally suits them.

The five members of One Direction—Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson—are not the cleverest or most adventurous dudes in pop music. The band exists by chance and the good grace of Simon Cowell, not because they came to the table with much to offer beyond charm. It’d be a waste to expect from them some kind of game-changing tour de force. But with nearly a billion dollars in earnings and enough fans to qualify for United Nations representation, they must know how easy it would be to phone it in until their contracts run out, make a couple albums of bullshit pop, and coast to an early retirement. But instead they’ve seized the massive opportunities afforded them and are making a concerted effort to dig out their own sound, to develop their musicality and songwriting skills into something worthy of their hyped-up legion of fans. Four is an improvement for them on every level: it’s smarter lyrically, warmer emotionally, and considerably more cohesive than any of their three previous studio outings.

As their venue sizes have grown (they’re heading out on their second worldwide stadium tour in February), the music has expanded to fill them. The farmhouse folk-pop quality of the band’s ubiquitous single “Story of My Life” late last year felt at the time like a calculated move to stay on trend with chart toppers like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers, but it turns out it was foreshadowing. While their third album Midnight Memories was a game but unwieldy effort to bridge the gap between pop and rock, Four sees the band diving full-on into Dad Rock mode. (Which, by the way, is a good thing: Anyone who thinks this isn’t a compliment has forgotten the life-affirming simplicity of a solid guitar line and a shout-able chorus.) The boys’ relief to have escaped the cookie cutter confines of their X-Factor roots is palpable.

For one thing, the songwriting’s gotten better. Payne and Tomlinson have taken on the bulk of the co-writing credits here as they did on Midnight Memories (working again with a team that includes Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott, and John Ryan), but this time the effort feels more deliberate. The pair are both in long-term relationships and that influence has helped to push the nudge-wink flirtiness of their earlier songs into a kind of lived-in sexiness that’s apparent on tracks like “No Control” (“Taste on my tongue / I don’t want to wash away the night before”) and the infectious, reverential bop “Girl Almighty” (“I get down, I get down, I get down on my knees for you”). “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” is an arena rock jam destined for the fist-pump freeze frame ending of a Breakfast Club remake. Harry admitted with a shit-eating grin in an interview over the weekend that “Stockholm Syndrome” is “about a nympho,” and between its lyrical allusions to enjoying a bit of light bondage and its sexy “Bad”-era staccato beat, it’s one of the hottest, catchiest songs they’ve recorded.

There’s also a newfound confidence in their vocals. Styles’ raspy tone sounds much more at home in this sort of rock sound than it ever did on bubblegum pop. Horan and Tomlinson, who barely advanced beyond backup vocals on their debut, have really leveled up here; Horan flexes an appealing growl on that first verse of “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” and Tomlinson’s reedy tenor is in especially fine form on “No Control,” punching out the chorus like the vocal equivalent of a pelvic thrust. Payne and Malik are still the workhorse vocalists of the group, providing much-needed texture and the occasional showboating flourish. It’s Malik’s lush falsetto melisma on lead single “Steal My Girl” that really kicks the song into gear.

The songs aren’t all winners. “Ready to Run,” which takes the same chord progressions from “Story of My Life” and swaps in marginally better lyrics, absolutely belongs on the soundtrack of an inspirational movie about a teen girl at equestrian camp. 1D’s pal Ed Sheeran is responsible for the blah “18,” a too-cheesy ode to young love that we’ve all heard a million times before. And I’m still waiting for an explanation behind the choice of “Night Changes” as the second single. Other than a nice key change, it’s uninspired. But not even a truly unfortunate Casio keyboard drum loop can detract from the gorgeous, ghost-like harmonies of “Fireproof.” And I’m straight-up obsessed with “Fool’s Gold,” a frank admission that sometimes false love is better than none at all. It’s the best they’ve ever sounded, and the most perceptive: “I knew that you turned it on for everyone you met / But I don’t regret falling for your fool’s gold.”

The bar for boybands is low. We’ve come to expect a few years of bombast from groups like this, then a soft slope down toward a break-up, followed by D-list name recognition punctuated with the occasional guest spot on Dancing with the Stars or an US Weekly wedding headline. But four albums into global success no one could have predicted, One Direction aren’t getting the hint to wrap it up. They know you’re out here side-eyeing their reality show roots, deriding their young female fanbase, and dismissing their shiny pop sound, and not only are they not bothered, they’ve used that blind hatred to broaden their ambitions beyond what their critics think they deserve. Four is a focused, genuinely fun pop-rock album, and a sign of truly promising growth that isn’t likely to taper off soon. “And we go and we go and we don’t stop,” they sing in the sprawling breakdown of the ambitious, punk-tinged closer “Clouds.” It’s not a threat, it’s an invitation to take them seriously. What’s your excuse?

Laura Reineke has been a queen since she was 16. Follow her on Twitter.

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Download Links for Glee Live Songs!

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Rise (Full Performance) | Song co-written by Darren Criss

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Lea And Darren Get Egged On The Set Of Glee (November 19, 2014)

Lea and Darren get egged on the set of Glee (November 19, 2014)

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1 year ago

Seventeen magazine :)))) Thought it was a nice thing to see.

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1 year ago

One Direction bids final farewell to U.S. at Gillette Stadium

One Direction made their final stop at Gillette Stadium before taking a hiatus.

And now, we bid adieu to One Direction

Gillette Stadium was the boy band’s final stateside stop before they take a hiatus.

By Bryanna Cappadona

@brycappa

Boston.com Staff | 09.12.15 | 11:22 PM

“Boston, how about we sing some songs together?”

It was a classic Liam Payne call to action, but there’s something so thrilling about artists acknowledging your hometown. Especially if it’s One Direction.

It’s with great bittersweetness that we accept tonight’s show at Gillette as an anticipated turning point in One Direction’s sovereignty. It’s been five years since the boy band came together on the U.K.’s X Factor, and in that time, those favorite nobodies became unfathomable somebodies who put out four albums, released a movie, toured the world, and stole many, many hearts.

Tonight, One Direction sold out Gillette Stadium. It’s nothing they haven’t done before. Last year they did it thrice, nearly 70,000 people from all corners of the Northeast fleeing to be in the presence of those British-Irish lads. But this time, it’s different. The show marked One Direction’s final North American show as a group before heading into a European leg of On the Road Again until the end of October.

After that, no one knows if we’ll ever see One Direction The Group perform together again in the USA.

“It’s an important night for us, as it’s the last stop on this tour,” Harry Styles shouted from the stage. He told the crowd to dance their hardest. Louis Tomlinson admitted he’s “feeling emotional tonight.” Liam thanked his crew for an amazing tour. Niall said Gillette is one of his favorite stadiums in America.

2015 featured some pretty hefty obstructions in One Direction Land, primarily Zayn Malik’s exit from the group back in March.

In July, People.com reported that Louis Tomlinson was expecting a baby, which Michael Strahan then forced Louis to confirm on live TV. For what it’s worth, if this happened to Timberlake during his *NSYNC days, the world would have crumbled.

And then came the most ominous news of all: In August, The Daily Mail reported that One Direction was breaking up. “One Direction to SPLIT,” read its ever-provocative headline, sending Twitter into a frenzy, a point of hysteria that is, quite frankly, incomparable to any other thing that could warrant hysteria. Niall Horan told his 23 million Twitter followers that it was just a “well-earned break” next year. Liam Payne then disclosed in a solo, cover-story interview with Attitude magazine that it will be the time for One Direction to explore new things on their own.

So now here we are. Lots of fans at Gillette sported T-shirts that read “In memory of Zayn.” This could be perceived as an LOL gesture among 1D diehards, but there’s something to be said about immortalizing the good ol’ days. No fan wants to forget those unstoppable five boys plucked out of a mesh of aspiring youths by Simon Cowell. It was a seemingly arbitrary selection, which is what makes their incredible rise so endearing.

All good things come to an end, some parent somewhere probably told their devastated teenager. If only they really knew.

http://www.boston.com/entertainment/2015/09/12/one-direction-bids-final-farewell-gillette-stadium/lPX8Xe9aPd3RBgKk2a1guN/story.html

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1 year ago

Santiago, Chile, Full Audio Concert (30/04/14) Download

One Direction Santiago, Chile concert recording from Don’t Forget Where You Belong to final song of Best Song Ever (including the Instagram questions and little segments where the boys chat with the band + selfie)

*Note: The stream does mess up a few times but I did try to cut ‘em out hence some parts may sound choppy.

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NEW YORK – November 12, 2014 – NBCUniversal and One Direction today announced an unprecedented and expansive cross-platform partnership for the global launch of the band’s upcoming studio album, FOUR. One Direction superstars Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson will “take over” NBCUniversalin an exclusive partnership spanning multiple brands and platforms across NBCUniversal’s vast portfolio in support of the launch of the band’s fourth studio album. The partnership kicked off on Monday, September 8 on TODAY with the exclusive announcement of the album’s worldwide launch date of Monday, November 17, and a week-long “1D Fan Face-Off” contest culminating in the announcement of the band’s album launch performance on TODAY from Universal Orlando Resort. The collaboration includes a variety of special events including:

A live performance from One Direction on the TODAY show and Un Nuevo Dia Monday, November 17 originating from Universal Orlando Resort’s CityWalk (no theme park admission required).

A “1D” holiday special to air December 23, 8-9pm ET on NBC called “ONE DIRECTION: THE TV SPECIAL” – the band’s first-ever U.S. network special.

Competitions around the world for fans to win a grand prize of VIP tickets to the performance airing on TODAY and Un Nuevo Dia, and the second special performance by the band at the Universal Studios Florida Music Plaza stage, on Tuesday, November 18 (private performance – not open to the general public). Tickets available at http://smarturl.it/1DSpecialBundle

In celebration of the new album, fans visiting Universal Orlando Resort on November 17 and 18 will experience a specially-themed “Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit” roller coaster featuring music from 1D and a special 1D version of the ”Universal Cinematic Spectacular” nighttime show.

Guests inside Universal Studios can join the social media action at the One Direction in Orlando Fan Zone on Park Avenue.

Guests staying at Universal Orlando’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort will have an opportunity to attend an exclusive album listening pool party on November 16, 7-8pm ET to hear the album before it is released, and will also have the unique opportunity to sign up for specially recorded wake-up calls from the members of One Direction.

Additionally, exclusive interviews and news about the band’s new record will also be featured across NBCUniversal’s entertainment news platforms “Access Hollywood,” “E! News” and on Telemundo’s Spanish-language morning show “Un Nuevo Dia” as part of the partnership. U.S. promotional partners for this collaboration sending fans to see 1D in Orlando have included Amazon, Clear Channel, Vevo, Seventeen magazine, retail outlets Rue 21 and Claire’s, and the video game “Just Dance.” One Direction fans can pre-order FOUR at http://smarturl.it/1DFouriTdlx.

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1 year ago

One Direction - That Moment full video

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