Published on Jul 25, 1997
My brainmate in Algebra I, back in the US, is an unusually
brilliant human being (especially in math). So when she said she
couldn’t get
The Sign out of her head, I figured that it must be a pretty
cerebrally compatible arrangement; when I actually got the CD, I
couldn’t quite understand how something so simple could occupy
something so complex.
Although it was laden with air-headed lyrics, the sound was
“different” (therefore, “fresh”) from the other albums that were
released that year. Although it faired pretty well, they ultimately
were overplayed to death and were basically the history before the
Spice Girls repeated it.
The Bridge destroys what originality Ace of Base had before
by overproducing, underemoting, and just plain bandwagoning. The
structure is mysteriously complete and perfectly cohesive as their
voices (the latter coming from the fact that they’re sibs excluding
one Ace), mysterious because
The Bridge is a group of solo projects rolled into one. They
do come together in some group tracks, but this new experimenting
is also interesting for it gives a chance to see them as individual
artists.
Aside from the last breath of the good old days from “Never
Gonna Say I’m Sorry” featuring the drum arrangement from “All That
She Wants”, the album is a confusing mix of samples, samples, and
more minor chords than “The Phantom Of The Opera”. “Edge of Heaven”
drips with ambition, but falls halfway; the imagery can almost be
grasped if the words were more poetic (an example of how vital
lyrics are in a song). “My Deja Vu” … what IS this? It doesn’t
sound like one long chorus like Joker (the songwriter) says it does
in the liner notes; and Linn and Jenny can sing better than that.
One wonders why they sound so tired.
The album isn’t totally without its brightspots. “Angel Eyes” is
a milestone in Ace Of Base’s career. The song is a ballad done in
traditional chords, a grateful lack of samples, and the best group
vocal performance on the entire album. Linn as a songwriter brings
up some genuine sensuality in “Whispers In Blindness” with an
accompanying performance that doesn’t mimic Madonna. “Blooming 18”
is the better part of the new Ace of Base thanks to its lyrics and
group vocals.
But the most impressive effort on the album are certain two
efforts (out of three) by Jenny (the brunette). Sparks of
songwriting brilliance appear in “Ravine” and undisputably the best
track on the album, “Experience Pearls”. Her imaging is strong and
her delivery is dedicated. Previously overshadowed by the writing
of the two male members and the vocal beauty of Linn, Jenny steps
into artistic validity with her successful experiments which could
only improve the band.
The power of Ace of Base ultimately lies in its group tracks.
When they all come together in one track, be it ironic uptempo
(“Que Sera”) or techno ballad (“Angel Eyes”), they simply sound
better. So while this was passably entertaining, they’ve got
nothing left to prove; let’s leave our egos in the closet and nail
it.