Avicii ‘Stories’: A Track-by-Track Review

After becoming a global superstar synonymous with electronic dance music following True—his platinum-selling album also responsible for more than 80 million singles worldwide—Avicii follows up the massive 2013 release with Stories, an album that meets the tall order of expanding beyond expectations to satiate a much broader audience. In 14 tracks, Avicii dives headlong into country, reggae and rock, with straight-ahead dance tracks actually bringing up the rear. A mixed bag of explorations into what dance can be, it delivers a blend of both outstanding and underwhelming productions, too.

“Waiting for Love”

The lead single from Stories—“Waiting for Love,” coproduced with Martin Garrix—might, in the best way possible, exceed the record set by David Guetta and Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” for number of hooks allowed in electro-pop anthems. It’s all here: the amplified kick on the fourth beat of the bar; the lyrics in the actual vocal hook; and Garrix’s trademark xylophone-style synth work over the bridge. These elements make the song an incredible earworm overall. Does this mean it’s also easy to grow weary of hearing the track overplayed ad nauseam? Possibly. But on an initial listen, it definitely makes the listener want to hear it again.

“Talk to Myself”

A clear homage to Jellybean Benitez’s new-wave-meets-freestyle synth work on Madonna’s 1984 smash “Into the Groove,” “Talk to Myself” expands Avicii’s sonic palette. The violins and guitar-style chords dance against the bassline here and almost do the work for those with two left feet heading to dancefloors in droves worldwide. Add in some tropical house steel pans, and for those for whom dance is enjoyment and not obsession, this one leans left enough of “Wake Me Up” to feel completely refreshing in every way.

“Touch Me”

Spiraling vocal loops wrapped around major-key piano chords and a crunching, mid-tempo beat set the Top 40-trending track “Touch Me.” The brassy female vocal screams more classic Chicago house than 2015 Billboard chart-topper, and if you’re playing the Avicii home game, you already know he’s bending and shaping those rules against their will in so many ways these days. It’s possible this funky outlier could do some pop chart damage.

“Ten More Days”

The prominent folk guitars heard on “Wake Me Up” make their Stories debut here along with haunting, Ed Sheeran-style vocals. When the male vocal reaches the upper registers, it finds the soulful impulse in the lyrics. Add in the halftime, dubstep-style breaks soon thereafter, and this hits a feel similar to Alex Clare’s “Too Close.” Then, layer in the Zapp & Roger vocoder effects on the keyboard with the double-time drum loops, and this reaches another level. The imprisonment of heartbreak, as explained through progressive bass, is a difficult topic explored in both a heavy and sonorous manner.

“For a Better Day”

Doo-wop torch songs bathed in Baptist church-inspired piano runs would be the last thing one would expect from Avicii, but that’s what’s delivered here. The programmed claps and kicks feel nearly out of place. I’d almost want to hear this track done acoustically with Avicii on the piano, featuring a gospel choir and soloist, than in this very pedestrian EDM-type delivery.

“Broken Arrows”

Country stalwart Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band gets into the mix. The song’s intro features a ‘70s-style analog synth that mimics what a jangling country guitar would sound like in opening the track. A metronome beat with a tambourine tacked to it copies the drums, while Zac Brown turns into Kenny Rogers. Calling this the EDM answer to Rogers’ 1978 crossover hit “The Gambler” wouldn’t be too far off. Compare the hook of “Broken Arrows” (“Sometimes you choose, and sometimes you lose / Sometimes you shoot a broken arrow in the dark, but I see the hope in your heart”) to “The Gambler” (“Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em / Know when to walk away, know when to run”), and it’s entirely too close to ignore the seemingly intentional similarity.

“True Believer”

Even on the most traditional dance-sounding single on Stories, “True Believer” features a fat, vamping synth reminiscent of Prince and the Revolution directly in the middle of the mix. The synth then explodes and overshadows the vocal, and much of anything in the rest of the track is amazing. There’s something in the mix here that’s fascinating in the realm of producers as pop stars. This same track 30 years ago would have Prince turning down Dr. Fink’s keyboard in lieu of having it overshadow his vocals or would run as a separate club mix to let Dr. Fink vibe out. Fascinating stuff here.

“City Lights”

A chopped vocal sample and snapping, crunchy drums inform the opening of “Pure Grinding” with a pulsating and funky energy. A turbo-charged build empties into nothingness, save an autotuned vocal plaintively exhorting club kids to keep the party going longer. Combining bassline techno, progressive house, and a bizarrely pitched vocal into an off-kilter track, this one sounds like it’ll fit better part-to-whole in a mix than as a standalone single.

“Pure Grinding”

West Coast G-funk hits the spot as a hook aping Crystal Waters’ “100% Pure Love” is showcased here. The analog synths are an excellent touch, as the chord progressions sound amazing against the massive breaks. The track dropping onto some sort of quasi-trap production by the close is good, but hopefully a more power synth- and heavy drop-loving producer can turn this one into the mayhem inducer it deserves to be.

“Sunset Jesus”

“Sunset Jesus” is defined by guitar rock with a shuffling pickup that sounds like an early-2000s radio filler and features none other than early aughts rock icon Gavin DeGraw on vocals. The lyrics basically describe a Jesus figure as a homeless busker on Venice Beach. If it weren’t for the loudly filtered and halftime tempo rave of a breakdown, this one would probably fend better as completely untouched and more fully remixed as a progressive house peak-hour track by the Swedish icon himself.

“Can’t Catch Me”

Clunky, Jason Mraz-feeling guitars and soulful reggae vocals from Wyclef Jean? Had ‘clef never released 2004’s “If I Was President,” “Can’t Catch Me” would feel bizarre, but in all actuality, it’s a familiar sound refreshed for a new decade. The fat rap breaks make this feel more 1995 than 2015, which ultimately works. Boom-bap hustle and struggle raps not by Jay-Z delivered for the progressive house crowd, though? It’s a tough sell.

“Somewhere in Stockholm”

Swinging reggae breaks emptying into a big-room house build actually work well in tandem on “Somewhere in Stockholm.” The marching-band drums and rapping expanding upward on the vocal scale feel like what aforementioned single “Can’t Catch Me” should’ve sounded like. The track is not groundbreaking and barely tips the scales as dance. However, it is electronic and pop and thus fitting of the now quite-expanded Avicii expectation.

“Trouble”

If waiting through the entire album for a “Wake Me Up” clone, it’s here in “Trouble.” “A million miles smarter, but I ain’t learnt a thing” is quite the inspired lyric. It’s not as eloquent as Aloe Blacc (“I tried carrying the weight of the world, but I only have two hands / Hope I get the chance to travel the world, but I don’t have any plans”), but it hits a very sensitive core. The clap-bang drums aren’t the pulsating progressive house breakdown of “Wake Me Up,” but the feel is similar enough to allow the two tracks to blend well together in a live set.

“Gonna Love Ya”

One would almost demand Bob Marley or Wayne Wonder as the vocalist on this track. However, we get album closer “Gonna Love You,” which is a heartwarming tropical house track with a filtered dub bite in the bottom end. It’s a sun-kissed anthem deserving a few rinses for certain.

Stories from Avicii is available now.

Marcus K. Dowling still listens to “Levels” on repeat. Follow him on Twitter.

Follow Avicii on Facebook | Twitter