After 25 years of semi-togetherness (they had split up for a bit in 1993), a-ha has announced they will part ways. I'm not sure what's sadder, the end of this era or the fact that they mention going into politics as a future endeavor, considering the fact that beautiful, dreamy-voiced Morten is a right-wing nutjob.
I was heartened to see they are pushing ahead with their world tour, which means some kind of U.S. stops in 2010.
Meanwhile, this fan's comment on a-ha's farewall post is no way to say good-bye:
I've been meaning to post about it forever, but a-ha's latest album (yes, they're still active!) is brilliant.
I just love it; Foot of the Mountain is an obvious return to their synth-pop roots even if the title track has a more Take That (current incarnation) vibe. Which is not a bad thing! The video is a mixture of Madonna's "Ray of Light" and "Love Profusion."
My favorite track is probably the opener "The Bandstand," which is as compelling as anything they've done and has a timeless pop quality, plus a killer hook. Here's a good live version, or a slightly shakier but more visual one:
It's followed on the album by "Riding the Crest" (dance remixhere) which like so many tracks on the album reminds me of Yaz or even lighter Depeche Mode (with a dash of Gino Vannelli):
Arjan has the new a-ha single, "Foot of the Mountain." It's not as gripping as "Forever Not Yours" or some of their other '90s and '00s singles—it reminds me more of reunited Take That! than Keane, as Arjan notes it resembles—but I like it a lot and am excited they've got new material. Even if the PhotoShopping of Morten on the cover has made him look a bit like Jennifer Jones in EarthquakeTowering Inferno.
One of my best-hidden passions is for a-ha, which along with Alphaville deserves the title of most shamefully overlooked pop band of all time. Their debut album Hunting High And Low is one of my Top 5 of all time, including Madonna—every song on that record drives me crazy to this day, mostly due to lead singer Morten Harket's soaring, operatic voice, so mournful and emotive. Hearing him sing, I always feel like he doesn't even have to try, he just opens this throat and modulates the sounds.
I didn't realize until probably 2000 that they had continued to record successfully through 1994 in Europe, and was thrilled to discover that a successful appearance at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 1998 had led them to officially regroup:
This exquisite song's closing 20-second note (15 or so here) is the longest in UK chart history.
The gorgeous "Dark Is The Night," live from Oslo in 2005.
I snapped up all their releases, amazed to discover they hadn't lost their edge, that Morten hadn't lose his intimidating falsetto and that he also looked about the same—what's in the water in Norway??? Throughout his 40s (he's 49 now), he's actually looked hotter than ever:
A crotch-tastic appearance in 2002 (age 42) on Graham Norton.
But as much as I love their music, I seem to go into a-ha black holes every so often and miss out on major news. Like, I had no idea they played a gig at Irving Plaza right here in NYC in 2005—their only U.S. date in 20 years:
What the fuck was I doing? I was well aware of them, as they'd just played a technically-challenged set from Berlin for Live 8:
Fucking hot in his li'l denim caprisss!
And I also missed the memo that Coldplay loves a-ha so much they have performed with group member Mags as recently as September of 2008:
Two other important facts had escaped me until today—for one, they have a new album dropping in June along with a tour. I'm going to have to figure out if I want to hunt them down somewhere. But the other fact is that Morten, lovely Morten, is apparently a huge "reactionary conservative" who has become a prominent anti-abortion spokesperson in Norway.
I feel like Elaine on Seinfeld when she discovers her boyfriend can't wait for the Supreme Court to change so abortion can be outlawed! Oh, Morten. You just did a D&C on my heart.
Or like little Tom Of Finland, haplessly falling in love with the Nazi barbarians at the gate.
After the jump, some great footage of a-ha, including the first version of their earliest hit that they apparently released in Norway prior to serious remixing and international acclaim, and 16 more images of Morten without many clothes...
