Album Review: x - Ed Sheeran

Album: x [multiply]
Artist: Ed Sheeran
Release Date: June 20th, 2014
Record Label: Asylum Records
iTunes

Track Listing

1. One
2. I'm a Mess
3. Sing
4. Don't
5. Nina
6. Photograph
7. Bloodstream
8. Tenerife Sea
9. Runaway
10. The Man
11. Thinking Out Loud
12. Afire Love
13. Take It Back [Deluxe Edition Bonus Track]
14. Shirtsleeves [Deluxe Edition Bonus Track]
15. Even My Dad Does it Sometimes [Deluxe Edition Bonus Track]
16. I See Fire [Deluxe Edition Bonus Track]

I heard my first album from Ed pretty recently. I felt so annoyed that I hadn't thought to listen to him sooner. I mean, all my friends gush about how amazing he is and then there was me who was way too caught up in her All Time Low and Marianas Trench. It goes without saying, but I really enjoyed this album. It's really different from what I'm used to listening to but that's all part of its charm.

One - I got the sense that this is like a "friendzone" song and those songs always get to me. It has a really nice tune and it's very unplugged, which is awesome because I had an issue with a few of the other songs on the record.

I'm a Mess - Something really memorable about this one is the ornaments that were present throughout the song. If you don't take music or you're like "what the heck is an ornament?" let me explain. Whenever a singer sings a word but incorporates a series of notes. For example, in this song, when Ed sings "eyes" in the line "see the flames inside my eyes." Or the line after, when he sings "liar."

Sing - This is the first song I heard off the radio and honestly, I hated it. After listening to +, I was so confused. I remember Sheeran's style to be more guitar and Sing just had so much instrumental. Now that I listen to it, it's grown on me, but it still isn't one of my favorites.

Don't - Don't reminded me a lot of Sing for whatever reason. And also, I don't like Don't as much as other songs on the record. There are a lot of things about Don't that struck me; mainly how he does the "Taylor Swift" thing where he talks about his ex. However, what kind of irritated me is how when Ed does it, he gets no hate [i mean, half this record is about girls and I'm assuming they're different] but when Tay does it, she's labelled a bunch of ugly names. Regardless, this song didn't connect to me and I found it a little shallow.

Nina - This is my absolute FAVORITE song on the album. I love the blend of piano and guitar. I don't even know if I can explain it; there's just something so beautiful about how low key it is. There isn't heavy drums even though, it's more upbeat than One. I've listened to this one far too many times. The chorus isn't really that interesting word wise, but the emotion behind the simplicity is just gorgeous.

Photograph - This one should've been very inspiring to me but I was very neutral about it. The word choice was excellent but the tune lacked for me. It's a lot like the style from +, which I enjoyed but it reminded me of "If It Means a Lot To You" by A Day to Remember [and honestly, I prefer ADTR...]

Bloodstream - Bloodstream is unique and it's catchy. I like how the use of layering at the bridge and how the song really builds.

Tenerife Sea - This is just a really pretty song. It's like a happier version of One. I really like how it's almost completely unplugged. I also really love the harmonies; they're completely gorgeous.

Runaway - The interesting thing about Runaway is how much of a genre change it is to Tenerife Sea. Runaway is so much more pop, louder and more upbeat. Runaway struck me as one of the best songs on the album [more because it isn't about a relationship.] It's a meaningful song that talks about Ed's relationship with his father and how he loves his Dad but doesn't want to live with him.

The Man - The Man actually threw me off. It's almost a complete rap song. The beginning reminds me a little of Lorde's Bravado [which, I also love.] There are offbeats and when I tried to rap it, I failed miserably because flow is a little jerky at some points. The chorus is simple but it's catchy and sums up the idea of the song. There's also one point where he goes "I guess I lied in the hook because I still love you and I need you by my side if I could" and I found some kind of connection with how in the end, he admits to his denial. Also, when he goes "success is nothing if you have no one left to share it with."

Thinking Out Loud - I really didn't get the hype for this one. It was a little basic for me and it bored me. I didn't find it as romantic as some of his others; overall, not his best in my opinion.

Afire Love - A better love story than Thinking Out Loud, to be honest. It had so much meaning, especially because it was about his grandfather. I love that even though there's so much possibility for sadness, Ed uses the chorus as a memory of something beautiful his grandfather said, rather than something depressing.

Take it Back - It's a little like The Man, because it's totally rap. I really like listening to it because there's like no drums and it's got like no instrumental at all... but it WORKS! Also the line where he goes "I'm a singer that you'll never want to see shirtless," made me both laugh and give me mad respect for this guy.

Shirtsleeves - There's a bunch of water metaphors which is great. I actually skipped over this track the first time I listened to the album but it's a great track. It makes Ed sound like such a sweet guy, which is awesome. I really love Ed displays his sweet and boy-next-door character in this.

Even My Dad Does it Sometimes - I feel like this song says so much about life. It's one of those songs that I recommend to anyone going through a tough time. So much respect for Ed, honestly. He's basically saying that crying, feeling sad is all okay which is it. We're all meant to feel these things; we're human and that's why I connected to this song so much. Plus, he guitar solo is so beautiful. [Also, kind of upset that this is a bonus. It should be the feature.]

I See Fire - This is one of those songs that I imagine people sing post-war around a campfire. It's got a pretty dire meaning even though the tune is quite light.

Overall, x has a variety of styles in the songs. They're all pretty nice to listen to, though some affected me so much more than others. I had issues with some tracks, which I think is normal, but mainly, the record was a definite hit.