Wave In Head - For A Special Moment Limited 2 CD Edition

Disc One

Because Of You
Als Olb
For A Special moment
On The Corner
Careful
Soulmates
Little Things
Disintegrate
I Hate To Be In Love
Release
Ich Denke Nicht
To Hell And Back

Disc Two

Because Of You (Extended Version)
For A Special Moment (Controlled Fusion - Voice Mix by Steffen Schuhrke)
Because Of You (F.O.D. Remix)
Zeit Zu Leben (Headless Remix)
Ein Wundervoller Tag
Little Things (Wheel In The Machine Mix by Synthetik FM)
Als Olb (Electric Nation Remix)
Free To Leave (Love|less Remix)
To Hell And Back (Das Schwartz System Remix)
Video - The Other Side

Wave In Head's third album was released in 2005, following the single for "I Hate To Be In Love" released in early 2005 on A Different Drum. This third album shows Michael refining his production techniques even further, and experimenting with some different song structures as well. The emotional nature of his songwriting is still here in force, but he's not afraid to try some new and different things this time out.

The big question is, how well does this experimentation work? The answer to that question is not as easy as it might seem. While several of the songs are both emotional and at times engaging, they don't really have the emotional resonance that past songs did. "On The Corner" is one of the tracks that does have all the elements combing together perfectly to create a song that's both technically and emotionally memorable. While it is a tad long at nearly 7 & 1/2 minutes, it strikes the perfect balance of elements to become a very memorable song. "For A Special Moment", the title track for the album, also is a example of everything coming together just so to create a excellent Wave In Head song. Not only is it upbeat and catchy, but it's also got a palatable sense of longing and wistfulness that really helps the track hit home.

"Soulmates" seems to promise great things, and to be building up to being a great track, but never really crescendos, and just kinda peters out at the end, which is the same issue that haunts "Little Things". "I Hate To Be In Love" was the choice for the lead-in single for this album, but to be honest I'm not sure it was a strong choice for a lead-in single. It's a fairly solid song, but nothing that will captivate a listener into wanting to immediately buy the album. The album closes with "To Hell And Back", a track that seems begging for a upbeat trancey/futurepoppy remix. The song works in the slower ballad format, but I just get the sense that this track is begging for a major tempo boost.

The second disc on the limited edition of this album includes remixes both by Wave In Head and several outside remixers. The Extended version of "Because Of You" is actually pretty impressive, giving the track a more fleshed out feel that the album version was somehow missing. The remix by Steffan Schuhrke is simply excellent. Very dancey, and it gives "For A Special Moment" a wonderful kick in the pants. The FOD remix of "Beacuse Of You" is a futurepop-leaning take on the track, and to be honest, even after several listens I'm still not sure what to think about it. It's dancey and energetic, but I'm just not sure how well the mix fits with the song. The new mix of "Zeit Zu Leben" doesn't come anywhere close to any of the previous remixes of the track. The exclusive track here, "Ein Wundervoller Tag", is exceptionally catchy. Simply one of those songs that overcomes language barriers to become glued in your head for hours. Great stuff! Synthetik FM boost the BPM and tempo both on "Little Things", and it works perfectly. This song works superbly as a dance track, and Synthetik has done a great job re-casting it as such. Excellent! From there, the bonus disc plays out in a so-so fashion. None of the closing 3 remixes are incredibly impressive, but they aren't terribly flawed either. The closing video is low-budget, but still impressive. "The Other Side" is one of WIH's all-time best songs (if you ask me), and it's neat to see it in a alternate presentation like this.

Overall, I hate to say it, but the third album from WIH falls short of the previous two. There are some really impressive tracks here, but the bulk of the album simply doesn't measure up to previous works. I can still recommend the album, but don't go in expecting to be amazed.

Added:  Thursday, December 22, 2005
Reviewer:  Jason Baker
Score:
Related web link:  Official Site
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Language: eng