East of the Sun, West of the Moon

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

East of the Sun, West of the Moon was released on 22 October 1990 as the fourth album by the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha. The title comes from a Norwegian fairy tale. The album was released on Warner Bros. Records and was shared between two producers: Christopher Neil and Ian Stanley, who had previously played with Tears for Fears.

The mood is darker and more atmospheric than on the earlier records, on which the group had still sounded more radio-friendly. In Norway the album reached number one, and in several European countries and in Japan it reached the top 20. Critics were divided. Entertainment Weekly found the synthesizers bloated, whereas AllMusic called it a carefully crafted collection of songs, beautifully sung and full of echoes and suggestion. According to that reviewer, the album deserved a better reception than it received. On The Way We Talk, keyboard player Magne Furuholmen sings lead vocals himself.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Crying In the Rain4:23Apple Music ↗
2. 2Early Morning2:59Apple Music ↗
3. 3I Call Your Name4:53Apple Music ↗
4. 4Slender Frame3:44Apple Music ↗
5. 5East of the Sun4:47Apple Music ↗
6. 6Sycamore Leaves5:22Apple Music ↗
7. 7Waiting for Her4:49Apple Music ↗
8. 8Cold River4:40Apple Music ↗
9. 9The Way We Talk1:32Apple Music ↗
10. 10Rolling Thunder5:40Apple Music ↗
11. 11(Seemingly) Nonstop July2:58Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗