It's rather not the best a-ha album. The best track; Manhattan Skyline others are under average

The thing about this album is that it was a shock for the people who were expecting a cheerful boyband easy listening experience.
Instead what they got was a dark, melodic, demanding collection of songs. It is one of the best examples of the 80s pop scene, exploring the boundries of experimentation...

I'm not sure what made me choose this album today. Mostly it's random what I listen/pick up nowadays. Sometimes it's a shiny cover or great song. This had neither but today it was the one. I had heard their work before and expected upbeat pop songs and lovely melodies. The title track passed, wept and left. The next... the next... the next... it didn't take me long to see I was being swept out to sea. Highlights were as frequent as landmarks on the Atlantic. There was an attempt at experimentation at the end of 'I've Been Losing You'. On October he's whispering in an attempt at sensuality. He's saying "down in the city" repeatedly near the end. I'm left cold. In the next song he is comparing falling of the Manhattan skyscraper to falling in love, saying he doesn't want to do it again because it "hurts". This could be a metaphor for destruction of self or something, maybe that's what they were into in the 80s? While you ponder you have orchestral arrangements as apocalyptic as a doughnut. But the icing on the cake was 'We're Looking For Whales'. I'm sure the singers "were looking for little European girls" and then retracts the comments to lay down the original motive, whales. All this constantly for 3 something minutes! Scoundrels indeed. Everything else was painfully mundane. Synths and arrangements made songs seem 1 minute long (Crying Wolf, The Swing Of Things) while others were erased from existence. It would be a moot point to say they're unmemorable. Maybe... Maybe I'm wrong so wrong. This was so formulaic it began to sound amazing in a strange way. Everything forced it's way towards me expecting a big hug and I had to force it away. Relentless like a crashing tide. Suppose it could serve as a beacon for the current "indie" scene. Then again, No. A once in a lifetime experience.

Quite simply stunning. Seriously underrated. a-ha: The Beatles of the 80's.