A-Moe – Beauty And The Beast [2005] (9/10)
A-Moe – Beauty And The Beast (Released 2005)
![[image]](http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c374/howabsurd/29211.jpg)
Track Listing:
1. A Moe
2. Bagpipe
3. Over The Rainbow
4. Shaboom
5. Forever In My Mind
6. Mom Is Home
7. Touch Me
8. Little Red Riding Hood
9. A Moe Live
10. Beauty and the Beast
11. Moviestar
12. Mom Is Home (Extended)
13. Bagpipe (Extended)
14. Little Red Riding Hood (Extended)
15. Over The Rainbow (Extended)
16. Shaboom (Extended)
Review:
“Beauty and the Beast” is the debut album by the Norwegian bubblegum dance group “A-Moe” (the name derives from Alex Moe, who is the creator and producer). A-Moe represents a different flavour of bubblegum dance, and many could say that they are a genre on their own – “BubbleDeath”. A-Moe’s style is a mixture of sweet female vocals surrounded by thumping beats and a bloodcurdling ‘death metal’ inspired vocalist known as “Wolf.” But don’t let that put you off; A-Moe is one ‘bubblegum’ artist that you should not miss. Their songs range from a general screaming of “A Moe” to songs about Rainbows, Moviestars, and Little Red Riding Hood.
As far as ‘introductions’ for albums go, “A-Moe” is undeniably appropriate for “Beauty and the Beast.” As soon as the song begins we are thrown into a fast paced “anthem-like” groove in which Wolf is dramatically screaming out “A Moe” Although not the most memorable song on the album, this certainly beats the “intros” that are on a lot of bubblegum albums. “Bagpipe” is the next song, and was a huge hit in A-Moe’s homeland Norway. At only 2:41, “Bagpipe” is the shortest song on the album. Obviously inspired by the bagpipes of Scotland, this song was a bigger hit for A-Moe in their home country Norway. Like the rest of A-Moe’s songs, it is unique, and really sounds like something out of Scotland, with the addition of a psycho black-guy wearing white face paint and screaming “doomedoobah.”
A-Moe’s next track “Over The Rainbow” (a remake of the popular song from The Wizard of Oz by Judy Garland) introduces a more “bubblegummy” feel to the album. A-Moe successfully makes it their own, by adding a funky dance beat and great vocals (as well as the Wolf’s creepy ‘rapping’). If you liked the original Over The Rainbow I have no doubt you’ll love this more. Over The Rainbow is a bubblegum dance inspired track, with beautiful female vocals and a grunting twist that only A-Moe could accomplish – perfect! The next track “Shaboom” is a clever song that makes good use of different instruments and sounds. A-Moe also provides an extended version of ‘Shaboom’ on this release, which I do think is better than the original, even if the difference isn’t that big.
Most bubblegum dance albums have a ballad of some kind, and A-Moe’s is no exception. While a lot of people dislike ballads on dance albums, I disagree; I think it’s nice to have a ‘break’ from all that dancing. “Forever In My Mind” is probably one of the best ‘bubblegum ballads’ I’ve heard and is a definite highlight on the album. Natalie’s vocals in this song are beautiful, and there’s only the occasional grunt or echo from Wolf, which adds to the mystery of the song. Haunting. This is music writing at its best.
The next song is A-Moe’s biggest hit “Mom Is Home”. The song is inspired by the old tale “The Three Little Pigs”, and follows the same bubblegum-influenced style as Over The Rainbow and Little Red Riding Hood. The chorus is a beautiful and relaxing melody sung by Natalie, and the song also has grisly backup vocals sung by Wolf. The two parts are completely clashing in style, yet work so well together it’s truly remarkable. The next song, “Touch Me”, as the title infers, is a song about the Wolf wanting to touch Natalie. Obvious sexual inferences leave much to be desired, but this song is very enjoyable. Good use of vocals and excellent production, this song should not be skipped.
“Little Red Riding Hood” is A-Moe’s second big hit, and my personal favourite from the album. Quite obviously an inspiration from the fairytale “Little Red Riding Hood”, the song concept is absolutely perfect for A-Moe, and can be considered their “theme song”. Catchy rhythms, great production, and nice singing makes this the best song on the album. Like the fairytale, the song is about Little Red searching for granny and finding Wold disguised as her in her bed. This song is a 10/10. I really love the sound effects of the crowd in the next song “A Moe Live”, and A-Moe really catches the atmosphere of what they would sound like live on stage. You can almost see them dancing, and the detail that they go to in creating this song is exceptional (did anyone notice the girl giggle at the beginning when Wolf growled?).
“Beauty and the Beast”, the title track from the album, acts as an overall theme for the album, with Natalie being ‘Beauty’ and Wolf being the ‘Beast’. The song features gratingly good production and a catchy melody (Leave me alone), though it might be more of a filler track. “Moviestar”, the last song on the album, is also one of the less memorable tracks. However, Natalie and the Wolf’s vocals maintain their excellence, and the song concept is great.
Overall, A-Moe’s “Beauty and the Beast” is not the bubbliest bubblegum I have ever heard. However, it is still bubblegum – just a different flavour; and the flavour of A-Moe is no doubt addictive. A-Moe’s music has a haunting atmosphere that is unique to anything I have ever heard. Both Bubblegum eurodance and Death metal originate in Scandinavia. A-Moe is a perfect example of an artist who captures this heritage, mixing both genres in a truly exceptional array of thumping beats, sweet vocals and growling grunts.
Tags: 2005, a-moe, beauty and the beast
