Customer Reviews

Teen Spirit

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

No, the album title is not a reference to the famous Nirvana song. Nor is the content of the CD solely full of ABBA covers. But A*Teens have returned, and are intent upon showing off their newfound spirit - Teen Spirit, that is. In what is arguably the most sugar-coated album of the day, the Swedish quartet attempts and almost manages to convey the idea that one should have fun no matter where one is.

The group, consisting of Amit Paul, 17, Marie Serneholt, 17, Dhani Lennevald, 16, and Sara Lumholdt, 16, was put together in the middle of 1999, when producers from Stockholm Records traveled to the teenagers' dance school in Stockholm, Sweden, and held a try-out for a new group, which was to be called ABBA*Teens. Wowed by the four, Stockholm Records immediately set them to work creating The Abba Generation, an album of remakes of eleven timeless ABBA hits, including "Mamma Mia" and the eternal "Dancing Queen."

The Abba Generation was a huge success in Europe, going platinum this summer, and even made it to the Top 100 Billboard chart in the United States. A*Teens, who changed their name shortly before the album was released, then traveled to the US, first to tour with `NSYNC, then with Britney Spears. They ended the summer with a Nickelodeon festival, all the while gaining more popularity. Afterwards, A*Teens returned to Sweden to record their next album, which was put on shelves Feb. 27, and gave a live webcast performance in Madrid to celebrate the release.

The release of the first single from Teen Spirit, entitled "Bouncing Off the Ceiling (Upside Down)" in the US, caused a sensation. The video for the song was played constantly on Sweden's ZTV; likewise, it was making it to the Top 5 on music video countdowns on The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon in the US. The song is by far one of the most catchy songs on the album, one with a good beat and easy-to-learn lyrics that seem to get stuck in one's head for days and causes the listener to randomly break into song from time to time.

The album also includes "Slammin' Kinda Love," in which A*Teens express their desire to have a harder edge - well, as hard-edged as pop music can possibly get. Somehow, though, they never seem to successfully fulfill the song's potential, leaving the listener with a feeling of `When is this song going to end?' even before the first chorus has completed.

"All My Love," too, sounds only like an Ace of Base wannabe whose chorus drags on and on - or seems to, anyway. Clearly, this and "Slammin' Kinda Love" are lackluster songs, and are the low points on this otherwise quite satisfying album.

A*Teens have no shortage of remorseful, ballad-like songs on Teen Spirit, and all are performed brilliantly. "Firefly," "Back for More," and "Morning Light," though they both have catchy beats, have a sort of sad ring to them. Both songs express the sentiments of the singer, who will always love his or her significant other.

Probably the best slow song on A*Teens' new album is "Around the Corner of Your Eye," whose lyrics convey the idea that the singer has died, but will always watch over his or her true love. This is a great song to relax to.

"For All That I Am" is arguably the best song on Teen Spirit. In it, A*Teens explain that, despite their cruel actions, their loves should love them for who they are. The group creates a highly danceable song with definite hit potential.

The group was happy to move away from ABBA songs. "We've looked forward to it - all of us - and now it feels like we're able to show what we're capable of doing, not having anything to back us up," said Lumholdt in a Lumumba.com interview. "So it's great, and when we found out that "Upside Down" [our first single] had gone double platinum, we got proof that we didn't have to do any more ABBA songs."

Moving away from ABBA covers also caused more changes. The male members of the group, Paul and Lennevald, sing more on the new album. "It has felt like we (the girls) took over, and that didn't feel that good, since we are a group after all," Lumholdt said. Lennevald agreed. "The people should see that we aren't only the two dancers of Marie and Sara," he said. However, despite the fact that they indeed sing more, the girls still are the ones most heard on the album.

Teen Spirit is now at eighty-two on the Top 200 Billboard chart, but it peaked at fifty. This is an improvement over The Abba Generation, which, at its high point, only made it to number seventy-four on the US charts. On March 19, local radio stations began playing "Bouncing Off the Ceiling (Upside Down)," which should aid the album in rising even further on the Top 100.

A*Teens do not sing about sex; nor do they mention drugs or alcohol in any of their songs. The `cleanliness' of the songs of Teen Spirit create a sugar-coated feeling in the album, which is somewhat refreshing in this day and age. If one likes pop, he or she will like this album. But one must definitely like head bobbing, body shaking, full blown, sweet-as-honey-through-and-through pop.

In a recent press release, Paul explained the reasoning behind their innocent music. "We didn't want to make the mistake of doing an album that was too mature," he said. "We should never forget that many of our friends are young, and so are we. We wanted to do a happy, up-tempo, and positive album." Teen Spirit provides good dancing music as well as relaxing tunes, making it a good listen for any time of day.

And if one starts to sing "Upside down, bouncing off the ceiling ..." in the middle of math class, well, he or she cannot say he or she was not warned.

Teen Spirit reveals a new face of a-teens. After the huge success of "Abba Generation", their debut album, a-teens is back for more, showing they can do more than abba covers. The original idea of bringing abba songs back, with a modern beat, was good, but their fans noticed a-teens had to perform their own songs to have a solid career.

This second CD is great because all their songs are original, but at the same time the band manages to keep abba spirit alive. Some of the new songs are very similar to N'SYNC, Britney and BSB ("That's what (it's all about), Rockin'), but it is not only a repetition of these popular singer/bands. A-Teens has its own swedish style and it makes them great on stage.

The whole album is good, specially "halfway round the world", "..to the music" and "upside down". I also love "morning light", which reminds me a lot of another great sweden band, Ace of Base (just compare!).

If you like swedish pop, this is a MUST-HAVE CD for you.

This CD is a great follow-up to ABBA Generation! Sweden is well-known for having some of the best pop record producers in the world and this CD is a testimony to that fact. From pure floor-stomping dance tunes like "Upside Down" and "Halfway Around the World" to slower ballads like "Around the Corner of My Eye" and "Firefly", there is something for everyone on this CD. Although some of the songs are pure teen pop, the A-Teens sound is far more refined and noticely more mature. Like ABBA tunes, hidden amongst a seemingly simple melody are harmonizing vocal arrangements and infectious hooks. Teen Spirit is full of these! Although there are no ABBA covers on this CD, "Back for More" has a hauntingly familiar ABBA sound. Several songs are representative of groups like NSync, Backstreet, and Britney: Rockin, Slammin' Kind of Love, and That's What (It's All About). For those familiar with Swedish pop, Morning Light and All My Love are very much in the style of Ace of Base. The mix of songs and styles on this disc is an addicting journey to the next level of A-Teens. The vocals are strong and show great range. I can't say enough good things about Teen Spirit. Apart from the Bonus Track, "Don't Even Know Your Name", the last track "Back For More" is almost a tease for the next A-Teens CD. In the meantime, this is one of those rare CDs that you can play over and over from beginning to end. Buy this CD now!

I am not a fan of pop music, and I never have been. I'm more into Broadway and classical, so I never would have expected to like the A Teens. But I heard the song 'Upside Down' while my younger brother was watching Nickelodeon, and I found myself singing it constantly for the next week or so! I went online and read the rest of the lyrics of the CD, and the songs didn't sound like anything I would appreciate, but then I heard 'Halfway 'Round the World' and 'Sugar Rush', and again, I can't get them out of my head! You wouldn't expect these songs to be as good as they are, which makes the CD such a delightful surprise. You really have to listen to the songs to get to like them, as I did. They're different from American pop...they have an innocence about them that I appreciate, and the videos also have a childishness that AmerPop is seriously lacking. After all, pop is aimed towards kids, and therefore, the artists should portray themselves to their audiences. The A Teens just have this irresistible playfulness to them, their songs being just sugary-sweet fun. You almost cannot hate them because of their wide-eyed innocence, and the ease in which you can apply their songs to your own life. I highly reccomend this CD, if only for the three songs 'Upside Down', 'Sugar Rush', and 'Halfway Round the World'.

A Teens music is what you listen too in the summer, with warm air wafting through your windows. Its light and delicious as cotton-candy. Its running on the beach barefoot. This music is perfect pop; pure, simple, and FUN!

1. Bouncing Off the Ceiling (Upside Down)
The best on the CD, listen to the sound wav! Bouncy, fun, sounds like the beginning of summer vacation!

2. ...To The Music
A late summer afternoon song. It makes you picture running through sprinklers and than lounging around in the sun.

3. Halfway Around the World
Another really good song. Fun to sing along with or listen to while you miss someone whose away and dont' want to get TOO down.

4. Firefly
A favorite of my family's. Firefly has an addictive melody the kind that leaves you singing it at the top of your voice in the shower.

5. Sugar Rush
Now THIS is pure sugary pop. Not much substance, probably one of the weaker songs. Its so sugary that after a while you start squirming. Kind of like eating a whole bag of candy...

6. Rockin'
A harder beat for the A*Teens. Okay, but not my favorite. Good song though because we finally get to hear the boy's voices.
Background party music maybe.

7. Around the Corner of Your Eye
Whimsical lyrics, soft melody. Sounds like a song that you'd play when you miss someone a lot. But it still manages to be sweet and nice.

8. Slammin' Kinda Love
Not one of my favorite songs; a little too 'run of the mill'. Its okay though.

9. All My Love
A good song to listen to while exercising. A tad repetitive at times...

10. For All That I Am
One of my personal fav's. The melody is great! The lead singer in this song has an awesome voice.

11. That's What (It's All About)
Not really a standout.

12. Morning Light
Sounds like something Abba would have done.

13. Back for More
This sounds exactly like Abba or something Ace of Base might have done. Very good though, nice finish.

14. Bonus Track
Good track, not a standout though.

This is the best collection of teen pop songs in the world! I bought it in February anxiously awaiting the A*Teens' sophomore album without the ABBA covers (though they were great!). They came out with excellent songs for the kind of bubblegum pop listener and I definitely don't mean Britney or Christina. And anyways, Marie Sernholdt and Sara Lumholt, the lead singers have way, way better and stronger voices than Britney could ever project. They all have mature voices. The guys, Dhani and Amit, are getting solo parts which did not happen on the female-dominated Abba Generation. Boucing Off The Ceiling is a great single. Halfway Around The World is my favorite song right now. I think I play it 1,000,000 times every day and I never get tired of it; I bought this in Feb. and its the end of May and it's still my #1! Another good one is Rockin' and I like Back For More. I basically love all the songs. In a nutshell, Teen Spirit will definitely keep YOU bouncing off the ceiling!

Man, this is a really excellent cd. Its not as laid back like ABBA Generation, but thats fine with me. This cd has some really dance-worthy songs on it, (which is that main reason I rated this 5 stars, cuz I live for dance songs) and the slower songs are great also. The guys sing more on this cd than they did on the last, and they are also great. Basically, if you liked their first album, or anything from, um, well, only thing that comes to mind when I think of another cd that resembles this cd is Aqua's Aquarium. Well, if you're into any teen pop sorta stuff, You'd enjoy this cd very much.(my personal fav is halfway around the world) Buy this cd and you will not be disappointed.

The A*Teens second album is equally, or even better than "The ABBA Generation." Instead of the solely pop ABBA songs, they have more sounds of tons of styles!

01. Bouncing Off the Ceiling (Upside Down)- Their first single. A really up-beat song about being a teen. Totally dancable! (5/5)

02. ...To the Music- A mid-tempo song about how you fell in love too the music. (4.5/5)

03. Halfway Around the World- Their second single. Another up-beat song about having to leave you're GF/BF but you still love them. (5/5)

04. Firefly- Another mid-tempo song. I am not sure what it's about... My least fave song on the album. (2.5/5)

05. Sugar Rush- Their third single. Yet another mid-tempo song. It's about when you're close to you're GF/BF you get so excited and how they are your sugar rush. (4.5/5)

06. Rockin'- A techno-pop song. It's about leaving everything behind and to keep on rockin' til the end of time. (5/5)

07. Around the Corner of You're Eye- A Ballad. I am not sure what it's about... (3/5)

08. Slammin' Kinda Love- The beats are similiar to rockin'. Well the title says it all it's when you and you're GF/BF have a slammin' kinda love. (5/5)

09. All My Love- Now this song is pretty bad... It like mixes pop and latin together so badly that I always have to skip this song. (2.75/5)

10. For All That I Am- Yet another mid-tempo song. It's about getting you're parents upset, but still loving each other for all that you are. (4/5)

11. That's What (It's All About)- The absolute BEST song on the album! It's all about breaking the rules, having fun and doing what you want. (100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000/5)

12. Morning Light- A cover by E-TYPE (another swedish artist). It's about dreaming of seeing the person you love, or meeting them. A good cover. (4.5/5)

13. Back For More- The title pretty much covers it... nothing to special about this song. Mid-tempo...(4/5)

BONUS 14. Don't Even Know You're Name- Another Ballad. It's about falling in love with a person that you see every day but never saying anything. (5/5)

Also as a CD extra there is the Bouncing off the Ceiling music Video!

But wait there's more! On the Japanese version of the album (or Halfway Around the World Single) there's another song entitled "Can't Stop The Pop" and on the Sugar Rush single there's another song entitled "Give It Up". (NOTE: Swedish Singles Only)

What are you waiting for? BUY THE ALBUM YOU WONT BE DISAPOINTED!!!!

I love this CD! The whole album is loaded with catchy beats and make you wanting more. Even the one song I don't like- Sugar Rush- has me singing it. The opening track is boring if you listen to it too much. To The Music is pretty good. Halfway Around The World is one of the best songs on here, probably number 3 or 4. Firefly is my number 2. If you listen to it, it's kind of like a guy going to war and killed, but he had a family to support. Rockin' is awesome. I love this song because it's simple and easy to sing. For All That I Am and Morning Light are awesome, too. They're just well-written and well-sung. Marie and Sara have great voice, and Marie and Dhani are beautiful together in Morning Light. The whole CD is great, but you have to get it to find out. Trust me- you'll LOVE it!

When the first A Teens CD came out, I laughed. Who was this group and why are they getting fame off doing Abba covers? My curiosity got the best of me and I listened to some of their singles from the first album. Although they were singing songs from the past that were not written for them, they added a new type of energy that I found very appealing, but I refused to buy the CD because it looked like an Abba tribute album and if I wanted that, I'd buy the real thing. Now the A Teens have their second release with original songs, although I use the term loosely. This is CD is pretty awesome. I can't believe I had to force myself to buy this. These songs are pure pop done in the A Teens style. WARNING: Only get this if you have a high tolerance for sugar coated goodness.

If you like i5, Steps, Spice Girls, S Club 7, Aqua, M2M, or Korean Pop acts like Finkl, Baby VOX, SES, TTMA or HOT, then you will LOVE this album.