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ber-bonfamille-lyons · 7 years

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album review-- “Divide”

This is a slick album – I can’t argue against that. It’s got the kinda algorithmic songcraft built to lob number one singles to the top of the charts without Ed even trying. So even among the real moments of genuine cleverness-- mentions of bleached assholes, flamenco guitar, Irish fiddle-- it reeks of the sharp stench of a salesman’s cheap cologne and it’ll get rewarded for it by going platinum and giving Ed Sheeran another world tour. Hopefully, the best songs here will find its fans and we can see more of that kind of experimentation on future albums, since that’s where the real talent shines. In the meantime, I guess this album, while at times redundant, is not that bad. ⅗ stars

Track-by-track review under the cut

Eraser: Ed tries to rap again with his folk-hero version of the classic “I’m famous and it’s complicated” confessional that pop punk bands perfected before him in the early-2000s. It’s not bad, but it’s not exactly original or memorable, which is a suitable way to start this album, which is not exactly original or memorable. Also, it has lyrics like “I think that money is the root of all evil” like he’s some uni fuck-off who stumbled into a voluntourism cult.

Castle On A Hill Euphoric and nostalgic, this song’s switch between hyper-specific to generic detail makes me think Taylor Swift had a hand in tweaking the lyrics. A Radio 2 darling.

Dive This one has vibes of John Mayer and Ed sounds gorgeous, admittedly, as he channels the blues. It’s another song that will dominate airwaves or be on the last five minutes of any TV show on BBC3. It has the polish of Thinking Of You and will be just as popular. Really, the best parts of the song are in its pauses-- those build the climax.

Shape Of You I prefer Walk Off The Earth’s creative twists on this X wannabe. I think Ed thought he was more clever than he is when he penned “I’m in love / with the shape of you” as though that kinda twist has never been done before. It also feels the most hollow of all the songs-- its a well-oiled heartless robot meant to stake claim on Radio One and so far, it reigns supreme.

Perfect Like Dive or How Would You Feel, it’s very romantic and pretty and utterly forgettable to me. Very generic lyricism, polished arrangement-- the kind of thing I can’t nitpick about which pisses me off, but also has no identity of its own. It could be sung by the One Direction boys and no one would know the difference.

Galway Girl The highlight of this album, which kinda feels like three songs in one-- ridiculously flirtatious, self-aware and all its elements-- rap, fiddle, guitar, dance beats-- are expertly weaved together. The sort of thing that Ed Sheeran has perfected since he rolled off whatever couch he was surfing to become everyone’s favourite ging.

Happier It’s a break-up song. There are several on this album. That means Ed Sheeran has done his duty by providing both sickly sweet gushy love songs and heartbreaking etudes to lovers lost. This one gets the full orchestra treatment, which heightens the heartbreak and regret on the pre-chorus and chorus, where Ed wails and emotes. It’s not bad. None of these songs are that bad. It’s also, really, not that good.

New Man For me, the best part of the song is the witty, detailed lyricism attacking bro-culture. It got a second listen from me so I could take in all the delicious, bitter insults and #relevant social callouts (instagram, double tap etc.). It’s a fun track with actual personality though I’m not sure how much radio play a song mentioning a bleached asshole will get. Not enough.

Hearts Don’t Break Around Here This one feels the closest to earlier Ed Sheeran at first until it devolves into the typical weepy love song thing we’ve already done on this album. Honestly, at this point they really feel the same. I like the guitar line on this one better than the others. My boyfriend will probably like it. Otherwise, I don’t think it deserves much mention.

What Do I Know It’s another entry in Ed Sheeran’s diary, highlighting his existential crisis as a multi-billionaire top 40 musician. That being said, the minimal guitar here does establish a real groove-- the subtle layering of Ed’s own voice making the most outta his god-given instrument. It makes the unbearable grudgingly impressive.

(It also officially makes Eraser feel redundant. Insert pun here about how eraser should be, yeah, erased from this album).

How Would You Feel Please see my review here. I’m pretty bored, by the way. We have how many more songs? Jfc.

Supermarket Flowers This song was written about Ed Sheeran’s grandmother who passed, so it feels mean to be too hard on it. It’s fine. (It’s also kinda forgettable. I’m not that sad).

Barcelona This track opens with Ed Sheeran’s frantic breathing, probably because he’s outta shape from all the backpacking he did after Multiply, which is what this song is about. The Spanish influences here are y’know pretty appropriate and sort of expected though I wanna know how actual Spanish speakers feel about Ed Sheeran attempting to speak spanish/appropriating the slick magazine appeal of Barcelona like any pasty English tourist on holiday. I kinda feel like this will be played over a travel medley in any film adaption of the latest big YA novel. All that being said, it’s an uptick from the last two downers-- this one’s genuinely fun-- and much more interesting musically speaking than the majority of the album.

Bibia Be Ye Ya I much prefer these ambitious, weird upbeat pop songs to the droopy love songs. This one flows gorgeously from Barcelona. I got no idea what he’s saying (apparently its Twi-- a language spoken in Ghana) but the music’s playful and sunny and optimistic, while the lyrics are the opposite-- “My heart is breaking at the seams / and I'm coming apart now.” Which makes me think this song is about not giving a fuck. It also sounds like it was a blast to mix.

Nancy Mulligan Ed Sheeran goes back to Ireland here. This song’s modeled after the successful Irish story-song and basically steals all its tricks from that toolbox, down to the “di-de-dis.” It feels both modern and classic, more like a cover than an original, though Ed name-drops himself to remind us that this is his entry into the Irish pub song oeuvre. This is another entry into the “It’s not bad” category of songs. I think it’d be better if Ed were actually Irish.

Save Myself We end on a more poignant, safe, somber note, which means I’m pretty bored again. I dunno why he picked this song to end on either because there’s nothing amazing about it lyrically or musically or thematically or even vocally. It’s about as cliche as it gets. But I guess it’s-- yeah-- not bad.

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