9.20-21.13 iHRMF Rehearsal Photos, Glee Spoilers, more news

On his debut full-length studio album True, Avicii, lesser known as Tim Bergling, seems to have gone the folk route, incorporating the same sound as the majority of commercial alternative rock and pop acts this year. It’s a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll, and, it’s not what EDM needs right now.

The ‘Mumford and Sons sound’ has seemingly taken over rock radio these days. It’s difficult to even find a new commercial release that has distorted guitars anymore. But, whether you love it or hate it, that sound might best be left at that. Let’s not saturate mainstream EDM with it too.

That being said, there are still some downright exciting moments on the album. “Long Road To Hell” captures a dark, jazzy house vibe and begs to be heard on repeat. “Dear Boy,” “Lay Me Down” and “Hope There’s Someone” all evoke classic Avicii. With clubby instruments and emotive tones that successfully translate the songs into true dance anthems, they are a step forward in maturity when compared to Avicii’s back catalogue of beats.

Avicii deserves kudos for stepping out of his comfort zone in terms of style and composition by bringing genre-diverse artists in to help craft the music. The album features numerous instrumentalists and songwriters including Adam Lambert, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Mike Einziger of Incubus and a few others.