ALBUM REVIEW: Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide)

He's back! Divide (÷), is the long awaited third studio album released by Ed Sheeran. After a year-long hiatus Ed has returned with another album filled with every genre you could possibly imagine. Each song is melodically driven with impressive vocals and instrumental arrangements. I just finished listening to the deluxe version of the album from beginning to end, and I will go through song by song with my initial opinions. Going into this review I do want to disclose that Ed Sheeran is one of my all time favorite artists and he could probably convince me to buy an album of his that was just hours of white noise with the occasional guitar strum. With that being said, and to sum this introduction up, this may be my least favorite album of his BUT IT'S STILL VERY GOOD. Let me get into it...

1) Eraser 
5/5
Alright. Starting off with a bang. This is by far my favorite song on the album. The SB.TV version of this song drew me right in a couple days before the album was released as a sort-of-Ed-Sheeran-style of spoken word (think The Streets) that is my ultimate favorite. The album version adds more production to the live version with a driving beat in the background but it still provides the same story and feeling. Lyrically, this song is wonderful. This is not one of Ed Sheeran's classic love songs that he has come to be known for, but more of an intense story of the torments of drug use. 

2) Castle on the Hill 
5/5
One of the first two singles released off Divide earlier this year, this was a triumphant return for Ed. It's a driving pop song that gets caught in your head and also has a compelling story that goes along with it. What more could you want? I enjoy this song a lot, and can seeing this being the opening song in his live shows. It will be fantastic live and you can't help but sing along. The powerful vocals are the cherry on top of this amazingly written song.

3) Dive 
4/5
And here we are...a sexy blues-y love song. It's very good and his voice sounds absolutely fantastic with the perfect amount of grit. While I honestly really do love this song, but I feel like I've heard it before. That is its only fault...the sense that it's nothing truly unique. But hey, that's not necessarily a terrible thing, just something I noticed.

4) Shape of You 
5/5

When this song was released on Snapchat as a little 10 second snippet, I wasn't sold. Now, I love it. Once I heard the full version I was hooked. Unfortunately, the top 40 radio stations were also hooked and you can't go more that 10 minutes without hearing this song somewhere in your vicinity. Good for you, Ed. But I'm trying to avoid it as to not get sick of it like I did with Thinking Out Loud.

5) Perfect 
2/5
I had to re-listen to this song before writing this review since I honestly couldn't remember it. It's...a love song. It's sweet. It's cute. It's everything you would want in a slow love song. Get ready to hear this at every wedding you're invited to for the foreseeable future. I don't know. It's nice. I can't think of anything else to say. I don't dare call it generic...but it's sort-of generic.

6) Galway Girl 
4/5

So here we have a combination of hip-hop-ish-vibes and Irish folk music? Alright. You sold me. I'm here for it. This is going to get stuck in your head and it's definitely going to be fantastic live. For all those shows in Ireland...get ready. The only fault I have is a little bit of a problem with the production of this song where it feels sort of inauthentic, or maybe something "off" with the drum track, but it's nothing too bothersome. 

7) Happier 
3/5

Not so much a classic love song...but a yearning type of love song. I like the story of this song and really can feel the emotion behind the lyrics. Again, like with all of these, the vocals are spot on. This one is fairly memorable, but I can't picture this as a stand-alone song. The overall feeling is very cinematic and I can imagine seeing this as the backing for a film.

8) New Man 
4/5
Ok, so this song is fun. The lyrics are extremely relatable and hilarious, and the chorus is beyond catchy. I can't take it too seriously, but that's sort of the point. And that wikiwiki-record scratching at the end is great.

9) Hearts Don't Break Around Here 
3/5

Another love song. This one is better than Perfect in my opinion because it's slightly more interesting, melodically. But it's still a love song, and I have a hard time telling the difference between this and so many others. Maybe that's a personal problem though and I shouldn't fault Ed on it. Maybe it's actually really amazing and like nothing anyone has ever heard before. I'm not a professional music critic though and these are literally just my first impressions. Oh great, now I'm having an identity crisis in my review. Moving on...

10) What Do I Know? 
3/5

I completely forgot this song, also, after the first listen. It's a catchy bouncy acoustic song but...there's not much here. It's fine for bopping around, but I can't see myself wanting to listen to this over and over again. And now that I'm sitting here listening to it for the third time in a row I'm contemplating ripping my hair out. Yep. This is good for a listen every once in a while.

11) How Would You Feel (Paean) 
3/5

Oh look! Another love song! Didn't we hear this one already? No? Ok, well this one I like a little more. Or do I? I can't tell. I think I do. I feel like I'm at a wedding again. Yes, this one is slightly better. I feel like singing along a little bit and that's a good thing.

12) Supermarket Flowers 
5/5
This gets a perfect score for the sheer emotion and story behind it. It's an absolutely lovely tribute to his grandmother and it can resonate with anyone who has lost loved ones. Well done.

13) Barcelona 
3/5

Do you remember the Lizzie McGuire movie? They go to Rome and hang out and ride Vespas and Paolo is there and then Lizzie impersonates a pop star? Well, this song would be perfect for the nonexistent sequel of that movie where they do the same exact thing, but in Barcelona. Just picture a camera shot of Lizzie riding a Vespa around with Gordo around La Sagrada Familia and shopping in Las Ramblas. It's an upbeat love song that will get stuck in your head.

14) Bibia Be Ye Ye 
5/5

I'm giving this 5/5 just because it's fun as hell and it's something completely new and different for Ed. Taking inspiration from Ed's time in Ghana this song is a great combination of classic Ed Sheeran lyrics and a really fun Ghanian rhythm. 

15) Nancy Mulligan 
4/5

I really like this story of the Sheeran family history. It's written in Irish folk song style and I just really love that he is bringing this type of music into the pop music world. It's wonderful to hear all these influences in this, and other songs on this album, that one may not normally hear in such a commercially successful release. Update: When I woke up this morning, this song was completely stuck in my head over all the other songs I listened to.

16) Save Myself 
5/5

It's not a love song! It's a heart-rending song, but not a love song! WooHoo! I really enjoy this. It's a deeply emotional song with a powerful message that will resonate with many people. There's not much else to say here other than it's lovely. I think this is the gem of the tracks that are included on the deluxe edition

In summary, we have a great album that will do amazingly well in the charts. In my personal opinion, and one that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it's not my favorite. There's something about the production of this album that just feels...incomplete. I'm not entirely sure how to put into words why I'm not really feeling this album as much as a lot of his previous work, but that's just how I feel (paean). Many people have told me it might just take a while to grow on me...maybe I should give it another chance...but that's just it. I really don't have the urge to listen to any of these songs over and over and over again and give it time to grow on me. I will 100% be going to see him live, because I believe a lot of these songs will translate wonderfully to his unique style of live performance, but the album isn't living up to his usual caliber of music. Maybe I'm wrong (probably). Maybe I'm crazy (definitely). Maybe my opinions will change (possibly). But alas, here we are. It's a great album. I'll leave it at that. Maybe I've put him on too high of a pedestal for too long and I was inevitably bound to not enjoy something. That's totally fine. I'm still here for Ed Sheeran as much as I ever have been. Buy the album...see if you like it. It's worth the listen, that's for sure.

Review by: Carmen Bernu

Random Songs I've Shazam'd

Here is a list of random songs that I've Shazam'd recently. They all peaked my interest in one way or another.  That's it. It doesn't get much deeper than that. I've noticed a trend where I Shazam a lot of weird dance music, think it's good at the time, and then it's not as good when I get home. Anyway, here's the list. This post is mostly to ease myself back into writing about music.

1. My Rights Versus Yours - The New Pornographers
   This song was my JAM when I first started driving. My friend made me a mix CD to listen to me in my new car, and this was on there. So many good memories associated with this song and I completely forgot about it until I heard it on the radio again a couple days ago.
2. Lite Spots - Kaytranada
   Everything about this song makes me want to dance. Such a well produced song from a great album.
3. Casualty - Pional
   Honestly now that I listen to this song again, it's not that great. I'm not sure why this sparked my interest at all. Ignore this.
4. We Gone - Paper Diamond Feat. Shoffy
   Classic lounge-like deep house-ish track. Sounds pretty much like a lot of stuff out there. Gets sort of interesting in the middle but then goes back to being generic. I don't know. It's fine to listen to if you really want to.
5. Critical Mistakes - 888
   After hearing this song it was honestly stuck in my head for hours. VERY catchy. Not sure if I'd want to listen to it for ages, but it's good for now. A good combination of pop-punk and electro synth.
6. Feel Good - Syn Cole
   Wow is this repetitive but wow is it catchy. I've got your summer upbeat dance music right here.