As his seventh studio album and first album release under his own record label, Gingerbread Man Records, Ed Sheeran’s “Fall Variations” is anything but. Sheeran mixes themes of love, heartbreak and desperation in an attempt to make a more down-to-earth record full of different perspectives and emotions. However, the result is a disconnected, confusing and rather bland record, full of repetitive beats and predictable lyricism.
The first track, “Magical,” sets the tone for this disappointing record as an upbeat love song with plenty of vague lyrics and a recognizable rhythm. Lines like “This is Magical, this is magical. Is this how it feels to be in love?” give listeners no new insight into the depths of love between the singer and his beau.
The second track “England” is much the same. However, the object of the singer’s affection has diverged from a person to the English countryside. The electronic style adds nice variation, but the lyrics say very little. There is no mystery in Sheeran’s storytelling.
“Amazing,” the low point of the album, offers a nice change in rhythm and style and switches theme, from love to despair, yet listeners are left wanting more. With lines such as “yeah, I’m trying to feel amazing” and “yeah, wish I could feel amazing,” this promising song falls flat, adding little emotional or lyrical depth to the album.
In almost a complete turnaround, the following track, “Plastic Bag,” finally gets at that fall feel. The theme of deep sorrow continues, but this time, Sheeran seems to hit at something more. “Took a job for dad, I think, just to please him/ So, when I quit, I just kept it secret” is just one of the more personal lyrics that make this song one of the best of the album.
“Blue” takes a turn. As the first heartbreak song of the album, “Blue” is a slower, simpler, vocal heavy track, that feels like it comes from somewhere of true pain. Sheeran again succeeds with his interesting and thought-provoking lyrics.
With easily the most pop song feel, “American Town” has a much quicker pace. There are interesting instrument choices that seem to work really well, and as a high point of the album, “American Town” is the classic Ed Sheeran sound with a new twist.
“That’s On Me,” the seventh track, feels like a slight variation of “Amazing,” but offers much more interesting lyrics and instrumentation. The following track, “Page,” continues with the theme of feeling down. There is heavy imagery in this song, as the singer refers to himself to as a “half-read story” creating an interesting, at times on the nose, comparison.
The song “Midnight” gives the album something new musically, with its lighter love song feel. Unfortunately, the pairing of unconventional beats and extremely conventional lyrics resulted in a bland song.
More mediocre songs on the album were “Punchline” and “When will I be alright.” “Punchline” had a slow build throughout the song that led to a complete genre switch and an indie rock finale, while “When will I be alright” was a more conventional song featuring some lovely fiddle sections with lyrics that were unfortunately repetitive and unsurprising.
“Fall Variations” ends with two curveball songs, first of which is “The Day I was Born.” This tragic birthday track has a sad girl song feel with lines like “Nobody cares, this is the day I was born/ Another birthday alone.” This was a surprising twist from the English singer. And finally, the last track of the album, the raw love song, “Head>Heels.” Although this song felt more authentic than most on the album, the repetitive lyrics and quiet nature of the track was a slow end to a confusing album.
The album “Fall Variations” and it’s contrasting themes and styles seems better in concept. The attempt by Sheeran to feature different experiences and stories of fall was undermined by his repetitive lyrics and predictable themes. Ed Sheeran shifts between feelings of love, loss and loneliness that seem ingenuine and musical styles that are overdone and disconnected from each other. Overall, the album has some genuinely enjoyable tracks, but did not accomplish what it set out to do.
