Rolling Stone, The 250 Best Albums of the 21st century so far
On their fourth album in as many years, One Direction crystallized their placement in the highest tier of pop’s pantheon. It’s a feat accomplished by the soft-rock ballad “Fireproof” alone, but there was a perfected harmonic synergy among the group’s five vocalists — an electric connection bolstered by thunderous, stadium-ready pop rock. “Stockholm Syndrome,” “Clouds,” and “No Control” take off at 300 miles per hour, an edge of blazing seduction in each performance. Four is built on an astonishing victory lap of impassioned ballads, from “18” and “Night Changes” to “Fool’s Gold” and “Spaces.” They’re all rooted in the kind of love and heartache that only exists in romance films and One Direction songs. —L.P.
Styles’ soft-rock debut and its theatrical follow-up, Fine Line, were just stepping stones toward his breakthrough Harry’s House. It’s a record that indulges in an adoration for music that revels in its weird idiosyncrasies. “Daydreaming” references the funk and R&B of the Brothers Johnson, while “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” carries the eccentricity of Japanese city pop. Styles paints a portrait of domesticity with a similar embrace on cuts like “Matilda” and “Keep Driving,” or even the more curious “Cinema.” They’re songs that feel tangibly lived in and intimate. He goes big, too. “As It Was” and “Satellite” are explosive pop numbers with endless replay value. As it turned out, blocking the outside noise made sizable room for Styles’ glorious mess of things. —L.P.
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