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I really enjoyed that last article... It got my excitement way up, by acknowledging the missteps



Agree. As much as i do enjoy the gushing “anything U2 does is classic” reviews(which Haven’t come int yet) because i buy into the fluff initially (it’s a fun ride), the more honest reviews about U2 as a whole are the best and most exciting especially when they are positive like this one.

i really hope the album doesn’t leak. The final stretch before a U2 album is released is just so fun with building excitement with each review and detail that comes out(assuming most are positive of course, which seems to be the case so far).

Couple that with the fact that there are likely not too many more of these times, at least for U2, that we will experience....hell, this could be the last (i don’t think it will be but they are closing in on 60).

My excitement has been slowly growing each week since early August when the Blackout vid was being filmed and with 8 days to go....man, it’s fun!!
 
The German review from Saturn Magazin posted above is nice and frankly where I think most reviews will end up: an album with some edgy and experimental fringes that finds its home in melancholic pop rock and somber reflections of life and love. A deep record, but one heartening in its familiarity and moments of lightness. 3.5/4 out of 5. I think if you had teased us with that description 8 months ago we'd have been happy.

All said, I maintain that I feel (and hope) that the next album is the ethereal, heavy, gut thumper that they do on their own behest, without pretense or second guessing. Go out with a bang, hopefully building on the momentum of this one.
 
Translated by Google :

U2 - Songs Of Experience - Album Criticism: Up Close

PRIMETIME
Malenki Bischoff
schedule
6 hours ago
For three years it was quiet about U2 - now they are back with their 14th album "Songs Of Experience" back.

On their 14th studio album, U2 do what they do best: pop rock with stadium status. Why "Songs Of Experience" still has some surprises in store and what frontman Bono has to say in the 41st year of the band's career is something that you can read in our album review.

Much has happened since the previous album "Songs Of Innocence", Apple customers were delivered in September 2014 for free in their media library. A few months after its release, U2 singer Bono was involved in a serious bicycle accident that made several operations necessary and knocked him off artistically and privately. Musical heroes like Leonard Cohen and David Bowie died. The election of Donald Trump to the US president could not leave a politically moving band like U2 not cold.

For the release of "Songs of Experience" we are giving away the deluxe version of the album. Just answer the fan question and win with luck.
And then there was the scandal surrounding the "Paradise Papers", according to which Bono allegedly participated in a Lithuanian department store without his knowledge, which, thanks to some financial tricks, never had to pay corporate taxes. Of course you can not go through this with a missionary do-gooder like Bono, no matter how much the 57-year-old has already donated to relief organizations or how many charity concerts he has already played in his career.

Quality has its price

All of these things ultimately contributed to the fact that "Songs Of Experience" did not follow as planned shortly after "Songs Of Innocence", but only now, almost three years later. "Why absolutely adhere to our deadline and release an album without having to think again about what's going on?" Said guitarist The Edge about the delay in the interview with the German Rolling Stone magazine. So instead of making out their 14th studio album, the band took the time to work on the 13 songs with Steve Lillywhite, one of five producers involved in the album, once again textually and musically.


"Songs Of Experience" is pure U2

And so "Songs Of Experience" begins surprisingly experimentally with the fragile "Love Is All We Have Left", which is accompanied by a light autotune-Säuseln. Unfortunately, the pleasantly restrained opener in its shortness is just a kind of intro and ends before his dreamy mood may unfold properly. Then it's on with "Lights Of Home" and "You're The Best Thing about Me" in the usual and unfortunately also familiar routine way.


Already 41 years in the business: the band U2.
There they are again, the well-known, swelling and swelling choirs, whose omnipresence in pop music U2 as an excellent stadium band is naturally responsible. And even the gushed Schmachtrefrains that rise with a big gesture, as if they wanted to embrace not only the world, but immediately the whole universe, overlap here after the first stanza.

This is great songwriting art, which unfortunately has been heard many times. Either at U2 itself or among the many other bands who have been trying for years to position themselves as worthy successors to the Irish, but in the process, such as Coldplay, are always sinking too far in the footsteps.


Personally and sad, playful and life-affirming

Fortunately, such filler does not predominate on the nearly 50-minute long album. Love and transience are the leitmotifs on "Songs Of Experience". And that is why U2 succeed here with some really personal, sad, but also playful and life-affirming moments. "Landlady", for example, is a maximally melancholy and heartwarming hymn to Bono's wife Ali Hewson, who helped the band in the early days to pay the bills. On the other hand, U2 would not have been credited with such a youthful and danceable hit as "The Showman (Little More Better)" in her 41st career year.


After three years, U2 have again released a new album.
In particular, after Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. In the summer of this year, with the nostalgic "Joshua Tree" tour, in which they performed their full-length classic album of the same name from 1987, many left the impression that they might not think of anything new at all.

Even the pre-decoupled single "American Soul" made despite the political agitation of rap star Kendrick Lamar the impression of being out of time. Especially from the late 90s, where the overdriven Poprock guitars and the plump grateful homage to the "Rock 'n' Roll" in the chorus awaken unpleasant memories of Kid Rock and their cohorts. Lyrically, the piece is about the moral downfall of America. Everything seems to have been said by others too - and by far more succinctly.


U2 - "Songs of Experience": Our conclusion

The time of the big experiments of albums like "Achtung Baby" (1991), "Zooropa" (1993) or "Pop" (1997) seems to be over for good. U2 rely today on their great strength. And that's pop-rock with larger-than-life melodies and moments of hope and comfort that you just hear that businessmen may be behind U2, but that they are serious about improving their world.

And the world is often changed most sustainably by devoting oneself to one's loved one, sharing their worries or simply laughing with them. This message conveys "Songs Of Experience" as credibly as no U2 album for a long time.

TURN ON rating: 3.5 / 5
 
Translated by Google :

U2 - Songs Of Experience - Album Criticism: Up Close

PRIMETIME
Malenki Bischoff
schedule
6 hours ago
For three years it was quiet about U2 - now they are back with their 14th album "Songs Of Experience" back.

On their 14th studio album, U2 do what they do best: pop rock with stadium status. Why "Songs Of Experience" still has some surprises in store and what frontman Bono has to say in the 41st year of the band's career is something that you can read in our album review.

Much has happened since the previous album "Songs Of Innocence", Apple customers were delivered in September 2014 for free in their media library. A few months after its release, U2 singer Bono was involved in a serious bicycle accident that made several operations necessary and knocked him off artistically and privately. Musical heroes like Leonard Cohen and David Bowie died. The election of Donald Trump to the US president could not leave a politically moving band like U2 not cold.

For the release of "Songs of Experience" we are giving away the deluxe version of the album. Just answer the fan question and win with luck.
And then there was the scandal surrounding the "Paradise Papers", according to which Bono allegedly participated in a Lithuanian department store without his knowledge, which, thanks to some financial tricks, never had to pay corporate taxes. Of course you can not go through this with a missionary do-gooder like Bono, no matter how much the 57-year-old has already donated to relief organizations or how many charity concerts he has already played in his career.

Quality has its price

All of these things ultimately contributed to the fact that "Songs Of Experience" did not follow as planned shortly after "Songs Of Innocence", but only now, almost three years later. "Why absolutely adhere to our deadline and release an album without having to think again about what's going on?" Said guitarist The Edge about the delay in the interview with the German Rolling Stone magazine. So instead of making out their 14th studio album, the band took the time to work on the 13 songs with Steve Lillywhite, one of five producers involved in the album, once again textually and musically.


"Songs Of Experience" is pure U2

And so "Songs Of Experience" begins surprisingly experimentally with the fragile "Love Is All We Have Left", which is accompanied by a light autotune-Säuseln. Unfortunately, the pleasantly restrained opener in its shortness is just a kind of intro and ends before his dreamy mood may unfold properly. Then it's on with "Lights Of Home" and "You're The Best Thing about Me" in the usual and unfortunately also familiar routine way.


Already 41 years in the business: the band U2.
There they are again, the well-known, swelling and swelling choirs, whose omnipresence in pop music U2 as an excellent stadium band is naturally responsible. And even the gushed Schmachtrefrains that rise with a big gesture, as if they wanted to embrace not only the world, but immediately the whole universe, overlap here after the first stanza.

This is great songwriting art, which unfortunately has been heard many times. Either at U2 itself or among the many other bands who have been trying for years to position themselves as worthy successors to the Irish, but in the process, such as Coldplay, are always sinking too far in the footsteps.


Personally and sad, playful and life-affirming

Fortunately, such filler does not predominate on the nearly 50-minute long album. Love and transience are the leitmotifs on "Songs Of Experience". And that is why U2 succeed here with some really personal, sad, but also playful and life-affirming moments. "Landlady", for example, is a maximally melancholy and heartwarming hymn to Bono's wife Ali Hewson, who helped the band in the early days to pay the bills. On the other hand, U2 would not have been credited with such a youthful and danceable hit as "The Showman (Little More Better)" in her 41st career year.


After three years, U2 have again released a new album.
In particular, after Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. In the summer of this year, with the nostalgic "Joshua Tree" tour, in which they performed their full-length classic album of the same name from 1987, many left the impression that they might not think of anything new at all.

Even the pre-decoupled single "American Soul" made despite the political agitation of rap star Kendrick Lamar the impression of being out of time. Especially from the late 90s, where the overdriven Poprock guitars and the plump grateful homage to the "Rock 'n' Roll" in the chorus awaken unpleasant memories of Kid Rock and their cohorts. Lyrically, the piece is about the moral downfall of America. Everything seems to have been said by others too - and by far more succinctly.


U2 - "Songs of Experience": Our conclusion

The time of the big experiments of albums like "Achtung Baby" (1991), "Zooropa" (1993) or "Pop" (1997) seems to be over for good. U2 rely today on their great strength. And that's pop-rock with larger-than-life melodies and moments of hope and comfort that you just hear that businessmen may be behind U2, but that they are serious about improving their world.

And the world is often changed most sustainably by devoting oneself to one's loved one, sharing their worries or simply laughing with them. This message conveys "Songs Of Experience" as credibly as no U2 album for a long time.

TURN ON rating: 3.5 / 5
Thank you my friend!
 
That "Play Songs Of Experience" Amazon link on the Metacritic site was the biggest tease!

If only...

That joe.ie review sold the album remarkably well.

Thanks for the links!

Can we hear it now, please?! :doh:
 
There's going to be a lot of reviews in this Sunday's papers as it's the last chance before next Friday. I'm excited as a pig in shit.
 
Aussie fans, 60 minutes did a u2 segment and it will be on this Sunday night. Looks like the whole band was interviewed.
 
U2: Songs of Experience – Bono gets personal for these fragile times
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/...ts-personal-for-these-fragile-times-1.3304006



Nice! I love track by track reviews. This one focused more on the lyrics than music unfortunately but still cool. I’m very interested to see how Lights Of Home sounds. Sounds like a big song. Probably one that people will either love or hate for sounding like their post 90’s material.

My feeling is that the deciding factor of this album will be how strong songs 6-10 are.
 
Out the 13 ,Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way is the only one the reviewer didn't like by the sound of things
 
U2: Songs of Experience – Bono gets personal for these fragile times
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/...ts-personal-for-these-fragile-times-1.3304006



First enforcement from an official reviewer of “Lights of Home”, which is cool. Seemed to like “Showman” as well.

He seemed like someone who focuses on lyrics calling out “cringeworthy” lyrics on passes songs as well as current (American Soul) but the overall feeling i received was that he didn’t find them on SOE that often.

He does mention that LIBTAIIW has a lot of “ cliché” lyrics and mentions a cat hanging from a tree (queue new Interference thread about animals in U2 songs....wild honey anyone)
 
U2: Songs of Experience – Bono gets personal for these fragile times
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/...ts-personal-for-these-fragile-times-1.3304006

Copy and pasted:

Is U2's new album Songs of Experience the most human Bono has been in a while?
Review: song-by-song guide to band’s 14th album, which is a love letter from Bono to people close to his heart

The creation of Songs of Experience, U2’s 14th album, began around the time of Bono’s “high-energy bicycle accident” in November, 2014. His injuries to his shoulder and upper arm were so serious he feared he would never play guitar again. He also suffered a facial fracture around his eye.

The writing for began directly after U2 completed Songs of Innocence, their 2014 album that made its way directly into the library of more than 500 million iTunes subscribers, leaving a PR disaster in its wake which Bono later apologised for.

While taking the time to recover and rehabilitate from his accident, Bono’s songwriting became more personal. Each song is treated like a letter to people and places that he loves, while reflecting on the fragility of the human condition as political infrastructures implode around us.

The result is 13 songs long in the making, with the band returning to the studio several times to try to capture the energy of a live show and to add lyrics that would reflect the current political climate.

Songs of Experience: track-by-track review

1. Love Is All We Have Left
The opening quivering strings sound like Dean Martin’s That’s Amore, but instead of a choir introducing us to a love story in Napoli, we have Bono. “Nothing to stop this being the best day ever, nothing to keep us from where we should be. I wanted the world, but you knew better, and that all we have is immortality”, he sings vulnerably, and sometimes through a vocoder, setting the tone and the theme of Songs of Experience.

2. Lights of Home
With Bono’s intro out of the way, here comes The Edge with clanging guitar, Larry Mullen Jnr. rolling into action and Adam Clayton piecing it all together. The boys are back in town! This song is built for a live setting – something they worked especially hard on with this album, apparently – with a climatic chorus and plenty of heys and woah-ohs you can almost hear the soon-to-filled stadiums joining in.

3. You’re The Best Thing About Me
The album’s first single, released in September, peaked at 93 in the Irish charts. Probably not the impact that the band had wished for. Tricking us into thinking that this is a love song, it’s all about self-sabotage, coated with a soft-rock gloss.

4. Get Out Of Your Own Way
Songs of Experience was produced by long-time collaborator Jacknife Lee, who also worked on The Killers’ latest album, Wonderful Wonderful, which was released in September of this year. And Get Out of Your Own Way, with its low synths and uplifting plea to the underdog, sounds exactly like a Killers song. Or it sounds exactly like a U2 song that The Killers would eventually mature towards. Get Out Of Your Own Way contains some lovely phrasing, particularly this one with a lovely flow of “S “sounds that just tumble into each other: “Love has got to fight for its existence/ The enemy has armies of assistance/ The amorist, the glamorous, the kiss/ A fist, listen to this, oh”.

5. American Soul
American Soul had a brief airing on Kendrick Lamar’s Numb-sounding XXX, which featured on his album DAMN, and he opens the song. “Blessed are the filthy rich/For you can only truly own what you give away/Like your pain/ Blessed are the bullies/For one day they will have to stand up to themselves/Blessed are the liars/For the truth can be awkward,” punches Lamar, to introduce an even punchier rhythm on the album’s first political song. The slinky rhythm is a reason to forgive lines such as “Let it be unity, let it be community/ For refugees like you and me/ A country to receive us/ Will you be our sanctuary/ Refu-Jesus”.

6. Summer of Love
Well, this is a pretty little ditty that bounces along at a nice pace. With a steady but gentle beat, there’s a southern twang to this song about summers spent “the west coast, not the one that everyone knows”, which makes it might sound more Clifden than California, but I could be wrong. Maybe Bono owns a private west coast off an island none of us have ever heard of, a place where he can focus on his finances. Anyway. There’s a youthful and reflective air to the song, looking back on a time that was perhaps more carefree.

7. Red Flag Day
Continuing on with beach-y metaphors, Red Flag Day is about seizing a moment and jumping in blind. Or in lifeguard terms, jumping into water that has been labelled as very choppy and very dangerous and we must not dive in. Bono would make an awful lifeguard. A U2 fan website concludes that this song is inspired by the refugees fleeing Syria. “Baby, it’s a red flag day/ Baby, let’s get in the water/ Taken out by a wave where we’ve never been before,” strains Bono, with handclaps supporting the chorus, and a chant-back in cheerleader fashion.

8. The Showman (Little More Better)
Addressing the ego of singers, The Showman is a light-hearted and cynical take on performers and how we shouldn’t take what they say too seriously. Noted, Bono. Noted. “The showman gives you front row to his heart/The showman prays that his heartache will chart/Making a spectacle of falling apart/Is just the start of the show,” he sings, tongue-in-cheek. The chorus is catchy as hell and it’s filled with punchlines, aimed at everyone else in the music industry.

9. The Little Things That Give You Away
This is one of the slower-paced songs that captures when you love someone, even at their very worst and, perhaps, how easily they can be lost through the anxiety and chaos of life. The final verse crashes into a frantic stream of consciousness, marking it as one of the more complex and personal songs on the album.

10. Landlady
It’s safe to say that Landlady is about Ali, again, the Landlady of his Killiney mansion, the gatekeeper to his heart. “Every wave that broke me/ Every song that wrote/ Every dawn that woke me/ Was to get me home to you,” he sings, over a tinny guitar, detailing how she always knows it’s him ringing the doorbell when he returns home after a long tour, the tours that can strain their relationship.

11. The Blackout
The Blackout was the teaser song that proved that this long-awaited album was actually on its way. Although it isn’t an official single from SoE, U2 released it in August, making it their first new song in three years and it’s a direct attack on the state of… the world, in general. “Statues fall, democracy is flat on its back, Jack,” Bono purrs over a sinister beat, harking back to the cringe-worthy lyrics from the 2001 single Elevation (“A mole, living in a hole, digging up my soul…”) but thankfully, the lyrical blunders are scarce here

12. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
Clunky titles are all the rage. This is the longest U2 song title, according to one U” fan site , which might be the most interesting thing about it. It’s full of cliches that normally accompany that poster with a cat hanging on to a branch for dear life.

13 (There Is A Light)
Bono is reaching out to someone in the doldrums, asking them to not give up hope. “I know the world is done, but you don’t have to be,” he reassures them, before closing the song softly with “this is a song for someone, someone like me”. Although it has a clunky start, the emotional crux of this song paints a clearer picture of what Bono has gone through since his accident. His close brush with mortality has awoken an openness with Larry’s drumming providing a heart beat, it’s the most human Bono has been in a while.
 

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Translated by Google :

U2 - Songs Of Experience - Album Criticism: Up Close

PRIMETIME
Malenki Bischoff
schedule
6 hours ago
For three years it was quiet about U2 - now they are back with their 14th album "Songs Of Experience"


It wasn’t that quiet!
 
Copy and pasted it here. Can't get a better review than that!



He also said he's listen to it multiple times so I think his opinion is a little more valid having pondered the songs a lot more.
 
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