This is the best U2 album since......

[Nick66]

You know, the most consistent comment on here that I read about this album is how consistent it is. "There doesn't appear to be any big hit, or song that stands out, but at least the record's consistent". That's like reviewing someone in your office and saying "They've never really excelled, but their performance is consistent".

Don't mistake me, I've called the album "even" myself, and am generally pleasantly surprised with it. I just wonder if our expectations have over time shifted so much we don't even perceive it. We used to expect transcendental, impactful anthems from U2...now we're just happy if the record's "consistent". It's like a pensioner who used to climb mountains and is now just happy if they can get up in the morning.

 

[Salome]

An album can very well be amazing, without having any song on it that is an all-time classic.

Since you know that, I would almost wonder what the purpose is of your post.

 

[owl]

You know, the most consistent comment on here that I read about this album is how consistent it is. "There doesn't appear to be any big hit, or song that stands out, but the record's consistent". That's like reviewing someone in your office and saying "They've never really excelled, but their performance is consistent".

Don't mistake me, I've called the album "even" myself, and am generally pleasantly surprised with it. I just wonder if our expectations have over time shifted so much we don't even perceive it. We used to expect transcendental, impactful anthems from U2...now we're just happy if the record's "consistent". It's like a pensioner who used to climb mountains and is now just happy if they can get up in the morning.

I don't view it as consistent in that way at all.

I view it as track by track consistently fucking awesome.

 

[mikal]

It'll be interesting to see which songs stand out after the album fully soaks in.

For me, I know for sure that Iris and The Troubles are songs that I generally come back to years from now. That's a guarantee. Cedarwood and EBW are very strong standouts for me as well.

 

[birdman]

There is plenty of room for improvement, doesn't mean its bad though.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

You know, the most consistent comment on here that I read about this album is how consistent it is. "There doesn't appear to be any big hit, or song that stands out, but at least the record's consistent". That's like reviewing someone in your office and saying "They've never really excelled, but their performance is consistent".

Don't mistake me, I've called the album "even" myself, and am generally pleasantly surprised with it. I just wonder if our expectations have over time shifted so much we don't even perceive it. We used to expect transcendental, impactful anthems from U2...now we're just happy if the record's "consistent". It's like a pensioner who used to climb mountains and is now just happy if they can get up in the morning.

i disagree with the idea that there isn't a big hit.

It's not my favorite song on the album (that would be The Troubles by a country mile)... but Every Breaking Wave has the ability to be a huge hit. not billboard top 10 hit... u2 won't ever do that again, nor will any 50+ rock band... but gigantic on adult contemporary and adult alternative radio, if they so desire.

 

[Nick66]

An album can very well be amazing, without having any song on it that is an all-time classic.

Since you know that, I would almost wonder what the purpose is of your post.

It wasn't a criticism, just an observation on how it's being characterised here. I find it interesting, because unevenness was a constant criticism of NLOTH.. which nonetheless had stand out tracks and at least one all time U2 classic on it.

Again, it's not necessarily a criticism of the record. As I said, I'm generally happy with it.. Though it's still too early for me to say much more than that.

 

[Afliktor]

I think the album will suffer without a hard-hitting single. There is no song to drive it on radio. They haven't had a "hit" since Vertigo and maybe they don't have it in them anymore.

are we listening to the same album? i feel like pretty much every song could be a single, except maybe the one they actually chose seriously though upon first listen I almost felt like the album was too poppy. though I don't feel that way anymore, except for maybe Song for Someone

but seriously I think this record sounds more current than anything they've put out in the last decade, and it's because they're not trying too hard. it took almost 20 years but I think they finally managed to recover from Pop's "failure" and just make music without trying to be relevant, which ironically has produced a very now sounding record.

 

[mikal]

Yeah, there are definitely "singles on this album", specifically the first 4 tracks. How I would love it though if the band had the balls to release "Raised By Wolves" or "The Troubles" as a single.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

Too early to say, we are totally blind when U2 drop a new album, I remember back in 2004, Interference got crazy about HTDAAB and now it is the least loved album around here (I like it better than ATYCLB by far)..... anyway, after 4-5 listen, I can already say that there is no weak tune (no Wild honey, Crazy tonight, Peace on Earth.....), very consistent and dense record, reminds me a bit of AB when I first listened to it (to a lesser exstand), but some stuff I didn't thing they had in them, some agressive guitar riffs, deep bass, incredible voice. Even Larry surprises me.
My biggest fear was that they would turn into a pop radio band and it is not the case at all. I think it is less "commercial" than 95% of their 2000's stuff, but yet could be played a lot more than the recent tunes. They found a great balance between remembering their roots (post-punk, rock) and allowing the pop audience to listen to it and maybe also like it. Hard to explain....
To the question, "it's the best album since...", I will just say that some tunes will be live-killers and I so look forward to hearing them live. Some pretty raw sounds, The Miracle, Volcano, California, Raised by Wolves, Cedarwood Road, some stuff remind me of White Stripes, Killers, Strokes.
Iris is to me the best song so far, very 80's music with lower AB voice, haunting to death!
Sleep like a baby tonight has a Depeche Mode feel, reminds me of "Heaven".
The Troubles is also a great tune.

 

[Afliktor]

You know, the most consistent comment on here that I read about this album is how consistent it is. "There doesn't appear to be any big hit, or song that stands out, but at least the record's consistent". That's like reviewing someone in your office and saying "They've never really excelled, but their performance is consistent".

Don't mistake me, I've called the album "even" myself, and am generally pleasantly surprised with it. I just wonder if our expectations have over time shifted so much we don't even perceive it. We used to expect transcendental, impactful anthems from U2...now we're just happy if the record's "consistent". It's like a pensioner who used to climb mountains and is now just happy if they can get up in the morning.

I don't understand this as a criticism. Consistent is a good thing. Who are you going to hire, the crazy genius who shows up 3 hours late or the guy who shows up everyday on time and does his job? if you said the first one, then i would like a job please lol. because all real world experience points to the second.

I suppose ultimately it depends on how you rate the quality of the songs. there could be no standout because they're all just ok, or it could be because they're all so awesome it's hard to pick a favourite. i'm leaning toward the latter

 

[Afliktor]

It wasn't a criticism, just an observation on how it's being characterised here. I find it interesting, because unevenness was a constant criticism of NLOTH.. which nonetheless had stand out tracks and at least one all time U2 classic on it.

Again, it's not necessarily a criticism of the record. As I said, I'm generally happy with it.. Though it's still too early for me to say much more than that.

sorry, didn't see this post before i responded to your previous one. and you make a good point. will be interesting to see how the songs hold up over time for sure. what songs if any will become classics?

 

[Afliktor]

My biggest fear was that they would turn into a pop radio band and it is not the case at all. I think it is less "commercial" than 95% of their 2000's stuff, but yet could be played a lot more than the recent tunes. They found a great balance between remembering their roots (post-punk, rock) and allowing the pop audience to listen to it and maybe also like it. Hard to explain....

I agree with this 100%. they finally stopped trying to make an album of singles and have therefore for the first time actually produced an album of singles gotta give props to Danger Mouse for making it sound very indie-now in a very easy way. not like U2 desperately trying to be relevant, but U2 just being U2 and doing a damn good job of it.

 

[Nick66]

Who are you going to hire, the crazy genius who shows up 3 hours late or the guy who shows up everyday on time and does his job? if you said the first one, then i would like a job please lol. because all real world experience points to the second.

Oh, well that totally depends. Who are you going to hire, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?

Sometimes a crazy genius is absolutely what's called for. Some of the greatest works of art in history, rock music in particular, have been made by crazy geniuses who show up three hours late.

In any event, like I said I wasn't criticising the record, I like it. I was just making an observation on how many talking about it here (and some of the online reviews I've read). I'm not prepared to offer any real criticism of the record yet, partially because everyone is so psyched about it and it's too soon, and partially because I'm not quite sure how I feel about all the songs yet. When I compare it to the first time I listened to NLOTH, it's a different experience...I was truly transported by some of those songs and some of them I just instantly recognised as over the top great. Some were instant clunkers for me. This record just feels different (that doesn't mean better or worse), and while some songs are forming for me as favourites, I need more time with it. This record feels a bit more subversive to me than NLOTH, and doesn't grab me in extremes of like/dislike the way that one did...which may either be a good sign that it's simmering genius waiting to be slowly discovered, or just a mediocre collection of pop songs, none of which is truly great. For me time will tell on that.

 

[popacrobat]

You know, the most consistent comment on here that I read about this album is how consistent it is. "There doesn't appear to be any big hit, or song that stands out, but at least the record's consistent". That's like reviewing someone in your office and saying "They've never really excelled, but their performance is consistent".

Don't mistake me, I've called the album "even" myself, and am generally pleasantly surprised with it. I just wonder if our expectations have over time shifted so much we don't even perceive it. We used to expect transcendental, impactful anthems from U2...now we're just happy if the record's "consistent". It's like a pensioner who used to climb mountains and is now just happy if they can get up in the morning.

Not sure I agree with this. The last thing I expected as a cohesive, even album. I expected one or two really standout songs and a few that resonate with me, and some other pleasant songs, with a clunker mixed in.

This is a pretty cohesive album, that, as you described, is even.

 

[Mr. Happy]

Comments like these sometimes make me want to quit the internet.

Sorry I still stand by that comment a few more listens on. Musically, it's very modern and it's very pop. I don't think it was an unfair or inaccurate description, and I didn't mean it negatively in itself. My criticism was the quality of the Adele album, rather than the fact it was an Adele album.

With that said, though, I don't think it was bad as I made it out to be now anyway. I probably should have waited another day or two before opening my mouth, it's slowly growing on me. It was just a jarring shock to the system far too early in the morning

 

[Nick66]

Not sure I agree with this. The last thing I expected as a cohesive, even album. I expected one or two really standout songs and a few that resonate with me, and some other pleasant songs, with a clunker mixed in.

Yeah, that's what I think I was expecting as well, so the evenness is a nice, pleasant surprise. Maybe I'm not explaining myself well.

So there's one record, NLOTH, that is uneven and has some serious clunkers, but some all time great U2 classics as well. By contrast, I don't hear any clunkers on this one...but nothing that grabs me like MOS or Fez or NLOTH either. But as a whole, cohesive "album", the experience is better than NLOTH, IMO. So which is better? I guess that's a matter of personal preference. Do you want a couple truly great songs to keep going back to, or a whole record that maybe lacks those highs, but is a better "album" experience. Like I said, I haven't spent enough time with the record to make up my mind yet. Perhaps some songs will really start to stand out that way for me, there are already some I like quite a bit...whether they end up moving from being nice interesting songs for me to something that grabs and moves me remains to be seen.

Sorry if my initial post was unclear...it was mostly just meant as comment on the "consistent" characterisation I'm seeing a lot of.

 

[Afliktor]

Oh, well that totally depends. Who are you going to hire, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?

Sometimes a crazy genius is absolutely what's called for. Some of the greatest works of art in history, rock music in particular, have been made by crazy geniuses who show up three hours late.

point taken! and to be fair Bono is most definitely the crazy genius who shows up 3 hours late, lol. but to me this is consistent in the way a Beatles record is consistent - every song is just that good. I agree with you, though, that nothing really stood out to me initially (except EBW, but that was likely because I was already familiar with it). there weren't a lot of OMG moments. but the more I listen to more I fall in love...

 

[Nick66]

there weren't a lot of OMG moments. but the more I listen to more I fall in love...

Yeah, I feel the same way. I liked it on the initial listen, but nothing grabbed me (except perhaps Wolves a little bit). But it's growing on me and I'm getting a good vibe from the songs.

 

[YBORCITY]

Pop

 

[Acrobat_Al]

Htdaab

 

[GopherMacPhisto]

I'll say this: It is certainly the best mixed album since Pop.

I love Adam's playing as much as anyone on Team Clayton, but all the of the 2000s albums had way, way, way, WAY to much bass. This is a much cleaner mix.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using U2 Interference mobile app

 

[James U2]

Right now, for me it's the best album since ATYCLB. I'm on about eight listens and it's moving up the ladder fast. I think if you take 'Invisible' and add it as the second track on the album it becomes a top 4/5 U2 album.

 

[U2opra]

Right now, for me it's the best album since ATYCLB. I'm on about eight listens and it's moving up the ladder fast. I think if you take 'Invisible' and add it as the second track on the album it becomes a top 4/5 U2 album.

Actually, I do wonder why it wasn't included, because Invsible would've worked great here. But then, wasn't there also another version of Invisible with different lyrics which was more about the band at Waterloo etc?

 

[womanfish]

I have to say that it is the consistent goodness of this album that is really making me happy. I love the NLOTH (song), MOS and FEZ. They were big standouts for me. But to be honest a lot of the songs that I thought were decent haven't stood up well for me, AND then there are the big 3 clunkers on there too.

While I think The Troubles stands up to anything on No Line, and EBW is a standout as well, the rest of the album is really quite solid.

While I think the majority of songs on this album or between a 7 and 10 rating, with maybe only TIWYCRM being a 6 in my opinion. - NLOTH was a couple 9/10's, a bunch of 5's and few 2's, and HTDAAB, was more also consistent, but consistently average. with a couple clunkers thrown in.

P.s. - glad invisible isn't on there. Not only would it take up one spot, but I stand by it being a more average paint by numbers U2 tune, and really almost everything on this album is NOT that. which I love

 

[prbiker15]

I'm a bit glad that we didn't get Invisible. As much as I love the song, I was ecstatic to get 11 more songs. I see that many people have been placing it in their alternate tracklists, I'm going to have to do the same.

 

[powerhour24]

Well they could have just given us 12 and included it, especially as it's clear we haven't heard the whole song, and there's a version they did with totally different verses.

 

[mama cass]

since ATYCLB... it's incredibly shockingly fluid and cohesive and feels really effortless (which i'm sure it wasn't in the making), like they're really flying with it and taking you with them on the whole journey, it's the U2 i love

just to clarify, ATYCLB ranks up there with AB, JT, Pop, Zooropa for me, and i reckon this one is easily on par with them too

 

[James U2]

Well they could have just given us 12 and included it, especially as it's clear we haven't heard the whole song, and there's a version they did with totally different verses.

Agreed. I wouldn't want one of the 11 traded out for Invisible, just Invisible added as a 12th song (and, for me, batting in the #2 spot). Lyrically, it would fit well there.

 

[Nick66]

I have to say that it is the consistent goodness of this album that is really making me happy.

Wow, I was just saying the same thing. This record has a really nice vibe to it. I don't hear agnsty, frustrated, pissed off Bono complaining about Chinese stocks on this one. It just has a nice feel to it.