Shuttlecock XIX - send $40 now for your opportunity to not get a presale code

[HeartlandGirl]

I like it!

Feel better, friend. Glad you were still able to go to the show.

 

[david]

B is a good song.

 

[kabigon]

I prefer 4.

 

[intedomine]

Love it:

1. Moment of Surrender
2. Cedars of Lebanon
3. Magnificent
4. NLOTH
5. Breathe
6. Fez

Pretty decent:

7. White As Snow
8. Unknown Caller

Blehhhhh:

9. Crazy Tonight
10. Sexy Boots
11. Stand Up Comedy

Pretty much identical to what my ranking would be.

Moment of Surrender is one my top 10 ever I think.

I'd put Boots maybe in the bottom of the middle tier. I quite enjoy it.

Crazy Tonight last, it's inclusion damaged the album severely.

 

[Axver]

The idea that Crazy Tonight damaged the album more than Boots is just absurd.

 

[cobl04]

you didn't ask me how my show was last month

must have missed it HOW WAS IT?!!??!

The idea that Crazy Tonight damaged the album more than Boots is just absurd.

Right on.

I totally get why people don't like Crazy Tonight, but I've always considered the hate here so overblown. It's cheesy as hell, sure, but Bono doesn't actually sound like he's over-singing every fucking syllable because it's so important. There's none of this "oh a song about loving my wife is an inspiring act of activism in these dark times" wank. It's just a dumb pop song. The chorus absolutely bangs, it's cohesive and actually makes sense as a song. I love it. It sounds genuine.

However, I am willing to admit that time probably colours me a bit here. There's no doubting the fact that in 2009, I was much more receptive and open to new U2 then I am in 2017. (FUck, I cannot believe NLOTH was eight fucking years ago.) So were NLOTH to come out now and SoI/E back then maybe I'd have different opinions.

Then again, shit music is shit music. Listening to Boots now, which was admittedly a lot better live, and it's fucking atrocious. I will say that Bono's 09 vocals are about 10 times more palatable than 17 Bono.

Magnificent is a fucking stinker of a song though. That's everything that I hate about post-2000 U2 wrapped up in one neat package: interesting elements that end up going nowhere and are tossed aside (the intro), extraordinarily empty and vapid lyrics, vocals with the passion of dry lettuce, Edge imitating a Z-grade Edge imitator. And then there's the ~solo~, easily the most anodyne thing Edge has ever committed to tape. There are literally zero U2 songs where you can say Adam is the MVP, which is completely fine, he's not in the band to take centre stage, but on Magnificent he's a hero, it's a great bass performance. And sadly that seems to be becoming a little more common since ATYCLB; Bono and Edge have run out of ideas and Adam and Larry, who are meant to be the faceless-but-ever-reliable-and-indispensable members of the band, are starting to shine. And it's not good.

 

[LemonMelon]

Man, there are plenty of less interesting Edge guitar parts and solos than the one on Magnificent. California, Song for Someone, Best Thing and Get Out are a few easy recent examples. Edge's tone alone is enough to carry it over the line.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

You like the song except for when he says "magnificent."

Meh

I don't like the maaaaagniiiiiiificeeeeeeeeent part, no. I'm not crazy over the lyrics as a whole, bit for whatever reason that part in particular irks me.

It's not an awful song. It doesn't offend me the way Boots does. It just does nothing for me. I actually think this places insistence that it would have been a hit single makes me dislike it more than I actually should.

 

[gareth brown]

Yeah the word Magnificent and the way he sings it are the only real problem I have with that song. Pretty naff.

And then there's the ~solo~, easily the most anodyne thing Edge has ever committed to tape.

Not when the solos on Crazy Tonight and Song For Someone exist.

 

[iron yuppie]

The solo on Magnificent is drab, yes. But so are the solos on Crazy Tonight and Unknown Caller IMO. The latter is like a terrible, neutered David Gilmour impression.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I really like Magnificent - its pretty much the definition of "U2 by numbers" but that's actually why I think I like it so much

 

[patternshirt170]

Oh come on... Bono has always had his phrases, if you pay attention to any artist close enough, most do. The America one has been around for awhile, as well as his dig at prog rock.

But I never understand why folks get so bent out of shape about it. It’s something that’s heavily engrained in that movement and era. I mean look at how many people get bent out of shape over the word ‘pop’ in here(genre not album).

The artist you like are not always going to have the same tastes as you, doesn’t make them lame. One of my favorite artists has an obsession with everything metal, I’ve never understood the genre, but I don’t care when he gets in that space. Another favorite used to speak about how the Beatles meant nothing to them, some fans went mental. Who fucking cares?!

Aye indeed who cares...

 

[intedomine]

The idea that Crazy Tonight damaged the album more than Boots is just absurd.

I think my overall opinion of NLOTH is influenced largely by Linear. I thoroughly enjoy this track list and prefer the presence of Winter over Crazy Tonight.

I also dislike Bono's vocal on Crazy Tonight - one of his worst in my opinion. The verses are ok, but the delivery of the chorus makes me wince. It's unpleasant.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Leaky leaky, eggs and bacey

 

[prbiker15]

Downloading. Waiting until morning to listen to it...

 

[DaveC]

first listen:

Spoiler

the songs we didn't hear before tonight are for the most part better than the ones we heard already.

i like about 2/3rds of the album.

this feels a bit more effortless and natural than most of their recent new music.

the callbacks to SOI are nowhere near as obnoxious as they could be, except for on american soul.

landlady is a total clunker. american soul is worse. by far the weakest track, and it pains me to say that about the one kendrick touched. but there are some surprisingly high highs on this album. definitely looking forward to hearing it again in high quality.

 

[cobl04]

I'll wait til the 1st, then I'm off for a week from the 2nd to the 9th, so sad I'll miss a lot of the discussion!

 

[david]

Yeah, next Friday I’ll give the Records a listen then give it the headphones treatment later in the evening. Honestly glad to hear the positive reviews.

 

[LemonMelon]

The quality is absolute garbage. Really not worth wasting a first listen on this tbh, though I admit I've become fairly picky about that over the years.

I jumped around a bit and maybe heard 10-20 seconds of each track. Little Things sounded amazing, but nothing else jumped out at me all that much.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I'm not sure which is more hilarious...

1) the guy who makes utterly ridiculous threads asking for people to send him leaks waaaaaay before anyone should reasonably be looking for leaks actually ends up with a physical copy of the album, streams it to the world and rags in his doubters in the process (of which I'm a big one)

2) said guy who blasted it on Facebook live, friending all comers and boasting about it is view freaking out at 5am because... duh... people recorded it and are sharing it.

This could turn into the quickest interference fall from grace since that guy who shared i/e tour spoilers and then freaked the fuck out over the Red Zones.

 

[prbiker15]

Anyone who streams should know that the chances of someone else recording it will be high.

 

[kiwilad]

Anyone who streams should know that the chances of someone else recording it will be 100 FUCKING PERCENT.

I think this is more accurate

 

[shika]

Correct

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I believe this particular nincompoop has been banned once before.

 

[mikal]

This song is fucking epic!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

If he goes into a full meltdown this may actually become a top 5 all time interference moment.

This would be like if the "is Bono okay?" chick actually got a scoop that Bono was in an accident but that he was okay, and then started flipping out on people for telling other people that he's okay.

 

[mikal]

Or like calling someone’s church and yelling at them for answering!

 

[gump]

Meh. I can wait until Friday.

 

[iron yuppie]

Let me get this right: the "leak" is a recording of someone playing a vinyl that is then streamed over a low-res format with some geezer talking over the tracks intermittently? How could that possibly be listenable?

Watch the damn thing be on NPR first listen tomorrow anyway.

 

[iron yuppie]

"Is this FB messenger sound supposed to be in the song?" Posed as a serious question. This is too much.