SOE 23 - Return of the Trolls

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They're too obsessed with pop songs for me. So this album will be interesting to see if they continue down this path that they've been on for a long time.

I don't want U2 trying to be the Beatles. That's not their strength.
 
actually, looking back at this article.. these aren't Fanning's review, it's just that of the writer. Wonder if he was part of the listening sessions?

Still begs the question as to whether the press embargo has been lifted

Nice catch.
Any word on Rolling Stone, Q or Mojo doing a preview with track info??

Much More Better puzzles me a bit. Love a heartfelt, deeply personal acoustic track, but could be a tough hill to climb with recovering from the bike accident being the subject material...
 
They're too obsessed with pop songs for me. So this album will be interesting to see if they continue down this path that they've been on for a long time.

I don't want U2 trying to be the Beatles. That's not their strength.

Totally agree here. Hopefully TBT and The Showman are the only "pop" material we'll get.

As everyone knows i'm a fan of darker U2, whether that comes in a tune like SLABT, or Love is Blindness - or a full rocker like The Fly or Mofo, I don't care. But that to me is where they really shine.
 
I think we're in for a pop record.. might as well accept that now

The Black Out, while guitar-y, is also very pop. Supposedly...



LET'S NOT DEBATE WHAT POP MEANS THOUGH
 
Much More Better sounds intriguing. I wonder if the 'bike accident recovery' is a literal topic of the song or if it's what the press was told in the listening the song was about.. SOI being the exception Bono usually isn't that literal/straightforward in his songwriting.
 
Much More Better sounds intriguing. I wonder if the 'bike accident recovery' is a literal topic of the song or if it's what the press was told in the listening the song was about.. SOI being the exception Bono usually isn't that literal/straightforward in his songwriting.

I much prefer the non-literal Bono.....
 
I think we're in for a pop record.. might as well accept that now

The Black Out, while guitar-y, is also very pop. Supposedly...



LET'S NOT DEBATE WHAT POP MEANS THOUGH

I don't wanna debate what pop is, but I have to admit this is surprising.
Just going by the title of the album - Songs of experience. To me, that would be the anti-pop. Deeper, darker, more personal songs. That's what it would mean to me.
Anyway, I'm ok with a bit of pop material. I think California was a great tune, probably one of the best pop songs they've ever done. But i just hope pop doesn't mean "light" cause that would be a shame.

Sorry, i got into what pop means there... :doh:

Carry on
 
I don't wanna debate what pop is, but I have to admit this is surprising.
Just going by the title of the album - Songs of experience. To me, that would be the anti-pop. Deeper, darker, more personal songs. That's what it would mean to me.
Anyway, I'm ok with a bit of pop material. I think California was a great tune, probably one of the best pop songs they've ever done. But i just hope pop doesn't mean "light" cause that would be a shame.

Sorry, i got into what pop means there... :doh:

Carry on

Some of AB is pretty poppy when you think about it..... WGRYWH, TTTYAATW, MW (great catchy guitar riff, but still poppy). So I would say it might not be a bad thing if we say get 3 well executed poppy tunes.....
 
I don't wanna debate what pop is, but I have to admit this is surprising.
Just going by the title of the album - Songs of experience. To me, that would be the anti-pop. Deeper, darker, more personal songs. That's what it would mean to me.
Anyway, I'm ok with a bit of pop material. I think California was a great tune, probably one of the best pop songs they've ever done. But i just hope pop doesn't mean "light" cause that would be a shame.

Sorry, i got into what pop means there... :doh:

Carry on

hehe.. it's tempting..

I mean , much of Achtung Baby is rooted in great pop traditions..
 
my favorite album of theirs.. and I think Bono's too

Very tight, poppy, meloncholy songs - tinged with experimental sounding elements (experimental for pop songs), but nothing as far out as they'd later get

Google has a nice description: "Distilling the influence of the inspirational records of Bob Dylan and the soul singles released by Atlantic, Motown and Stax, they created an album of startling originality. "

Norwegian Wood is my fav song of theirs.
 
Totally agree here. Hopefully TBT and The Showman are the only "pop" material we'll get.

As everyone knows i'm a fan of darker U2, whether that comes in a tune like SLABT, or Love is Blindness - or a full rocker like The Fly or Mofo, I don't care. But that to me is where they really shine.

SLABT is the best track off SOI IMO.... Would love more stuff like that. Dark lyrics as well, not trite.
 
Some of AB is pretty poppy when you think about it..... WGRYWH, TTTYAATW, MW (great catchy guitar riff, but still poppy). So I would say it might not be a bad thing if we say get 3 well executed poppy tunes.....

Very true. But To me, a pop song, and a unique, cool song with great guitar from the Edge, with a pop foundation - are two different things.

With their more recent leaning to "traditional" song writing and structure, and a toned down Edge, it can be more difficult to do this well.
But, with what we heard about the guitar on The Blackout, we may be in for a very cool, rock/pop hybrid that will knock our socks off.
 
SLABT is the best track off SOI IMO.... Would love more stuff like that. Dark lyrics as well, not trite.

oh yeah. If i could have an album of songs that ranged in style from The Fly, Mofo, Exit, Hold Me Thrill Me... to Your Blue Room, SLABT, Please, and the Troubles...

I would be in heaven.
 
Very true. But To me, a pop song, and a unique, cool song with great guitar from the Edge, with a pop foundation - are two different things.

With their more recent leaning to "traditional" song writing and structure, and a toned down Edge, it can be more difficult to do this well.
But, with what we heard about the guitar on The Blackout, we may be in for a very cool, rock/pop hybrid that will knock our socks off.

Very true.... I think thats what made something like MW such a hit, groovy and poppy but needs Edge... With the tonnes down version of late that becomes much harder to achieve and goes more into Coldplay style.
 
Nearly all of their records are pop records (except maybe UF, zooropa and ironically pop)

TJT, AB their biggest albums are pop songs at the core but they are hidden behind Edge's guitar playing and some studio magic from Eno/lanios

What we've seen since ATYCLB is a very direct songwriting and playing from Bono and Edge. I don't feel that's either strength.

Tho I feel bono is a gifted writer, and his speeches he gives in public are usually spot on. His directness in music doesn't seem to have the same effect
 
Nearly all of their records are pop records (except maybe UF, zooropa and ironically pop)

TJT, AB their biggest albums are pop songs at the core but they are hidden behind Edge's guitar playing and some studio magic from Eno/lanios

What we've seen since ATYCLB is a very direct songwriting and playing from Bono and Edge. I don't feel that's either strength.

Tho I feel bono is a gifted writer, and his speeches he gives in public are usually spot on. His directness in music doesn't seem to have the same effect

Spot on
 
Nearly all of their records are pop records (except maybe UF, zooropa and ironically pop)

TJT, AB their biggest albums are pop songs at the core but they are hidden behind Edge's guitar playing and some studio magic from Eno/lanios

What we've seen since ATYCLB is a very direct songwriting and playing from Bono and Edge. I don't feel that's either strength.

Tho I feel bono is a gifted writer, and his speeches he gives in public are usually spot on. His directness in music doesn't seem to have the same effect


Now we're just begging to get into what "pop" means.

But, i think you are pretty spot on, although i do think about half of POP could fall into the pop category.

Looking at SOI, it's almost all pop as well
EBW, SFS, California, Reach all fit, plus i would say Iris, Volcano fall into this category. So that makes me feel better about this album having pop elements, because I like all those songs, well SFS is so so...
 
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popular music

popular music
noun

Definition of popular music

: music written and marketed with the intention of achieving mass distribution and sales now principally in the form of recordings

Though many early pieces of popular music shared general features with classical music of the day, they were briefer and simpler, making fewer demands on both performer and listener. — Gregory D. Boothe et al., Musical Quarterly, Vol. 74 No. 3, 1990
 
could it be ATYCLB part 2 or something else...


don't be afraid
it's not your hands between your knees
there's a pool full of love
in your heart
every breath creates a breeze

the rotation of your desire
are where the soul makes it all real
like the deepest ocean blue
your eyes
are the only lights that heal
 
"The showman give you front row to his heart / The shaman prays that his heartache will chart / Making a spectacle of falling apart is the heart of the show.”

Is Bono trying to set a record for most usage of "heart" in a single chorus?

Buckle up for more cringe-worthy moments...
 
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