LP 13/Invisible: Please return, there's stuff to see!

[Axver]

For whatever reason I recall the reception to Boots being pretty positive for the first several day and then everything started to sour.

I thought the reception was a bit more muddled? We were all excited for a new song (finally), and tried to find some positives - the "let me in the sound" bit received a particularly good response - but at the same time felt a bit underwhelmed, an emotion that rapidly grew.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

It makes sense that it is a lot of misdirection and that the album is right around the corner. Why not change managers, regroup your online presence, organize a Super Bowl ad and then start lying to everyone about the album coming out soon?

Super Bowl Ad Announcer: "Get a taste of the new U2 album by downloading Invisible...and by the way, it's not coming out anytime soon so don't plan to buy it or anything. Because you can't."

Makes perfect sense.

 

[Axver]

By the way, has the Epworth remix been put up for download anywhere? @U2 said it was put up for free on Soundcloud, but you can't download it from there, so...

Seems to me that there isn't an MP3 yet, but I never use the iTunes store...

Plenty of ways to download from Soundcloud even when it's not officially enabled...

 

[Reg McGowan]

Oh Dear God...what do we have now :

1) Invisible NOT first single and IS on the album
2) Album NOT completed
3) Danger Mouse NOT only producer and band wants to "experiment" with others ?
(This sounds like they're NOT satisfied with his work or they are VERY insecure about the material, even more scary)
4) No release date on the horizon
5) Bono has lost his marbles and is starting to devellop Dementia
5) Edge is clearly on FIRE
6) God is dead, therefore cannot walk through the room anymore

Anyone ??

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I thought the reception was a bit more muddled? We were all excited for a new song (finally), and tried to find some positives - the "let me in the sound" bit received a particularly good response - but at the same time felt a bit underwhelmed, an emotion that rapidly grew.

We always have people that are excited to hear anything new from the band. So there will be a lot of posts from those people that were bound to be jazzed up, regardless. After a while, they will take an honest look at things and the more negative posts will start to crop up.

It happened with "Ordinary Love" as well where the defenders/people that were bound to be crazy excited held a larger part of the earlier discussion..."Boots" basically had a lot of people that were fated to have an emperor's new clothes moment a short while later.

When your response to a new song on here is...

"OMG! THE BOYZ ARE BACK! "

That kind of is a dead giveaway that your real take on the track won't arrive for another week.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Plenty of ways to download from Soundcloud even when it's not officially enabled...

Got it. Realizing soundcloud is like a track rather than a stream like YouTube, so downloading from it should be the equivalent of that file whereas a YouTube stream is already shitty to begin with and therefore worthless.

Anyway, thanks.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I thought the reception was a bit more muddled? We were all excited for a new song (finally), and tried to find some positives - the "let me in the sound" bit received a particularly good response - but at the same time felt a bit underwhelmed, an emotion that rapidly grew.

It certainly was like that, people were definitely a bit unsure of it a few days on but I definitely remember a pretty positive initial reception.

Then everyone started picking apart the lyrics ...

Super Bowl Ad Announcer: "Get a taste of the new U2 album by downloading Invisible...and by the way, it's not coming out anytime soon so don't plan to buy it or anything. Because you can't."

Makes perfect sense.

The sound of the Super Bowl announcer being brutally attacked by Larry will take up half of the entire commercial.

 

[Axver]

It certainly was like that, people were definitely a bit unsure of it a few days on but I definitely remember a pretty positive initial reception.

Then everyone started picking apart the lyrics ...

That song was a sitting duck for some lyrics assassination.

I mainly remember my own reaction to the album as a whole - initially really excited, since it is a step up from the previous two, and then it just fell off really, really hard. I don't think I've listened to it in full for a good two or three years now.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I listened to most of it a couple of weeks ago. I still liked it, still enjoyed it, but it occupies that shelf of albums that you mostly ignore but once you do recognise its existence you think 'oh, this is still actually quite good.' But even then, it doesn't demand more listens from you and I don't think that's necessarily even the fault of the band, it just feels this way.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

What's weird is that "Get On Your Boots" is actually pretty damn good lyrically...it's just that the message is pretty opaque. The music video made it a lot more obvious and definitely made me appreciate the track.

It's kind of the same with Vertigo where there's a hell of a lot of darker ruminations going on below the rather silly seeming forefront...I guess part of the blame can be placed on Bono since some of the more childish aspects of these song's lyrics weren't all that necessary. Could've dealt with the themes in a more direct manner lyrically.

As far as listening goes, both of the last two albums suffer from being too damn loud and have far too much clipping. It was particular bad with HTDAAB where a lot of people liked the songs but the more you listened to it, the more you hated it and it mysteriously gave you a headache. It's like someone screaming in your ear for 50 minutes. Once the novelty of the newness of the tunes wears off, you're left with just that scream. Like it's all in caps...

ALL BECAUSE OF YOU............ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL BECAUSE OF YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

That's got to be one of the worst offenders. Try listening to that shit with earbuds. BTW, vinyl versions of both of those albums sound a lot better and rectify the problem.

 

[lemonfly]

When Boots made its debut, my first reaction was...this is embarassing. So many disparate elements sewn together with scant regard for cohesion, lyrics that sounded like Bono scribbled them on a napkin while half-drunk. Predictably enough, this place erupted into orgasmic delight and any dissenting voices were stamped out with a kind of rabid relish. Looking back, it was...embarrassing.

 

[LemonMelon]

There are very good things about Boots, but it is by no means a good song. Just a sloppy mess as far as songwriting is concerned, overcooked and overzealous with no magic whatsoever.

But I don't mind the lyrics, the guitar riff is solid, the rhythm section sounds great and I love the bridge even if it sounds tacked on.

 

[last unicorn]

Where in the article does Bono say that they "brought in" different/new producers for the album? I read the article as "we might experiment with different people when we're finishing the album". Still, it doesn't sound very promising. I wonder why they got cold feet with DM. Or did they just make him run away? Until there's any official statement or interview with either of them, all we can do is speculate. But I think we all have realized now that it must be a hell of a job working with these guys on a record

 

[mikal]

Where in the article does Bono say that they "brought in" different/new producers for the album? I read the article as "we might experiment with different people when we're finishing the album". Still, it doesn't sound very promising. I wonder why they got cold feet with DM. Or did they just make him run away? Until there's any official statement or interview with either of them, all we can do is speculate. But I think we all have realized now that it must be a hell of a job working with these guys on a record

I think the fact that Bono was willing to put that out there in the media while DM has been quiet is telling. The minute another producer hits that studio we're looking at least another year if not more. 2014 is extremely optimistic at this point.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using U2 Interference mobile app

 

[chrissybaby]

There are very good things about Boots, but it is by no means a good song. Just a sloppy mess as far as songwriting is concerned, overcooked and overzealous with no magic whatsoever.

But I don't mind the lyrics, the guitar riff is solid, the rhythm section sounds great and I love the bridge even if it sounds tacked on.

I actually prefer the Fish Out of Water remix.
Think it's really nice.

 

[chrissybaby]

I think the fact that Bono was willing to put that out there in the media while DM has been quiet is telling. The minute another producer hits that studio we're looking at least another year if not more. 2014 is extremely optimistic at this point.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using U2 Interference mobile app

True, no producer worth his/her salt is going to want to work on this only for a matter of weeks. We are looking at Fall 2014 IMO. Something which a few days ago would be almost unthinkable to me.

 

[bono_212]

Don't do this to me, Mikal.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

A tale of two Mikals over the space of 12 hours.

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

jeeeesus I go away for a while and when I come back there's like 3 new threads with 1000posts about the new album. Hell, even Axver came back!

Good times indeed.
It's funny... the other day I was talking to myself - because I have no friends, only the imaginary ones - that Boots was kinda cool, especially the rif and the "Let me in the sound". But I listened to it today and in the end I was like "seriously, U2?". I guess it didn't stood the test of time for me.

And after all these years, I still don't get the connection with elevation and vertigo...
Anyway,
So, did I miss any major fights in here? I miss those!

by the way, it is good to be back here

 

[last unicorn]

I don't see them getting a new producer, maybe they just want to experiment with some remixes, as someone said earlier, maybe with Epsworth? At least they have two songs ready for release - three, if Ordinary Love should be included, too. I don't think you start to release songs/singles from an album when you think about scratching the work of one producer and hire a new one.

 

[mikal]

Don't do this to me, Mikal.

This band is pretty much dead to me at this point. In truly embarrassed to be a fan. At least their 1984-1997 work was unreal.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using U2 Interference mobile app

 

[Vlad n U 2]

So, did I miss any major fights in here? I miss those!

Just a major disappointment.

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

Just a major disappointment.

wait, what? the things in the first post were for real?
Really? no producer? no album?

edit: what first post? I read it somewhere...? I'm I crazy?!

 

[mama cass]

Anyway,
by the way, it is good to be back here

keep reading... you will soon regret it

 

[mikal]

A tale of two Mikals over the space of 12 hours.

Yeah. I really thought the band had something special up their sleeves this time around. I think Laz and I share the same disappointment and in our eyes were hoping the band we grew up with had an ounce of integrity left.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using U2 Interference mobile app

 

[Vlad n U 2]

wait, what? the things in the first post were for real?
Really? no producer? no album?

edit: what first post? I read it somewhere...? I'm I crazy?!

Read the USAToday article with Bono that came out today.

Yeah. I really thought the band had something special up their sleeves this time around. I think Laz and I share the same disappointment and in our eyes were hoping the band we grew up with had an ounce of integrity left.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using U2 Interference mobile app

Yeah, I'm usually always trying to remain on the positive side, but I can easily sympathise with you here.

Hypothetically though: What would you think if they pulled an album out in the next few months as originally hoped (as unlikely as it is), and Bono's waffling was really just the usual bullshit? Would the euphoria come back or would it just be more of a 'oh fuck you for doing this to us' thing?

I don't think I can stay mad forever when there's so much great music from all around to come.

 

[mikal]

Read the USAToday article with Bono that came out today.



Yeah, I'm usually always trying to remain on the positive side, but I can easily sympathise with you here.

Hypothetically though: What would you think if they pulled an album out in the next few months as originally hoped (as unlikely as it is), and Bono's waffling was really just the usual bullshit? Would the euphoria come back or would it just be more of a 'oh fuck you for doing this to us' thing?

I don't think I can stay mad forever when there's so much great music from all around to come.

I think in that case I'd change my tone. This time around in actually taking Bono's comments at face value with it being USA Today, though I'd personally be all about him trolling Gannett media because that company is a complete joke.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using U2 Interference mobile app

 

[djerdap]

I'm still counting on U2girl to PM us her copy of Songs of Ascent.

 

[U2girl]

Why the surprise ? They've been vocal about still working on it, and June has been the timeframe given.

I guess now it's clear why Invisible wasn't labeled the lead single for this album...

 

[U2girl]

'It's like the room just cleared of smoke/I didn't even want the heart you broke/It's yours to keep/You just might need one,'"

'I finally found my real name/I won't be me when you see me again/No, I won't be my father's son.'"