Shuttlecock!

[martha]

For me it's about what I assume to be the Barbara Ann homage. I really, really despise that song and so have a hard time warming to anything that invokes it.

And it's just lame.

 

[mikal]

Santa Barbara is a Barbara Ann rewrite.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[iron yuppie]

For the love of god, let's not start that here.

 

[corianderstem]

I forgot about the Cate Blanchett version. That was the best one.

Except for the part where he name-drops Cate Blanchett.

Barbara Ann is not a great example of a stellar Beach Boys song, but I will never disparage a Beach Boys homage.

 

[purpleoscar]

Except for the part where he name-drops Cate Blanchett.

If we could make a mix called the Cate edit.

Barbara Ann is not a great example of a stellar Beach Boys song, but I will never disparage a Beach Boys homage.

The reason I like it is because it recalls the Beach Boys without them actually trying to sound like them. It still sounds modern.

 

[lazarus]

The "Santa Barbara" chant seems a bit tongue-in-cheek to me; like I doubt they don't see it as partially corny themselves.


#benefitofthedoubt

 

[the tourist]

So Iris is Mrs. Tourist's fav. One of her reasons is that the intro reminds her of her favorite U2 song (which happens to be Ultraviolet). This song is growing on me - first few times through, it didn't really catch my attention, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it.

Another random thought - one of my favorite parts on the record is that guitar burst right before the chorus of Wolves. How it just hits and then is gone. Love love love that shit.

This is a good album.

 

[Hewson]

The Who - Barbara Ann, from The Kids are Alright (HD) - YouTube

 

[lazarus]

 

[gvox]

Sleep is too long in the outtro, while Troubles is too short. Argh


Sent from my ass crack

 

[iron yuppie]

Someone in EYKIW mentioned a McPhisto vibe to Sleep Like a Baby - I think that comment holds some water. There's a sinister element to that song, and even Bono's voice seems inflected as it often was during the ZooTV years. Love that piercing guitar over the gentle, lullaby-esque keys at the end as well.

 

[iron yuppie]

Also, re: Every Breaking Wave. That production is cheesy as all hell, like something I'd expect from an 80s Chicago song or something. But god damn is that chorus catchy. I think a few people were mentioning a lack of hooks on this record, but it sounds to me like they're everywhere. This Is Where You Can Reach (around) is another with a hook that buries itself in your head.

 

[purpleoscar]

That production is cheesy as all hell, like something I'd expect from an 80s Chicago song or something.

I was thinking of a Police song or a track on the Top Gun soundtrack.

 

[No spoken words]

I like EBW 10x more than I probably should.

 

[powerhour24]

It's hard to say how I would have reacted to it had we not had the 2010 live versions for so long. I'd say it doesn't sound like what was described in 2009 though, that's for sure.

It went from melancholy to big pop. The melody is still so strong as are a number of the lyrics that I still like it a lot, but I don't really love the chorus (lyrics that is, musically that hook is infectious) nor the fact that they're stretching the title words in even more directions by using it in the verses and this new chorus.

 

[gvox]

Cheesy pop or not, I can easily just appreciate it for what it is: a fucking great tune. It makes me so happysadhappy all at once. Mind you, I've been known to be a sucker for some pretty cheesy pop in my time. This is in fact a beautiful, gorgeous song tho..


Sent from my ass crack

 

[lazarus]

I like EBW 10x more than I probably should.

Maybe you should just change your name to No Broken Waves then.

It went from melancholy to big pop. The melody is still so strong as are a number of the lyrics that I still like it a lot, but I don't really love the chorus (lyrics that is, musically that hook is infectious) nor the fact that they're stretching the title words in even more directions by using it in the verses and this new chorus.

Yeah, this is one instance where I think namkcuR's assertion of natural polishing might come into question. They did a lot of work on it and at some point may have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. A song about a breakup shouldn't have such a big, uplifting chorus. Conversely, in One, the "we've got to carry each other" is delivered so plaintively it's not bouncy like what we're hearing in EBW. Those little dee-dee-dee-dee-dee keyboard/guitar(?) tinkles after "If you go..." are part of the problem.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I think Volcano is clearly going to be one of the live staples on the tour.

We can all imagine Bono doing his lunging/screaming/punching bit during the "YOU! ARE! ROCK AND ROLL!" part.

 

[namkcuR]

Yeah, this is one instance where I think namkcuR's assertion of natural polishing might come into question. They did a lot of work on it and at some point may have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. A song about a breakup shouldn't have such a big, uplifting chorus. Conversely, in One, the "we've got to carry each other" is delivered so plaintively it's not bouncy like what we're hearing in EBW. Those little dee-dee-dee-dee-dee keyboard/guitar(?) tinkles after "If you go..." are part of the problem.

But see, when I read the lyrics, I don't interpret it as a breakup song. I interpret to be about an on-again-off-again-on-again-off-again type couple who always splits as soon as the going gets tough, and it's sung from the point of view of one party who's saying, let's stop running away every time it gets hard, and really commit to this, hence "are we ready to be swept off our feet/and stop chasing/every breaking wave", where the act of chasing breaking waves is the act of looking for every little hardship as an excuse to get out before you really get hurt.

But maybe I'm interpreting it wrong? Did anyone in the know say definitively that it's a breakup song?

Also, the fact that so many of us think it's so catchy in itself shows that there must be something natural about the way it sounds. Is there such a thing as unnatural catchiness? If it doesn't feel natural to a particular listener, how can it be catchy to that listener?

I don't know, maybe it helps that I only listened to the 360 version of the song once or twice and didn't get too attached to it(although I did like it a lot). In fact, when I first listened to the album version, I didn't realize the chorus had been redone.

 

[lazarus]

I have no attachment to the original song. I only heard the Wide Awake In Europe version like once because I couldn't beat to hear the mangled take on Mercy.

And I'm not sure the "swept up off our feet" makes up for all the other lines:

"every gambler knows that to lose/is what you're really there for"
"we're in love with defeat"
"this is as far as I could reach"
"we end before we begin"

Not a lot of hope in this track, more like a last gasp.

As for everyone liking it anyway, I'd say that a small percentage pay much attention to the lyrics enough to sway their opinions. It's the melody that will win out.

 

[powerhour24]

Yay! In addition to being an ass wipe, the other place has now branded me patronizing for claiming that putting Songs of Innocence in the top half of their work was new release hyperbole.

I then said it was a trend around these parts for this to happen and fall off with their post-2000 work and the person proceeded to say "I was actually talking about your patronizing attitude" as if 1. I didn't notice that's what they meant the first time, and 2. They could actually read that much into a single fucking line of text on a message board/their first interaction with me on here ever.

I really have to learn to stay on this side of the world.

 

[lazarus]

Just backed you up.

And I prefer to take the low road. Not going to let the sub-humans over there blindly control the conversation.

 

[martha]

What the hell were you thinking?!

 

[powerhour24]

thanks for the support laz, and your thoughtful response over there will definitely win us support!

#CockForceAssemble

The worst part was I couldn't formulate a response to assuage his accusation without coming off as if he was right all along.

 

[LemonMelon]

I wrote two terribly, unabashedly condescending posts on that very page, so no worries.

 

[iron yuppie]

I wrote two terribly, unabashedly condescending posts on that very page, so no worries.

What thread is this?

 

[LemonMelon]

What thread is this?

http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f196/rank-the-album-among-others-217154-7.html

 

[IWasBored]

The Who - Barbara Ann, from The Kids are Alright (HD) - YouTube

Haha, that's what I was going to post, but I'm like 40 pages behind and past caring.

 

[iron yuppie]

I've been through the album four times now and feel like I have a pretty good grip on the record as a whole. On first listen, Songs of Innocence seems a lot like No Line: some fully-realized ideas resulting in great if not brilliant songs offset by some over-thought, over-cooked efforts at casting as wide a net as possible. But where No Line still feels desperate and schizophrenic, Songs of Innocence has remarkable cohesion.

I think the reason for this is the sequencing: the more slickly-produced tracks being clustered at the front of the album conveys the theme of wide-eyed forays into the world, captured exceedingly well in The Miracle as well as the ear-worm chorus in Every Breaking Wave. Even the chant intro to California, as much as it irritates me, fits the theme of marveling at new experiences. The back half carries a much more somber and reflective tone, almost jolting at first but again in line with the subject matter of the songs: radicalization based on traumatic experiences with religion, terrorism, and general existential angst. This Is Where You Can Reach me nicely integrates the previous three tracks by what I take to be a "call to arms" of sorts through the iconoclastic message of The Clash. In summary, despite the talk about an upcoming album, I think it's already here: side one is songs of innocence and side two is songs of experience.

Edge's rejuvenation across this album has already been rightly applauded (that riff on Cedarwood road is as ferocious as he's been since Pop), so I'm going to talk about Bono instead. The reviews calling the lyrics platitudinous are wildly off the mark; sure, Bono is in his characteristic universalism mode, but the candor running throughout the album is such that even the most far-reaching lyrics ("there is no end to love," for example) are not slogans but rather windows into what has made him who he is. There are moments of great depth as well. "You think it's easier to know your own tricks / but it's the hardest thing you'll ever do" (from The Troubles) stands out to me in particular: this isn't just your standard "be yourself" fare, but rather a statement of some philosophical poignancy and a great deal of introspection, I think. Elsewhere, things aren't quite so intellectual, but the theme of formative experiences in music and relationships is one that most anyone should be able to relate to; filtered through the autobiographical approach, it comes across as sharing rather than the sermonizing Bono is so often accused of. The great irony of Songs of Innocence is how much blind hatred it is causing where it actually is the album that does more to humanize the band, and Bono in particular, than anything in their catalogue.

In sum, I'd give it a solid B+. It far exceeded my expectations and is a worthy addition to their discography.

 

[bono_212]

Just FWIW, I'd put it, probably 7th, atm. With NLOTH right behind it.