Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Bono's eroding voice and blunt-force lyricism are significant issues, but Edge's complete lack of creativity is the biggest one. He hit what I perceive to be rock bottom on SOE.
Yep
Bono's eroding voice and blunt-force lyricism are significant issues, but Edge's complete lack of creativity is the biggest one. He hit what I perceive to be rock bottom on SOE.
That's not what people are complaining about.I thought everyone was tired of the classic Edge sound? That’s what you were all complaining about not too many years ago. Now he’s not doing it and you’re still complaining. [emoji38]
The U2 magic, the thing that set them apart, has been missing.
I thought everyone was tired of the classic Edge sound? That’s what you were all complaining about not too many years ago. Now he’s not doing it and you’re still complaining.
SOE replaced SOI as my least favorite U2 album, so my expectations are in the cellar at this point. U2 showed some renewed creative spark with NLOTH, but there has only been about an EP's worth of really great material since, most of it on SOI.
Bono's eroding voice and blunt-force lyricism are significant issues, but Edge's complete lack of creativity is the biggest one. He hit what I perceive to be rock bottom on SOE. It hasn't been that long since he's had some highlight reel moments; he made some great textures on NLOTH, MOS, Fez, SLABT and The Troubles, but any copycat on YouTube could have brought what he did to the table on SOE, and that's sad.
I really feel that hanging out with Jimmy Page and Jack White made Edge insecure about the textural aspect of his sound. He's increasingly riff-oriented these days, which does a disservice to the multiple dimensions of his playing that come with experimentation. Generic riffs like Stand Up Comedy started creeping in around the same time as It Might Get Loud, which is a pretty big coincidence. Fuck, I want the old, inventive Edge back.
I really like SOL but as good as I think it is, it doesn't feel like a U2 song....something is off. SOL sounds like any song I would hear on the radio and it's a good song but I feel like X number of other artists could have produced it too !
This sums up my feelings of late. I'm one of the biggest "millennial U2" fans in this place but the last two albums, both of which I like, are missing the "U2 thing" on the majority of the songs. Blackout, LIBTAIIW and Little Things all have it but then there are 10 other songs that are missing it (for me). I really like SOL but as good as I think it is, it doesn't feel like a U2 song....something is off. SOL sounds like any song I would hear on the radio and it's a good song but I feel like X number of other artists could have produced it too, whereas The Fly is U2!
I've been missing the last few months, so help me out here:
Do we all hate SoE all of a sudden? Because I remember the reactions post-release were pretty overwhelmingly positive, and I still really like it.
Yeah...MOS is my favorite U2 song of the last 10 years. Pretty easily, actually.
I think Songs of Experience is a good album.
I've come to expect more than good from my favorite band, though... so good is kind of a let down.
My biggest issue isnt the generic riffs so much as what happened on SOE.
I mean, how many producers were there? 5? 10? And yet they borrow the main guitar for LOH from another artist, reuse the chorus guitar from Volcano on American Soul (as well as the "you are rock and roll" lyrics which don't fit the fucking song about accepting immigrants/all people), reuse a good portion of the chorus lyrics from Song for Someone on 13.....what the fuck!
I also recall reading a story about how each member would record their part of a given song separately and give it to one of the 10 producers to mash together with the other recorded parts. I feel like this album....doesn't feel like an album.
When your band's success and uniqueness is based largely on the innovative sounds of your guitar player... and 3 of the 4 most memorable guitar riffs are either a) written by someone else, or b) have already been used in a previous U2 song?
That's a problem.
Even ATYCLB, the most distinctly "traditionalist" U2 album, celebrated for sticking to what works, has some really weird and interesting guitar moments on it. Edge frequently bends his tone and picking to fit the track. Peace on Earth and Grace have some strange and ear-catching textures. Elevation has an ugly, gain-soaked tone that doesn't sound quite like any of his other work. WILATW has a echoing, squealing tone that he has explicitly stated he can't recreate. Edge is straight up the MVP on New York, balancing slippery yet harrowing textures with scorching distortion in a classic loud/soft dynamic. That little accent he picks on "in the queue for the lifeboat" is incredibly playful.
There never should be a place for being dull and uncreative in this band. Not the band whose music I fell in love with.
Agreed on the last point... but I think we still would have gotten Blackout, as I see it as a song about Bono and the band and not about Trump or anything like that. They sort of shoehorned a double meaning in there, would maybe some lyrics might have slightly changed... but I'm fairly certain the song would have existed very close to it's current form if the album would have been released on time.This. I'll say it for the umpteenth time, but SOE has a lot of good to great tracks. Unfortunately...
...I can't disagree with any of this.
But, in a slightly alternate reality, where The Blackout is the lead single, followed by videos for Love Is Bigger, Summer of Love/The Showman/Red Flag Day, and all those songs are in regular rotation in the setlist, I'm a much happier camper.
Just like I'll forever wonder how much better SOI would have been with just Danger Mouse behind the boards, I'll continue speculating if a non-Trump, earlier release of SOE would have been less of a mess. At least we wouldn't have the awful trash that is Get Out, and I'd be willing to lose The Blackout over it.
My take, and it really remains the same since the album came out, is that it's all about mindset.
I'm generally a glass half full kind of guy, and really, post NLOTH, I'm just so fucking grateful that my all time favorite band is still making music. On the flip side, I know that they'll never reach the heights of '84 - '97, which IMO is their peak. They haven't been there for a while, and that's fine. They're old.
SOI and SOE both have tracks that would poke its way into my top 25, and that's impressive considering their back catalog. "Little Things" is easily top 20. For a band pushing 60, bravo to them.
I understand why some are more critical. That's fine. I just choose to enjoy their music in its current shape and form because the alternative (band breaking up, members dying, etc) is much worse.
My take, and it really remains the same since the album came out, is that it's all about mindset.
I'm generally a glass half full kind of guy, and really, post NLOTH, I'm just so fucking grateful that my all time favorite band is still making music. On the flip side, I know that they'll never reach the heights of '84 - '97, which IMO is their peak. They haven't been there for a while, and that's fine. They're old.
SOI and SOE both have tracks that would poke its way into my top 25, and that's impressive considering their back catalog. "Little Things" is easily top 20. For a band pushing 60, bravo to them.
I understand why some are more critical. That's fine. I just choose to enjoy their music in its current shape and form because the alternative (band breaking up, members dying, etc) is much worse.
I am generally more inline with this line of thought... but if we can't discuss their faults, man, this place would turn into @u2... and nobody needs that noise.My take, and it really remains the same since the album came out, is that it's all about mindset.
I'm generally a glass half full kind of guy, and really, post NLOTH, I'm just so fucking grateful that my all time favorite band is still making music. On the flip side, I know that they'll never reach the heights of '84 - '97, which IMO is their peak. They haven't been there for a while, and that's fine. They're old.
SOI and SOE both have tracks that would poke its way into my top 25, and that's impressive considering their back catalog. "Little Things" is easily top 20. For a band pushing 60, bravo to them.
I understand why some are more critical. That's fine. I just choose to enjoy their music in its current shape and form because the alternative (band breaking up, members dying, etc) is much worse.
I am generally more inline with this line of thought... but if we can't discuss their faults, man, this place would turn into @u2... and nobody needs that noise.
I've been missing the last few months, so help me out here:
Do we all hate SoE all of a sudden? Because I remember the reactions post-release were pretty overwhelmingly positive, and I still really like it.
Also - Bono's eroding voice? He sounds to be in much better (full) voice on this tour than in quite a while. The only thing that seems to have slipped is his falsetto, which is noticeably absent.
Agreed regarding Bono"s voice. His vocals on SOI and SOE and there respective tours sound pretty excellent to me?
Does anyone remember the weakness, raspiness and consistency issues on Popmart and the Elevation tour. All things considered and falsetto aside his voice now is miles better than it was 15 - 20 years ago.
And I still like SOE a lot and listen pretty much daily
It sounds like the band are trying to pass a creative kidney stone.