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

[kiwilad]

thank you kiwilad for taking the attention away from my great posts

didn't i do it well too!

 

[dan_smee]

thank you kiwilad for taking the attention away from my great posts

I loved it man.

 

[cobl04]

didn't i do it well too!

No, your terrible opinions have brought great shame on the good name of Shuttlecock

 

[Axver]

My other idea for the Showman video involves Bono riding his bike through Central Park throwing free albums at people... hitting them in the head, doing their coffees and shit

I'd fund a Kickstarter to make this happen.

Except those rich cocks aren't getting another cent from me, notwithstanding gig tickets.

 

[kiwilad]

No, your terrible opinions have brought great shame on the good name of Shuttlecock

My opinions are the best opinions.

 

[Axver]

My opinions are the best opinions.

But does Metacritic support them? That's the true test of whether an opinion is a fact. There better be a food blogger slagging off everything you slag off.

 

[iron yuppie]

There's a decent EP in here.

This is basically a summary of everything after 2000, and the same with SOE.

I'm nearly through my first listen now. I'd say it's a fine album, not nearly as bad as some are claiming but not nearly a masterpiece either. I can see how a middle-aged parent would really be moved by this (that sounds really judgmental, I know, but I don't mean it that way). The claims of it being some kind of hipster posturing to ignore the larger themes of the album are absurd - it's just that those themes won't be relatable to a lot of people, which is compounded by how EXTREMELY conspicuous they are throughout the album.

Summer of Love is the highlight IMO: first time they have sounded organic in a long while. Whole album is probably a solid B as a kneejerk reaction.

Also huge LOL to Cobbler seeing Love Is Bigger as the highlight. You really love the cheese, mate.

 

[PhilsFan]

I am listening to Songs of Experience.

 

[Lancemc]

Three things:

1. This conversation just reminds me how goddam utterly fantastic Zooropa is. Miles away my favorite thing by this band to this day, and realistically the only one I still listen to with great regularity. Lemon is a best-ever song contender.

2. I actually really like Get Out of Your Own Way!

3. I don't want to snipe credit from anybody as it's been a long time, but I want to say I created Lazpan, and remain fairly proud of that moment.

 

[cobl04]

1. This conversation just reminds me how goddam utterly fantastic Zooropa is. Miles away my favorite thing by this band to this day, and realistically the only one I still listen to with great regularity. Lemon is a best-ever song contender.

2. I actually really like Get Out of Your Own Way!

I hate you with a passion.

 

[cobl04]

Also huge LOL to Cobbler seeing Love Is Bigger as the highlight. You really love the cheese, mate.

Mate I consider Stuck to be a 10/10 song. No surprise.

 

[mikal]

Before I bow out for the night, I have to give a plug to Love is Bigger.

The half-robotic 'oh oh oh' bit is fucking terrible, it's straight out of a Maroon 5 song, but this song is fucking glorious and literally (almost) everything else is terrific.

The reason why I like it so much is really simple - it's all down to the vocals. Post-NLOTH, Bono's vocals have been by and large trash, because he's trying so fucking hard to be appealing and clean and resonant. It's probably the main reason SoI is comfortably my least favourite album, and I just hate them, and these same vocals are all over the worst songs on this album.

But on Love is Bigger, not only does he not sing that way, he sings in the exact way he was singing on HTDAAB, on Mercy, on ATYCLB, in that first verse, and then he starts going for it beyond that. And this is definitely tied to my nostalgia, because HTDAAB is literally the reason I'm here and I love ATYCLB, so I'm not really objective on those, but Love is Bigger is the first song they've done in over a decade that really hits me the way U2 hit me as a lonely 15-year-old.

Again, I'm drunk, so tomorrow I'll probably be embarrassed to read these posts cos I might not like it, but for now, for these beautiful couple of hours, I'm happy.

While I don’t agree with your overall sentiment towards recent U2, I agree with you about Love Is Bigger. I think it’s my favorite U2 song in over a decade. The moment the first verse ends is the most spine chilling moment I’ve had from this band in a while, and you’re right. It’s Bono’s vocal that does it.

Good to see some positive thoughts from you Cobbs.

 

[Lancemc]

Your hate defines me.

 

[cobl04]

Fuck me though, those squechy robotic oh oh ohs in Love is Bigger are so bad that they very nearly ruin the entire song.

Which is such a shame because I can't play it for anyone now.

 

[cobl04]

The way I tend to judge U2 albums since HTDAAB is "would I want to hear them play this live? Knowing that it would potentially be in place of a song I already know and love?"

On SoI The Troubles was pretty much the only song in that category. SoE has three or four I'd not complain about getting live. That's a great plus.

 

[cobl04]

The good songs on this album just make me even angrier that they promoted the album with such utter. fucking. tripe.

If you're gonna throw those three trash singles on the album then bury them. And release fucking Love is Bigger, Landlady, Summer of Love, Red Flag Day, Love is the other one, Blackout, ffs.

The strategy should have been:
not called Songs of Experience
given good title
call it The Blackout, even
release The Blackout as the lead single
name the tour after The Blackout
promote the actual good songs, not the really shit ones
and
then
maybe
not
every
one
would
hate
you
quite
as
much

 

[PhilsFan]

I'm not going to comment on song quality on first listen, so just observations.

1. Why is this song not called "All We Have Left"?

2. Isn't this the riff from Haim's My Song 5?

 

[Zoomerang96]

Of the songs we hadnt heard before the leak, I genuinely enjoy the majority of it.

Didnt think that would happen. Ill gladly take it

 

[iron yuppie]

IMO all four of the pre-release songs for SOE are worse than anything on SOI. Get Out of Your Own Way is the worst song from the SOI-SOE pairing. The Troubles is the best.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

You know who's not on board with this album?

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

god, its like Weekend at Bernie's.

I'm beginning to wonder if its some sort of running joke, like its his persona for any promotional appearances or something...

 

[cobl04]

*curb your enthusiasm music plays*

 

[PhilsFan]

3. Should be called "The Best Thing."

4. Should have never been released.

5. This is Glastonbury, which means it's part of Volcano.

6. This riff sounds like it would be used in an EDM song that would take off way more than this does. Not that the restraint is a bad thing, necessarily.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Also huge LOL to Cobbler seeing Love Is Bigger as the highlight. You really love the cheese, mate.

This. And Landlady, I don't hate it but its about as "Adult-Contemporary" sounding a song as they have ever made imo, right up there with Song For Someone.

 

[cobl04]

I am sick to death of your negativity elfa

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I've got nowhere else to go!

 

[Diemen]

Anyone else vastly prefer the strings version of Lights of Home to the album cut?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Anyone else vastly prefer the strings version of Lights of Home to the album cut?

Nah

 

[PhilsFan]

7. I get it, the ocean safety concept.

8. Why isn't this just called The Showman?

9. First time I've heard this, seems interesting.

10. I sort of checked out for a while but it sounds an awful lot like the slower songs on HTDAAB.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Anyone else vastly prefer the strings version of Lights of Home to the album cut?

I wouldn't say vastly but I do like it more