SOE FAN + industry reviews only

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Status
Not open for further replies.
None of these reviews singling out Little Things... I don’t understand.
 
The music.com.au review rates the album with 2.5 stars out of 5.
U2 are a band that have always traded in grand gestures, yet at their finest and most self-defining moments, they've always tempered the pretension with mystery, mood or atmosphere.
The spacious textures ofthe Daniel Lanois-indebted The Joshua Tree, the emotive post-punk chime and sparkle of those early singles and the dark grooves of Achtung Baby all showed a creative and experimental group who, on Songs Of Experience, prove once again that their best days are 20 years in the rearview mirror.
Over three years in the making, this companion album to Songs Of Innocence inhabits similar sonic territory with its radio-friendly production and a blend of tender ballads and big, rhythm-heavy rock songs. The former is where they still excel with opener Love Is All We Have Left finding the sweet spot between modern production and raw and tender emotion. Likewise the optimistic and dreamy closer 13 (There Is A Light). Between those points most of Bono's lyrics fall into bad high school poetry territory with clumsy rhymes and the cloying tendency to resort to wordless chants of woo hoos and la las.
The Showman (Little More Better) has a chorus like '80s Rick Springfield, the Kendrick Lamar-featuring American Soul is a brash, trashy and failed attempt at a Black Keys-styled blues rock stomp while Red Flag Day is a tangle of cliched guitar chords, a tired and bland rock songbadly dressed up in pop production. It all amounts to a grasp for relevance, an overworked reliance on studio sheen and the unimaginative box they've painted themselves into.
Click to expand...
 
Have you noticed it's the non English as first language regions and an Australian area that have dissed it the most.

Local musical tastes maybe?

I'm seeing mostly everywhere else good reviews.
 
standrums said:
Have you noticed it's the non English as first language regions and an Australian area that have dissed it the most.

Local musical tastes maybe?

I'm seeing mostly everywhere else good reviews.
Click to expand...

That's why Australia is not getting any tour for 7 years:wink::wink:
 
I remember NME singled out Raised By Wolves as having "fallen flat" in their SOI review. Just goes to show how silly music reviews are in general. Hope no one takes them seriously, both the good and the bad ones.
 
There's a reason why they started giving away the NME for free.

And besides, Mark Beaumont? He's got many dodgy opinions but his worst crime being a massive fan of Jake Bugg. Yeah that's Jake Bugg aka that guy who has a team of songwriters to make him sound like George Formby doing an impression of Bob Dylan. Only Formby and Dylan have more talent in their little finger than the luddotes that Beaumont adores.
 
Last edited:
NME review is just outright ageism and general hatred of U2. Reviews don’t get me worked up but with an album this great it’s just pathetic and sad to read this crap. Change the band name and make them 25 year old dudes and it’s 4 or 5 stars for them.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
Generally I just laugh off things like this, and it is kinda funny... but did this schmuck just compare Little Things to Up&Up?
Click to expand...

Don’t want to give them a click, but ffs...

(Though I do like that song)

But lol at that reviewer giving Coldplay’s last album a 4. It was garbage.
 
The gave Noel's latest album 4 stars as well. While it was definitely better than Coldplay's rubbish, it certainly didn't deserve a 4.

Edit: Liam Gallagher's latest was also given 4 stars. How can anyone take the NME seriously anymore when Liam gets 4 stars.
 
Last edited:
The nme was always going to be a bad review

Couple of bad ones coming in now
 
Last edited:
It was always going to get mixed reviews. I just hope for insightful points. The overall score, good or bad, is rather trifling.
 
Last edited:
It’s incredibly sad that there are clearly several outlets who won’t give anything U2 does a chance, either because they hate the band or they believe liking a U2 album makes them uncool.

The good news is most reviews have been very positive — outside of the hipster magazines.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Headache in a Suitcase
  • Locked
The Final Countdown - U2 at Sphere - General Discussion Thread Part 3
18 19 20
Replies
574
Views
26K
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
Janet H
  • Sticky
Forum Update - We're back! Ask your questions here.
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
Popmartijn
Popmartijn
Headache in a Suitcase
  • Sticky
U2 Fans Helping Other U2 Fans Get Tickets
16 17 18
Replies
519
Views
29K
clerks
clerks
O
Better late than never “they” say…
Replies
1
Views
402
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
Scorpionac
Songs that would fit better on SOI vs. SOE?
Replies
1
Views
449
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom