] i completely disagree with your comment that U2 has become a parody of themselves. maybe they don't do it for you anymore, but they have provided high quality music this decade, especially with their last offering.
Did you actually read my posts? I said the main reason they have so much peer respect is because they HAVEN'T become parodies of themselves (though I'm sure many would argue Boner is pretty damned close). And I very much enjoy all three albums from this decade to varying degrees. But not the most impressive discography of any band this decade, that's for sure.
I don't buy into this. I love Radiohead just as much as the next guy but they get too much credit. Kid A was amazing, In Rainbows had great moments, the other two sound like Kid A b-side albums. They've made their sound and now that's what they do, I was expecting another departure with Rainbows and it didn't come, they pretty much lose the "experiment" badge with me.
Well, Hail to the Thief sounds NOTHING like Kid A and Amnesiac, and was recorded in a more raw, live band fashion. If you don't like the stuff, you don't like it, but your blanket statement regarding their output sounds completely ill-informed.
The songs for Amnesiac came from the same sessions. Many feel it's an inferior collection of tracks, and I understand that. But they were separated so as to not release a double album, and aren't just "leftovers". Yorke specifically talked about the difference between the two sets:
"Something traumatic is happening in Kid A, and this is looking back at it, trying to piece together what has happened." "I think the artwork is the best way of explaining it. The artwork to Kid A was all in the distance. The fires were all going on the other side of the hill. With Amnesiac, you're actually in the forest while the fire's happening."
Maybe you think he's full of shit, but I have enough respect for them as artists to take this seriously.
If this somehow changed how the industry dealt with things then I would agree, but it was nothing but a publicity stunt. They won't do it again and no one else has adopted this as real distribution model.
And this is just flat-out factually wrong. I've seen several artists adopt this same model with albums in the last two years. It hasn't completely changed the system, but it opened up a dialogue, and it's something that is only going to grow in the future.
Also, to call it a publicity stunt and question the band's integrity, when they've done nothing else to support that implication, is disingenuous, to say the least. It also makes me question your own statement about "loving Radiohead as much as the next guy". With friends like you...