New Album Discussion

[lemonfly]

Yeah, I think that's the best way to look at it as well. Not to say it's impossible for the band to reinvent themselves, but I'm not sure that it's needed at this point. Reinvention in your mid 50's could easily be setting yourself up for backlash. It was cool when they were in their early 30's at the peak of popularity. Now it may come across more like "Look at those old guys trying way too hard". Not to say they should play it safe either.

Personally, I'm hoping for a cohesive album with no songs like Stand Up Comedy or Crazy Tonight that seemed like the band stretching for hits.

Plus, they are very mindful of their legacy (they've said as much during interviews in 2009). They're not going to start dabbling in dubstep, get roundly ridiculed and screw up 30+ years of a (mostly) flawless track record. They were still young enough to recover from the critical/commercial bruising they took with Pop, they will be acutely aware there is no comeback ticket now should they blunder. I hope they still challenge themselves, but another metamorphosis just ain't on the cards.

 

[popacrobat]

Hard to "re-invent" when they've already covered almost every pop musical style around. They can revisit previously-covered territory, but that's abiut it.

Agreed with this. And that's why I think bringing in Danger Mouse is pretty interesting. They've covered a lot of the pop music styles with the usual suspects, so hearing DM's take/production value on it will be interesting.

Even if it sounds like past U2, which it will to an extent no matter what anyway...it's the same four members of the band for 30+ years... I'm just looking forward to new songs. If the songs are good, at this point, I don't really care if they sound like they belong on any previous album.

 

[YBORCITY]

Reasons I'm optimistic:
1>Working with DM
2>. Not working w/ Eno/Lanois/Lillywhite
3>. Bonor keeping mouth shout so far
4>. Oct/Nov not really that far off
5>. Seeming they are taking time with album

Reasons to go screaming into the night
1>. Until finished album has not been wrapped up - they still could call in (in there infinite need for a hit single) Eno/Lanois Lillywhite or Iovine.
2>. Keep f*****g with the songs so they come out all over cooked
3>. They are U2 and they have to do steps 1 and 2

 

[gvox]

If they were smart they'd do Joshua Tree 2.0 and rake in the millions, hits, and Grammys.

Streets
One Tree Hill
RTSS
WOWY
Bullet The Blue Sky
Mothers of The Disappeared

and to a lesser extent
Red Hill Mining Town
Still Havent Found
In Gods Country

could all be released right now and score better than anything in the last 10 years outside of Beautiful Day.

 

[digitize]

50+ year old guys putting out a "dance/heavy rhythm" record? Yeah, because that worked out so well for them when they were 30+ year old guys putting out a dance record.

I can't say for sure what kind of record U2 will put out (though I think I have an idea), but I'm pretty certain it won't be a dance album.

Unlike you, I like Pop a lot. However, I just pictured what it would be like if U2 put out another album with some sort of dance influences. No matter how sardonic it would be, I can't see it being anything other than a rather hilarious disaster.

 

[AcrobatU2Pop]

Reasons I'm optimistic:
1>Working with DM
2>. Not working w/ Eno/Lanois/Lillywhite
3>. Bonor keeping mouth shout so far
4>. Oct/Nov not really that far off
5>. Seeming they are taking time with album

Reasons to go screaming into the night
1>. Until finished album has not been wrapped up - they still could call in (in there infinite need for a hit single) Eno/Lanois Lillywhite or Iovine.
2>. Keep f*****g with the songs so they come out all over cooked
3>. They are U2 and they have to do steps 1 and 2

Your #2 under the "screaming" category is pretty much my biggest worry as well. You look at songs like All Because Of You and even the live version of Mercy compared to their originals, and it really seems like there's a recent history of the band overcooking and making poor decisions regarding the directions the songs go in. They've also shown poor decision making regarding song selection, considering songs like Mercy and Every Breaking Wave were left off their respective albums in favor of weaker tracks. Hopefully Danger Mouse will be a good influence in regards to both items.

 

[chrissybaby]

Reasons I'm optimistic:
1>Working with DM
2>. Not working w/ Eno/Lanois/Lillywhite
3>. Bonor keeping mouth shout so far
4>. Oct/Nov not really that far off
5>. Seeming they are taking time with album

Reasons to go screaming into the night
1>. Until finished album has not been wrapped up - they still could call in (in there infinite need for a hit single) Eno/Lanois Lillywhite or Iovine.
2>. Keep f*****g with the songs so they come out all over cooked
3>. They are U2 and they have to do steps 1 and 2

Great post. My biggest fear is Lillywhite, closely followed by over-working stuff.

I still really do believe that these guys have a late career masterpiece in them. When I listen to those sessions from Morocco before NLOTH came out, I just KNOW that they still have it in spades.

 

[zoopop]

This is what I want DangerMouse to bring to U2 (he's playing the drums and produced/wrote songs for Broken Bells):

Broken Bells - The High Road (Live at The Boat) - YouTube

I listen to indie/alt rock these days and 75% of the stuff I enjoy can be passed into the mainstream but because of 0 sex appeal etc. it never will. Most songs are pretty simple and enjoyable. I think getting DM involved w/ U2 will put the focus back on the music. This might be the most important thing for U2 at this point. Not so much recreating a whole new U2 but get them back at what their really good at.

I know many people don't care for ATYCLB but most of the songs are quite enjoyable and fit the live setting. This was the last time U2 bragged immensely about the songs & delivered.

As with the song above I want U2 to give their new music some breathing room. They have an awesome rhythm section that can re-leave Bono from singing on top of the entire tune. I know I'm rambling but I want new U2

 

[jeevey]

Great post. My biggest fear is Lillywhite, closely followed by over-working stuff.

I still really do believe that these guys have a late career masterpiece in them. When I listen to those sessions from Morocco before NLOTH came out, I just KNOW that they still have it in spades.

What's the best way to hear the Morocco sessions?

 

[Nick66]

All this "It's a good thing they're not working with Eno/Lanois" stuff is silly. It's like saying "I really wish U2 would do a record without Bono singing and writing lyrics...they need a fresh new voice". As if Eno and Lanois' absence alone is cause for optimism. All U2 and Eno/Lanois working together gave us was The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby...not to mention ATYCLB and NLOTH. Those two are as responsible for U2's sound and where they today as anyone in the band.

U2 is perfectly capable of making a good, or bad, record with or without Brian and Danny...but their absence only ensures the album will be different, not better.

 

[AcrobatU2Pop]

All this "It's a good thing they're not working with Eno/Lanois" stuff is silly. It's like saying "I really wish U2 would do a record without Bono singing and writing lyrics...they need a fresh new voice". As if Eno and Lanois' absence alone is cause for optimism. All U2 and Eno/Lanois working together gave us was The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby...not to mention ATYCLB and NLOTH. Those two are as responsible for U2's sound and where they today as anyone in the band.

U2 is perfectly capable of making a good, or bad, record with or without Brian and Danny...but their absence only ensures the album will be different, not better.

Good call. I think it's fair to say that a change is welcome, but you definitely can't discount their positive influence over the years.

 

[Babyface82]

From atU2 community

Zane Low on 4/22 BBC Radio 1 Sarah Cox show,audio, 1:39ff:


"I'm off to listen to some new music by one of the world's biggest rock bands, who I'm not allowed to mention, but are BACK, so I'm going to hear music by them for the first time in some time. So I'm excited about that, so... If I'm allowed to talk about it tonight, I will probably talk about it from about 7, but I need to double check with management that I'm allowed to even mention it. That's happening this afternoon, so I'm really excited to hear that, cos it's been a few years since we've heard from these four fantastic dudes... and it's exciting!"
BBC Radio 1 - Sara Cox, Monday: Dish The Gos

 

[LadySpinHead]

Rush, perhaps?

 

[Nick66]

rush, perhaps?

Rush only has three fantastic dudes, you Kurt Loder you.

 

[LadySpinHead]

:Lol: Kurt Loder

 

[gvox]

This is what I want DangerMouse to bring to U2 (he's playing the drums and produced/wrote songs for Broken Bells):

Broken Bells - The High Road (Live at The Boat) - YouTube

I'm sorry, but Danger Mouse's apparent influence on this particular track you've quoted is positively snooze-worthy to the highest degree.

If he's bringing this type of vibe to producing U2, forget it.

 

[Nick66]

I just pictured what it would be like if U2 put out an album with some sort of dance influences. No matter how sardonic it would be, I can't see it being anything other than a rather hilarious disaster.
-Interference Archives
1996

Are you a genius because you can see into the future, or can you see into the future because you're a genius?

 

[iron yuppie]

Broken Bells was a substantial disappointment to me, but I would guess the blame there falls mostly on Mercer, who has been on autopilot for at least five years now. A good indicator of what Danger Mouse can do for a determined band is Brothers from the Black Keys. That one was a departure in many ways for them but still recognizable as a Black Keys record. I imagine that's what he will bring to the table for U2, though I am certainly not expecting a total reinvention.

Edit: nevermind, apparently Brothers wasn't him. Though I guess the same goes for El Camino as well, to a lesser extent.

 

[jay canseco]

---posts hobo bono picture------- runs away

 

[Blue Room]

All this "It's a good thing they're not working with Eno/Lanois" stuff is silly. It's like saying "I really wish U2 would do a record without Bono singing and writing lyrics...they need a fresh new voice". As if Eno and Lanois' absence alone is cause for optimism. All U2 and Eno/Lanois working together gave us was The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby...not to mention ATYCLB and NLOTH. Those two are as responsible for U2's sound and where they today as anyone in the band.

U2 is perfectly capable of making a good, or bad, record with or without Brian and Danny...but their absence only ensures the album will be different, not better.

Wow, mark it on your calenders, but Nick66 and I are in complete agreement on this subject. Not sure if or when that will happen again.

 

[purpleoscar]

From atU2 community

Seems early for U2 to show music to radio hosts.

 

[Blue Room]

This is what I want DangerMouse to bring to U2 (he's playing the drums and produced/wrote songs for Broken Bells):

Broken Bells - The High Road (Live at The Boat) - YouTube

I listen to indie/alt rock these days and 75% of the stuff I enjoy can be passed into the mainstream but because of 0 sex appeal etc. it never will. Most songs are pretty simple and enjoyable. I think getting DM involved w/ U2 will put the focus back on the music. This might be the most important thing for U2 at this point. Not so much recreating a whole new U2 but get them back at what their really good at.

I know many people don't care for ATYCLB but most of the songs are quite enjoyable and fit the live setting. This was the last time U2 bragged immensely about the songs & delivered.

As with the song above I want U2 to give their new music some breathing room. They have an awesome rhythm section that can re-leave Bono from singing on top of the entire tune. I know I'm rambling but I want new U2

YIKES! I guess I'm not as optimistic as I was before.

Now I'm hoping U2 overcome this!

 

[purpleoscar]

YIKES! I guess I'm not as optimistic as I was before.

Now I'm hoping U2 overcome this!

I guess you won't like this then:

http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f189/what-u2-is-listening-to-now-207616.html

Bono

Nowhere Boy - movie by Sam Taylor Wood
Florence and The Machine - Lungs
MT. Desolation - MT. Desolation
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Villagers - Becoming a Jackal
Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young
Tired Pony - The Place We Ran From
Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

The Edge

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
TV On the Radio - Dear Science
The National - High Violet
Eminem - Recovery
Florence and The Machine - Lungs
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
The xx - XX

Although I love Broken Bells. Great album. I don't think U2 will sound like it though.

But on the bright side:

Bono Talks More About U2's Studio Work

"There's a bass line coming up that you literally cannot believe. It's just unbelievable."

"We're working with this special soul, Brian Burton. He listens in a very different way. There are things that have always been in our music but maybe not being accentuated. It's really very, very different. It's shocking how different it is."

Progress killed the radio stars

"What worries me about U2 now is that because the band are playing so well, we can make an average song sound great," Bono says.

Which is part of the reason they have stepped away from their so-called "dysfunctional family" of producers: Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite and Daniel Lanois.

"Each night on this tour, we'd fly out of a show and go straight into the studio," Bono says of the Danger Mouse sessions. "Because you enter the studio with the roar of the crowd in your ears, you know what works. If you take musicians away from the stage too much, they become quite abstract in their heads. They start to use words like 'interesting'. But people don't want to see you do something interesting. They want something passionate or wild.

" 'Interesting' is the moment musicians scratch their chin. It ruins great and dramatic music. You listen to the Sex Pistols or Nirvana or the first MGMT album and you don't scratch your chin. You say, 'Wow, that's extraordinary'."

Some hard lessons have been learnt from No Line on the Horizon.

"It's a strong piece of work," he says. "It's original. But it feels like a bit of a commitment, that album. It's not light on its feet. [Horizon's first single] Get on Your Boots is a big song every night. People go nuts. But it didn't sound like that on the radio.

"We didn't have a single on Hori-zon. Having preached a gospel of zero tolerance against progressive rock, I realised it's starting to happen to us. It's a dangerous disease."

If this hasn't changed since 2010 then something good is coming this year.

 

[Nick66]

"What worries me about U2 now is that because the band are playing so well, we can make an average song sound great," Bono says.

Which is part of the reason they have stepped away from their so-called "dysfunctional family" of producers: Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite and Daniel Lanois.

"Each night on this tour, we'd fly out of a show and go straight into the studio," Bono says of the Danger Mouse sessions. "Because you enter the studio with the roar of the crowd in your ears, you know what works. If you take musicians away from the stage too much, they become quite abstract in their heads. They start to use words like 'interesting'. But people don't want to see you do something interesting. They want something passionate or wild.

" 'Interesting' is the moment musicians scratch their chin. It ruins great and dramatic music. You listen to the Sex Pistols or Nirvana or the first MGMT album and you don't scratch your chin. You say, 'Wow, that's extraordinary'."

Some hard lessons have been learnt from No Line on the Horizon.

"It's a strong piece of work," he says. "It's original. But it feels like a bit of a commitment, that album. It's not light on its feet. [Horizon's first single] Get on Your Boots is a big song every night. People go nuts. But it didn't sound like that on the radio.

"We didn't have a single on Hori-zon. Having preached a gospel of zero tolerance against progressive rock, I realised it's starting to happen to us. It's a dangerous disease."

Oh what the fuck. Again, really?

For all its unevenness, I like NLOTH quite a bit, and it's really disappointing (though entirely predictable) to read something from Bono like this. I'm actually starting to sympathise with Pop fans who have been putting up with stuff like this for 15 years.

This is a wake up call to all those people on here who continue to hope U2 will go the Radiohead route. The last line is basically a redux of what he said in the famous Gregg Knott HTDAAB era interview.

 

[Globo14]

Unbelievable basslines?

I know to take this with a pinch (or mountain) of salt, but that's a mighty specific piece of a song to be hyping up.

 

[Rachel D.]

From atU2 community

So when will we get to hear this, if it's really happening? Or did it already happen yesterday?

 

[dazzledbylight]

That must have been so amazing to go from that Joshua Tree/R&H transition to Achtung Baby.

I became a fan in 1992 so Achtung was my first impression of them.

just wanted to add in since i was around and a fan since 80-81.

I remember them saying they were going away to rethink their music after JT/R&H.
I first saw/heard a glimpse of them live (Ads & Edge rehearsing NYD) in 83,but full shows from 84 onward.

Unlike with a band like The Who (l was introed to Happy Jack by a suburban cousin in '67) werein friends of mine were friends with even more super-fans as in terms of those uys meeting the band and their crew early on in their USA tours and we getting rumours from them. I being a 14 yr teen "girl" my parents weren't letting me run around the city (NYC) at night- which was a disadvatage to the guys who were allowed to- I was in my mid-late 20's for U2.
But none of my friends and I had any other friernds who'd caught them ever earler so we were "on our own".

Plus back in the mid-70's I had pretty much given up steady reading of Rolling Stone Magazine to be a big fan of New York Rocker; one of the 2 independent NYC-based magazines covering the original CBGB's scene, punk, new wave, eventually over the yearsas these bands influence spread- other independent, DIY bands starting around the USA, and really good new big labal bands music.
NYR introduced me to U2 just before they toured the USAfor thefirst time. But i missed them because didn't see any ads in The Village Voice (newspaper), and was still persuing the onriginal CBGB's and other club bands up their various ladders of fame (or bust-up ).

Radio wasn't yet covering U2 in the way they would later.
And, of course, No Internet!

In that 5 yr gap I also became invovled in media-SF Fandom (as wll continuing to read it), and NYR busted up in 82 so i was mentally elsewhere.

But U2 had become so big that when they were returning it was heralded in a big market like NYC radio! Unfortunately it was yr 2+ of the big recession (lasting longer in our city) so i really didn't have the $ for getting various rock magazines etc then for U2 articles.

Still I fell in love with AB. I had no distress on them changing theirsound so drastically! All my friends loved it, too, so we had no "JT-blues" amongst our group of R&R live show-going friends (luckily). Also luckly a generous friend lent me the $ for 1 ZOO TV show in the old Giants Stadium- which was amazing even if were 3/4 way back and 10 rows from the very top! yikes

 

[dazzledbylight]

Reasons I'm optimistic:
1>Working with DM
2>. Not working w/ Eno/Lanois/Lillywhite
3>. Bonor keeping mouth shout so far
4>. Oct/Nov not really that far off
5>. Seeming they are taking time with album

Reasons to go screaming into the night
1>. Until finished album has not been wrapped up - they still could call in (in there infinite need for a hit single) Eno/Lanois Lillywhite or Iovine.
2>. Keep f*****g with the songs so they come out all over cooked
3>. They are U2 and they have to do steps 1 and 2

maybe maybe not.... we'll know at some point

 

[dazzledbylight]

I've liked works from most the bands you PS quoted from Bono's and Edge's what they are listening to now.

I'm glad B seems to have moved away from his later semi-dissing (once the sales didn't meet their expectations.... any fault with McG on that? ) of NLOTH which I
think is a masterpiece.
No light on it's feet? A few songs i'm not big fan of but the rest I rate excellent to superb which made it a MP for me.

 

[mama cass]

This is what I want DangerMouse to bring to U2 (he's playing the drums and produced/wrote songs for Broken Bells):

Broken Bells - The High Road (Live at The Boat) - YouTube

I listen to indie/alt rock these days and 75% of the stuff I enjoy can be passed into the mainstream but because of 0 sex appeal etc. it never will. Most songs are pretty simple and enjoyable. I think getting DM involved w/ U2 will put the focus back on the music. This might be the most important thing for U2 at this point. Not so much recreating a whole new U2 but get them back at what their really good at.

I know many people don't care for ATYCLB but most of the songs are quite enjoyable and fit the live setting. This was the last time U2 bragged immensely about the songs & delivered.

As with the song above I want U2 to give their new music some breathing room. They have an awesome rhythm section that can re-leave Bono from singing on top of the entire tune. I know I'm rambling but I want new U2

oh please god no