NLOTH Album Reviews Pt 3

[catlhere]

I think Crazy Tonight is a great song and it makes me happy, but maybe it's just not placed correctly on the album. It stands out when it's in between UC and GOYB. Perhaps it would be better after White As Snow and before Breathe maybe? I don't know.

 

[Irvine511]

are you mocking me sir?

no, sir. i'm mocking the mindless Pop worship that sometimes goes on in here.

and anyone who uses this smiley -- -- in any sort of non-ironic context.

 

[RPRB]

another Awesome album! This band is unstoppable!

This must be some kind of record to have been a member as long as you and only have 3 posts.

Bravo Zulu

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

no, sir. i'm mocking the mindless Pop worship that sometimes goes on in here.

and anyone who uses this smiley -- -- in any sort of non-ironic context.

oh I agree then, I love the album mostly on a personal level because I became a crazed fan after it came out. But I can step back and see objectively that it does have a "half-assed" feel to some of it.

No big deal to me though.

 

[namkcuR]

I don't have any problem at all with the middle 3. I love SUC, I think it's one of the best, most sonically adventurous rock songs they've put on record since Pop. I think Boots is funky and unique and a good deal more layered and complex than, say, Vertigo. The chorus is great and the 'let me in the sound' part is one of the coolest parts of the record. Crazy Tonight is one of the best pop songs U2 have ever done, up there with Stuck In A Moment. Plus I love that little keyboard part after the 'Baby, baby, baby' parts.

This complaint that some have about putting a few U2-sounding sounds into the middle of a brilliant album has been brought forth against previous U2 albums too. If God Will Send His Angels on Pop? Honestly, I think it's just people being afraid U2 might not have left Bomb behind completely more than anything else. If this album is released after Pop or even after ATYCLB, I don't think we would hear this sentiment about the middle 3 songs as much.

 

[roy]

I don't have any problem at all with the middle 3. I love SUC, I think it's one of the best, most sonically adventurous rock songs they've put on record since Pop. I think Boots is funky and unique and a good deal more layered and complex than, say, Vertigo. The chorus is great and the 'let me in the sound' part is one of the coolest parts of the record. Crazy Tonight is one of the best pop songs U2 have ever done, up there with Stuck In A Moment. Plus I love that little keyboard part after the 'Baby, baby, baby' parts.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Some people already starting to slag the album off over on amazon.co.uk

 

[mikal]

I don't have any problem at all with the middle 3. I love SUC, I think it's one of the best, most sonically adventurous rock songs they've put on record since Pop. I think Boots is funky and unique and a good deal more layered and complex than, say, Vertigo. The chorus is great and the 'let me in the sound' part is one of the coolest parts of the record. Crazy Tonight is one of the best pop songs U2 have ever done, up there with Stuck In A Moment. Plus I love that little keyboard part after the 'Baby, baby, baby' parts.

This complaint that some have about putting a few U2-sounding sounds into the middle of a brilliant album has been brought forth against previous U2 albums too. If God Will Send His Angels on Pop? Honestly, I think it's just people being afraid U2 might not have left Bomb behind completely more than anything else. If this album is released after Pop or even after ATYCLB, I don't think we would hear this sentiment about the middle 3 songs as much.

and that's a wonderful point. it's easy to just look at the surface and say that U2 played it safe by putting those 3 songs in, but i think by putting 3 upbeat songs in the 5-7 slot creates a smooth transition between sea and sky. in my mind, i was creating an alternate tracklist, and it just didn't make any sense separating those 3 songs. and maybe it's because i'm 3 days into this album, but i have a hard time putting the tracks in any different order. to me, that means a lot.

 

[TheEnd]

It's U2. They've been the favourite band to hate for how many decades?

Imagine how bad it would be if Coldplay didn't exist

 

[SBU2]

It's U2. They've been the favourite band to hate for how many decades?

Imagine how bad it would be if Coldplay didn't exist

Its better if they do exist, cause its funny watching u2 win all the grammys every year over them

 

[bram]

I don't have any problem at all with the middle 3. I love SUC, I think it's one of the best, most sonically adventurous rock songs they've put on record since Pop. I think Boots is funky and unique and a good deal more layered and complex than, say, Vertigo. The chorus is great and the 'let me in the sound' part is one of the coolest parts of the record. Crazy Tonight is one of the best pop songs U2 have ever done, up there with Stuck In A Moment. Plus I love that little keyboard part after the 'Baby, baby, baby' parts.

This complaint that some have about putting a few U2-sounding sounds into the middle of a brilliant album has been brought forth against previous U2 albums too. If God Will Send His Angels on Pop? Honestly, I think it's just people being afraid U2 might not have left Bomb behind completely more than anything else. If this album is released after Pop or even after ATYCLB, I don't think we would hear this sentiment about the middle 3 songs as much.

I see what you're saying and I think it's a plausible scenario--people being hyper-sensitive to Bomb-sounding material. But in my previous post, I think I brought up pretty legitimate reasons for some level of discontent with these songs (mostly SUC). CT is a fantastic pop song--you are absolutely right. But do really great U2 albums (and non-U2 albums) require this type of song? In theory, I have the most problems with CT, but I actually think it works much better in practice than SUC due to superior execution/song-writing. SUC completely lacks the natural, organic qualities that emanate effortlessly from the rest of the album's tracks. If this criticism sounds similar to common Bomb-bashing, I can promise you that it is purely coincidental. There's a great song somewhere in SUC, but they approached it in the wrong way--the 18 month mix and match way.

Also: despite my seemingly harsh criticism, I never consider skipping any tracks--I still enjoy SUC a great deal, but I just feel that it could have been more, better. I don't really have this feeling for the any of the other songs.

 

[Snowlock]

i am still a bomb supporter. that album gives me pleasure, and it's great to workout to. i think COBL is dynamite live, and i think "sometimes" and OOTS are genuine and beautiful and moving.

that said, what this album did to me is make much of the last two albums look like the highly professional work of highly skilled song-and-dance men.

i still think Pop is a setback. it's interesting, but i don't think it's nearly as interesting as many others do, and it strikes me now as their most egregious example of trend-mongering.

but, to me, this album makes them artists again. it's only a few days in, but the only album i can think of comparing it to is OK Computer.

i can't stop listening to it. and what's amazing is that i adore each of the sections. i love the hypnotic spell of the first 4 songs (though i'm still confused by UC, and i don't know if it actually works). i think the middle-three pop songs are astonishingly well performed, cunning even. SUC actually blows me away in that it makes ABOY sound like it's stuck in the La Brea tar pits. it's not so much that i think it's a new deathless classic, it's that it's a tour de force of sheer musical will. is it good? i dunno. but the craft, to me, is amazing.

U2 have given us a reason to buy another U2 album. that's something Bono mentioned in some interview a few days ago -- why would anyone need another U2 album? don't we get it at this point? they've just given us a reason to keep on listening.

Funny, you and I pretty much have historically agreed on nothing, and yet we agree on this album nearly point by point and it's relations to other albums pop-HTDAAB. Another magical thing about this band.

Except Stand Up. I think it's one of the strongest on the album. Maybe the groove isn't connecting.

One thing I haven't read from anyone that I'd like to add...

A very cool part about having Eno and Lanois around and in stuch integral roles, is they seem to take up Edge's moonlighting roles as keyboardist and rhythm guitarist.

In the past, according to reports, Edge would cut out blazing guitar riffs from songs and replace them with acoustic parts or keys for fear of "sounding too Edge or too U2". Overthinking. Glad to see him cut loose on this album and I think Eno and Lanois' presence attribute to that.

 

[bcrt2000]

This must be some kind of record to have been a member as long as you and only have 3 posts.

Bravo Zulu

haha... I signed up in December 2002 and my first post was in April 2005... and I thought that was a long time.

 

[namkcuR]

I've been looking at feedback about the album on the 'general music' sections of some other bands' boards...on Pearl Jam's forum, it's being received pretty well, though not that many people there have heard it yet, but more surprisingly(pleasantly so), even over at atease, they're giving it a thumbs up more or less...not everybody there likes it, but most of them are enjoying it, saying it's the best since Zooropa, etc.

 

[mikal]

I've been looking at feedback about the album on the 'general music' sections of some other bands' boards...on Pearl Jam's forum, it's being received pretty well, though not that many people there have heard it yet, but more surprisingly(pleasantly so), even over at atease, they're giving it a thumbs up more or less...not everybody there likes it, but most of them are enjoying it, saying it's the best since Zooropa, etc.

Atease suprised me the most. while there are the occasional few who say they hate it just because some people think it's "cool" to hate U2, there are a lot of respected members over there who are admitting that this is a great album.

 

[laurent37]

Stand Up Comedy is maybe not the best song on the album but for me its the coolest song on the record. That big, fat riff is just sick and they do some Oasis but then a hundred times better. I can't wait to hear it live.

 

[last unicorn]

Some people already starting to slag the album off over on amazon.co.uk

Really, there are mostly positive reviews over at "our" Amazon (one was written by me ). Some were slightly confused by the album, others were simply being stupid without having even heard the album, but there are mostly 5 star reviews!

It's U2. They've been the favourite band to hate for how many decades?

Sadly, that's true.

 

[bcrt2000]

Twitter / RSintern_JBW3

I have to assume this person works for Rolling Stone, claims that U2 will be getting their 12th cover next month.

 

[lazarus]

Yes, I think you're right. I think these songs are concessions (to Iovine, Larry, and possibly just their overriding concern about being "relevant" on a large scale). For all their talk about just playing for the sake of playing together and not worrying about putting an album out, SUC and CT are examples where that is blatantly not the case. Before I go into this, I want to insert the caveat that I think this album is absolutely fantastic, but that I think it is certainly possible to nitpick each of their albums (even the best). I'm not sure if this is nitpicking or not, but here goes: if you listen to SUC on headphones, you quickly realize that this is the exact opposite of MoS. Where MoS is basically live, SUC is a Frankenstein's monster of a song. It sounds like 7 different pieces expertly edited together. The guitar riff is aggressively placed to the front, but somehow sounds clean and, well, unaggressive. The lyrical flow is actually a bit more off-putting than the content, and I can see why Bono kept saying that he was holding the rest of the band back on this song. Plus I think they autotuned Bono's autotuner on some of those high notes in the 2nd half--good gracious it sounds processed. From the descriptions of this song, I thought we were getting something rough and "live"-sounding, but instead we got the most plastic track on the album. U2 would have been better-served pulling an "Eno" and erasing the track and starting from scratch--do a live take with a dirty guitar setting from Edge and then add whatever bits and pieces necessary.

Crazy Tonight is a great pop song in a similar vein to WITS. I really like both of these songs, but I don't think either necessarily fit on an album like this one. CT might be a big single for U2, but I think it should have been a single only. Overall, I think Boots fits well with the rest of the album, but because it is sandwiched between these other two, I can't really tell for sure.

Overall, amazing album that perhaps could have been absolutely phenomenal with two discrete substitutions.

Very good criticism here about SUC. I don't dislike it, but it's about as overworked as a song like this can be. I'm surprised people are disliking Boots more, because that's a loose, inventive track that actually accomplishes what it sets out to do better, in my opinion.

While CT isn't as simple and disposable as Wild Honey, I do think the placement has a lot to do with why it doesn't seem to work for many people. Unfortunately, I don't know where you DO put it. The only thing I can come up with is sticking it after SUC, but then GOYB becomes track 5, and that really doesn't work--this is usually the "meat" of a U2 album, not usually a disposable song (even Wild Horses is at least sonically dense).

I would say bring Breathe up to track 5, but then another problem, where's your big penultimate track? Perhaps one of the lopped-off songs really would work, but those are rumored to be more downbeat.

I'm at a loss.

 

[Irvine511]

I don't have any problem at all with the middle 3. I love SUC, I think it's one of the best, most sonically adventurous rock songs they've put on record since Pop. I think Boots is funky and unique and a good deal more layered and complex than, say, Vertigo. The chorus is great and the 'let me in the sound' part is one of the coolest parts of the record. Crazy Tonight is one of the best pop songs U2 have ever done, up there with Stuck In A Moment. Plus I love that little keyboard part after the 'Baby, baby, baby' parts.

you talkin' sense, boy.

 

[U2girl]

Crazy doesn't really fit musically. (much like, say, AMAAW, didn't fit on Bomb) Not with the guitar based songs, not with the atmospheric songs, not with the experimental songs.

The one thing I'm surprised with on the tracklisting is MOS is so high up. Would it not work in the lower half, next to stuff like Fez/Cedars/WAS ?

 

[namkcuR]

Very good criticism here about SUC. I don't dislike it, but it's about as overworked as a song like this can be. I'm surprised people are disliking Boots more, because that's a loose, inventive track that actually accomplishes what it sets out to do better, in my opinion.

While CT isn't as simple and disposable as Wild Honey, I do think the placement has a lot to do with why it doesn't seem to work for many people. Unfortunately, I don't know where you DO put it. The only thing I can come up with is sticking it after SUC, but then GOYB becomes track 5, and that really doesn't work--this is usually the "meat" of a U2 album, not usually a disposable song (even Wild Horses is at least sonically dense).

I would say bring Breathe up to track 5, but then another problem, where's your big penultimate track? Perhaps one of the lopped-off songs really would work, but those are rumored to be more downbeat.

I'm at a loss.

I was thinking, maybe put Moment Of Surrender as the penultimate track? Move Stand-Up and Breathe up, too? But then the quiet stuff is all at the end.

No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Unknown Caller
Stand-Up Comedy
Breathe
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Get On Your Boots
Fez-Being Born
White As Snow
Moment Of Surrender
Cedars Lebanon

 

[adypole]

fez-being born
magnificent
moment of surrender
stand up comedy
get on your boots
breathe
unknown caller
crazy tonight
white as snow
no line on the horizon
cedars of lebanon

I'd have loved that order.

but they know best, and I need for the original order to sink in when I listen properly on the CD.

 

[adypole]

EDIT: double post

 

[Slapnutz]

They should have just dropped Crazy Tonight altogether and went with 10 tracks. It's a real mojo killer for me and sounds like the product of a committee at a Jimmy Iovine board meeting.

 

[lazarus]

Crazy doesn't really fit musically. (much like, say, AMAAW, didn't fit on Bomb) Not with the guitar based songs, not with the atmospheric songs, not with the experimental songs.

The one thing I'm surprised with on the tracklisting is MOS is so high up. Would it not work in the lower half, next to stuff like Fez/Cedars/WAS ?

Good call on Crazy. There's nothing it could sit next to that it can flow into or out of very well.

As for those proposed track orders below, if track 3 is the "ballad" slot, I don't think Unknown Caller works. MOS, as U2girl pointed out, is rather dense for that slot, but it certainly has the power of a One, WOWY, Sometimes, etc.

And while Fez opening the album would be very cool, you still need a hook. There's no chorus. Even Zooropa kicks in and becomes very catchy. So does Zoo Station. Had MoFo been the lead track on Pop it would have been a tougher intro, but even that is catchier than Fez.

 

[Utoo]

I listened for the first time this afternoon. I'd love to read through all these reviews, and I'd love to post more, but I'm short on time.

Major take-home for me: There is a passion in this music that I haven't heard from the band since Achtung. I love all of their albums, and I like ATYCLB and HTDAAB......but this album is so striking in the organic life that swells forth from it.

Simply amazing.

 

[Popmart Shopper]

I just listened for the first time about an hour ago.Whoa!Fantastic.Innovative.Here is my track by track review after one listen.

Legend=Good,Really Good, Excellent

1.NLOTH-
2.Magnificent-
3.Moment Of Surrender-
4.Unknown Caller-
5.IGCIIDGCT-Still has to grow on me a bit.
6.Get On Your Boots-Well we have all heard this cool kick ass track.
7.Stand Up Comedy-
8.Fez=Being Born-
9.White as Snow-
10.Breathe-
11.Cedars of Lebanon-

 

[Irishteen]

The album is slowly going up in ratings on Rateyourmusic

it's up to 2.79 out of 5, I really hope it breaks 3, 3.5...

 

[Marko]

Atease suprised me the most. while there are the occasional few who say they hate it just because some people think it's "cool" to hate U2, there are a lot of respected members over there who are admitting that this is a great album.

They even received GOYB much more positively than here