NLOTH is good, but here's what I DON'T like:

[65980]

I've only heard the album a few times, so my jury still hasn't returned a final verdict. Nevertheless, here's what I'm not enamoured with:

-- "No Line On The Horizon" (the song): It's not terrible or anything, but as an opener it's pretty weak, and the "whoa-oa-oahs" by Bono sound. . . well, not good.

-- Bono's oversinging: It seems like he has two main voices on this record -- 1) high-pitched and loud (almost falsetto), or 2) talk-singing. For some reason, there aren't a lot of moments where I can hear his full bodied, full-strength voice (which was all over the last album).

-- Bono's verbal diarrhea: it's most noticeable on "I'll Go Crazy", but in general he seems determined to pack as many words in per-line as he can. Not sure if this is necessary.

-- the bass is too low in the mix / vocals too high (as usual when Lanois produces)


Anyway, it's certainly an interesting album sonically, and the rhythms are more complex than usual for U2, which is probably good. I really like "White As Snow". And, er... well, it's too early to judge it yet. But those are some things I don't like.

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

ok.

 

[65980]

Oh, and one more thing I don't like:

-- the album sleeve: it looks like an amalgam of the Pop photos and the ATYCLB sleeve, but less interesting than either.

The album cover is cool, though.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

where's the part about how big a U2 fan you are? You're supposed to tell us all how many years you have loved U2 first and then complain. What kind of troll are you?

 

[last unicorn]

I honestly disagree with all the points you make, especially regarding the singing and NLOTH.

And we already have threads for those who don't like the album or have issues with it.

 

[ShipOfFools]

I think Bono really pushed his singing on this album, and in a good way. I don't hear him 'oversinging', what he's doing really works.

NLOTH kick-starts the album, and is a perfect opener. I can't imagine starting the album any other way.

I don't hear any verbal diarrhea, at all. It just sounds like he's singing what he's required to sing. I think he's experimenting with the way he sings, and it's just not to your taste.

The bass is too low. There, I agree with you. The mixing job was really poorly done (although not as bad as on Bomb.)

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

I've only heard the album a few times, so

"I'm going to make a snap judgment."

 

[santiago]

err, Lanois usually likes bass loud. Just listen to his own albums.

And the wohhohwohowohowohooos in NLOTH are amazing

 

[65980]

where's the part about how big a U2 fan you are? You're supposed to tell us all how many years you have loved U2 first and then complain. What kind of troll are you?

I would like to say that this kind of smart-ass comment is completely uncalled for. There are already enough sycophants on this forum without now resorting to sarcasm as long as you're of a majority opinion.

You may not have noticed my heading for the thread, in which I stated clearly that "IT'S A GOOD ALBUM"; i.e., I like it. I also praised the rhythms, the overall sound of the album, "White as Snow", and the album cover. As I also clearly stated, I'm not familiar enough with the record yet to have a set and final opinion on it, but I am pretty clear on a few things that I didn't like, which I thought might be of interest for discussion.

I have a suggestion: rather than assuming someone is a troll, and then immediately becoming one yourself (and looking like an ass in the process), you might want to consider clicking a poster's previous posts before slamming him/her on a public forum.

For the record, I'll just state again, I DO LIKE THE ALBUM.

Nuts, now I'm hijacking my own thread...

 

[The_Edge89]

I've only heard the album a few times, so my jury still hasn't returned a final verdict. Nevertheless, here's what I'm not enamoured with:

-- "No Line On The Horizon" (the song): It's not terrible or anything, but as an opener it's pretty weak, and the "whoa-oa-oahs" by Bono sound. . . well, not good.

I didn't like that part a week ago either, but it's grown on me and there is a certain energy behind it that get's me sort of pumped up.
And about the bass comment; Lanois usually mixes the drums/bass first and adjusts the rest of the recorded tracks after them. It's "sacred ground" for him or something like that. And like Santiago said, the rhythm section is always prominent on his own records so it would seem strange for it to be that different on U2 records. But on the other hand, I usually don't pay much attention on mixing. An exception would be Magnificent were I had expected the great, great drumtrack to be a lot higher in the mix and not competing with the lousy electronic disco-beat as it does now. Those drums really blew me away when I saw the "Father Brian Eno Drums" video on u2.com.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I would like to say that this kind of smart-ass comment is completely uncalled for. There are already enough sycophants on this forum without now resorting to sarcasm as long as you're of a majority opinion.

You may not have noticed my heading for the thread, in which I stated clearly that "IT'S A GOOD ALBUM"; i.e., I like it. I also praised the rhythms, the overall sound of the album, "White as Snow", and the album cover. As I also clearly stated, I'm not familiar enough with the record yet to have a set and final opinion on it, but I am pretty clear on a few things that I didn't like, which I thought might be of interest for discussion.

I have a suggestion: rather than assuming someone is a troll, and then immediately becoming one yourself (and looking like an ass in the process), you might want to consider clicking a poster's previous posts before slamming him/her on a public forum.

For the record, I'll just state again, I DO LIKE THE ALBUM.

Nuts, now I'm hijacking my own thread...

Interesting theory...

Here's one, if I may; while the points you give in your original assessment appear to be thought out and sincere they have already been covered.

What makes you think your opinions warrant a new thread? Do you see me starting new threads? Because I can, you know - I can start a hundred threads about all the little thoughts and whims and complaints and whatever I think about the new U2 album but I don't.

I don't because I realize that I can add my opinions to existing threads if I choose to. I don't feel the need to make this all about me and my need for some sort of validation.

but hey, I'm just an ass, what do I know?

 

[mikal]

I've only heard the album a few times, so my jury still hasn't returned a final verdict. Nevertheless, here's what I'm not enamoured with:

-- "No Line On The Horizon" (the song): It's not terrible or anything, but as an opener it's pretty weak, and the "whoa-oa-oahs" by Bono sound. . . well, not good.

-- Bono's oversinging: It seems like he has two main voices on this record -- 1) high-pitched and loud (almost falsetto), or 2) talk-singing. For some reason, there aren't a lot of moments where I can hear his full bodied, full-strength voice (which was all over the last album).

-- Bono's verbal diarrhea: it's most noticeable on "I'll Go Crazy", but in general he seems determined to pack as many words in per-line as he can. Not sure if this is necessary.

-- the bass is too low in the mix / vocals too high (as usual when Lanois produces)


Anyway, it's certainly an interesting album sonically, and the rhythms are more complex than usual for U2, which is probably good. I really like "White As Snow". And, er... well, it's too early to judge it yet. But those are some things I don't like.

it's funny. all the points you bring up are reasons why i LIKE the album.

 

[An Cat Gav]

I've only heard the album a few times, so my jury still hasn't returned a final verdict. Nevertheless, here's what I'm not enamoured with:

-- "No Line On The Horizon" (the song): It's not terrible or anything, but as an opener it's pretty weak, and the "whoa-oa-oahs" by Bono sound. . . well, not good.

-- Bono's oversinging: It seems like he has two main voices on this record -- 1) high-pitched and loud (almost falsetto), or 2) talk-singing. For some reason, there aren't a lot of moments where I can hear his full bodied, full-strength voice (which was all over the last album).

-- Bono's verbal diarrhea: it's most noticeable on "I'll Go Crazy", but in general he seems determined to pack as many words in per-line as he can. Not sure if this is necessary.

-- the bass is too low in the mix / vocals too high (as usual when Lanois produces)


Anyway, it's certainly an interesting album sonically, and the rhythms are more complex than usual for U2, which is probably good. I really like "White As Snow". And, er... well, it's too early to judge it yet. But those are some things I don't like.

I felt a bit like this at first, but now I'm really into it, especially NLOTH, what a great song. I still have some sympathy with your point about Bono's verbal diarrhea though.

 

[65980]

but hey, I'm just an ass, what do I know?

Finally -- we agree on something!

 

[DevilsShoes]

I don't think you're a troll 65980, I always enjoy hearing your opinion.

Lets go through this.

-- "No Line On The Horizon" (the song): It's not terrible or anything, but as an opener it's pretty weak, and the "whoa-oa-oahs" by Bono sound. . . well, not good.

Yeah, maybe they should have started with Magnificent (by far my favourite tune), but I do like Bono's vocal alot, he sounds edgy and unrestrained, one of my favourite vocals of the album.

--Bono's oversinging: It seems like he has two main voices on this record -- 1) high-pitched and loud (almost falsetto), or 2) talk-singing. For some reason, there aren't a lot of moments where I can hear his full bodied, full-strength voice (which was all over the last album).

I never really thought he had too many moments on the Bomb where he sounded full bodied, I thought he sounded pretty inconsistent, he has his weaker moments on this album too, but I think that every track has at least one example of his new found strength and range.

Bono's verbal diarrhea: it's most noticeable on "I'll Go Crazy", but in general he seems determined to pack as many words in per-line as he can. Not sure if this is necessary.

Yeah, maybe there is some truth in this, he could hold back here and there, but I quite like SUC for its quick-fire lyrical and vocal style.

There are things about it I don't like too, I think MOS is probably a bit too long and I'll Go Crazy needed more of an unleashed vocal, particularly on the falsetto's, to really make it fly, but I think overall its much stronger than Bomb and for that I'm pleased.

Rather than having an inclination for the big hitters, I tend to prefer the more contemplative numbers on this album, they seem more authentic. WAS is an obvious stand out and I think Cedars is one of the best things they've done in quite some time, they really have managed to evoke a time and place on this one. Its the finest closer since Love Is Blindness IMO.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Finally -- we agree on something!

you'd better start a thread about it then

 

[DevilsShoes]

Ah, I got the second quote wrong.

 

[jimjack12]

Look, first up I am a veteran blahblah U2 fan and want to first say I'm mostly relieved by the album.
But... I have some sympathy for 'the list of less likeables', notwithstanding that this is a far more interesting record than anything they've done since Pop.
First, let's all be honest about this - Bono's voice is pretty much shot. It pains me to say it but how else do you explain the growth of 'shouty / chant driven / spoken' songs in the band's canon, and the frankly terrible recent live performances. He had a great voice once (I suspect Unforgettable Fire was its peak, rather than the Joshua Tree) but I think it's mostly been wrecked by one thing or another.
Don't get me wrong, the verses of Moment of Surrender sound great and Magnificent is just that, but I don't think he can sustain those moments any more, they're just one-off studio captures.
I disagree about the title track, though, think it's a really strong opener that promises great things. In fact the first four tracks are all really good, then the quality control starts to dip with Crazy Tonight which is, well, nice - and I don't mean that as a compliment.
Boots is another shouty non-song, one of the weakest here, and Stand Up Comedy is utterly forgettable, nostalgia driven pap with more tiresome pontificating about (yawn) God etc.
Then, thank whoever (probably Eno/Lanois), good taste returns and we get a strong close to proceedings, albeit lyrically way too preoccupied with Biblical matters for my taste.
But hey, whaddaiknow, I'm still listening to NLOTH just about all the time so it can't be too bad!

 

[Montrose]

Would have loved to hear the bassline on Breathe be way, way more in the forefront. When I heard it in the SWFs from u2.com, I was very excited.

 

[walkon274]

1. I agree with your thoughts on the first track. Not sure what the hullabaloo is surrounding that song. Decent, but not great or anything. I think the live version is terrible as well, contrary to many on here who seem to dig it.

2. I disagree about Bono's lyrics. I actually like them. My initial reaction was they had no substance, but put into the context of the songs, I now think they're decent.

3. I like Bono's singing on the album. How good it will sound live remains to be seen.

Overall, it's a good album. Not great. It has some great songs, but the album as a whole is not mindblowing on the same level as some of their other albums.

 

[iota]

What the hell is wrong with starting new threads? Why is it preferable to have less threads that are longer and eventually derailed by personality-driven arguments? Most of the long threads on this board are already hi-jacked by two or three people arguing over which of them is more of a fan and why. Maybe more threads will do better in keeping things on-topic, since less threads obviously hasn't worked. Now you have 80 pages of off-topic twaddle to slog through - with more threads, you can catch up quicker and contribute. Maybe you should start a thread on the topic of which is better: less threads or more threads. Then we could get back to talking about U2 on this thread.

 

[God Part III]

the "whoa-oa-oahs" by Bono sound. . . well, not good.

They sound incredible.

 

[iota]

Back to the topic of this thread:

I disagree about NLOTH, it's really held up well to repeat listenings for me. It's one of the few songs that has SPACE to stretch out and create an atmosphere. The lyrics are unforced, the delivery is great. This is a great opener, and I hope, a show-opener.

I do agree on the mixing aspect. GOYB and Crazy Tonight are wretched in this regard. It's too bad, because Crazy Tonight was starting to grow on me, as ridiculous a song as it is. But the vocals are way too high pitched. Right now I just listen to the live Letterman version; the sound engineers on Letterman>whoever mixed the album version.

And the sloganeering: I definitely agree. "Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot", "Shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light", etc. Too wordy - it disrupts the flow. "Stand up to my ego but my ego's not really the enemy, just a small child on a 8 lane highway on a voyage of discovery" - yikes. There's got to be a more rhythmatic way of saying the same thing. Strangely enough, I think Bono's most effortless lyrical flow comes off in Breathe, a song that seems deliberately written in an awkward manner. It works well though.

Overall, great album. Maybe not a masterpiece but best of the decade. Perhaps they should pay a professional mixer for the next one?

 

[standrums]

can't understand the lack of love for CT, GOYB and SC...shame

 

[jrjunior31]

Bono's voice sounds pretty good on magnificent and crazy from letterman, and breathe on jonathan ross london, no? I saw the southern cal Vertigo shows and to me his voice seems stronger now. Granted it's not what it was in '87, but check those 3 youtube clips i mentioned then listen to any of the vertigo shows, you may think differently...

 

[jrjunior31]

Back to the topic of this thread:

I disagree about NLOTH, it's really held up well to repeat listenings for me. It's one of the few songs that has SPACE to stretch out and create an atmosphere. The lyrics are unforced, the delivery is great. This is a great opener, and I hope, a show-opener.

I do agree on the mixing aspect. GOYB and Crazy Tonight are wretched in this regard. It's too bad, because Crazy Tonight was starting to grow on me, as ridiculous a song as it is. But the vocals are way too high pitched. Right now I just listen to the live Letterman version; the sound engineers on Letterman>whoever mixed the album version.

And the sloganeering: I definitely agree. "Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot", "Shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light", etc. Too wordy - it disrupts the flow. "Stand up to my ego but my ego's not really the enemy, just a small child on a 8 lane highway on a voyage of discovery" - yikes. There's got to be a more rhythmatic way of saying the same thing. Strangely enough, I think Bono's most effortless lyrical flow comes off in Breathe, a song that seems deliberately written in an awkward manner. It works well though.

Overall, great album. Maybe not a masterpiece but best of the decade. Perhaps they should pay a professional mixer for the next one?

Agreed. NLOTH gets better and better with each listen. To the OP, I wasn't that sold after 3 listens, but now after 20 or so I love it. Unique sound for them it takes a little getting used to.

Also agreed on Letterman Crazy version over studio version. Part of that is the live atmosphere as bono is visibly emotional, one of their best live performances I've seen in the last few weeks actually. The song takes on a different life on that night. But then, I would say they are almost always better live than in studio anyway. And it's even more noticeable now with the questionable mixing on the album vs. some of the terrific live cuts we've all had a chance to see early on.

Also agreed on the child on the 8 lane highway line, that could be the most perplexing on the whole album or perhaps their whole catalog. Bizarre line.

Breathe is the best song on the album, what do you think of the Jonathan Ross London version? The "fans" look almost scared when Bono comes into the crowd. Is that a late-night tv show in London? Anyway they sound phenomenal. The song has a ton of attitude.

 

[Popmart Shopper]

I do agree on the bass it is kinda mixed low on some tracks.

 

[Muldfeld]

I would like to say that this kind of smart-ass comment is completely uncalled for. There are already enough sycophants on this forum without now resorting to sarcasm as long as you're of a majority opinion.

You may not have noticed my heading for the thread, in which I stated clearly that "IT'S A GOOD ALBUM"; i.e., I like it. I also praised the rhythms, the overall sound of the album, "White as Snow", and the album cover. As I also clearly stated, I'm not familiar enough with the record yet to have a set and final opinion on it, but I am pretty clear on a few things that I didn't like, which I thought might be of interest for discussion.

I have a suggestion: rather than assuming someone is a troll, and then immediately becoming one yourself (and looking like an ass in the process), you might want to consider clicking a poster's previous posts before slamming him/her on a public forum.

For the record, I'll just state again, I DO LIKE THE ALBUM.

Nuts, now I'm hijacking my own thread...

Good for you. There's a lot of bashing of other posters on here. It's deemed socially acceptable for some idiotic reason, but criticizing the band is completely unacceptable to these people.

I'm glad you posted your comments.

Not everyone can know what's in every thread unless they compulsively read every damn page and spend hours on here every day. So, I don't think making a new thread is a big deal at all.

What the hell is wrong with starting new threads? Why is it preferable to have less threads that are longer and eventually derailed by personality-driven arguments? Most of the long threads on this board are already hi-jacked by two or three people arguing over which of them is more of a fan and why. Maybe more threads will do better in keeping things on-topic, since less threads obviously hasn't worked. Now you have 80 pages of off-topic twaddle to slog through - with more threads, you can catch up quicker and contribute. Maybe you should start a thread on the topic of which is better: less threads or more threads. Then we could get back to talking about U2 on this thread.

Exactly. I'm so sick of combing through 62 pages of a thread that was started a month ago.

 

[ndmaxfield]

it's funny. all the points you bring up are reasons why i LIKE the album.

ditto. here's the glass half full on a few of those points...

NLOTH the song - Bono usually reserves those cowboy "whoa's" for the middle of a record. He comes out swinging this time around.

IGCIIDGCT - verbal diarrhea? You mean, lyrics that are fun and poetic and tell a story (if you use your imagination) couched in an otherwise radio-friendly pop song? I suppose that would be verbal diarrhea compared to some of the other garbage out on radio right now.

Bass mixed too low? That's the proper way to mix an album. It lets you consume the finer details of the higher frequencies without wearing out your ears. If you want more bass, just use an equalizer.

 

[Salome]

just use an equalizer.