Another album soon?? Songs of Ascent

[GirlsAloudFan]

I hope it's already in the can. If they go back into the studio to touch it up, we'll be waiting another four years.

Agreed.

 

[mama cass]

From Rolling Stone:

True to form, Bono already has a plan for the first single from the band’s next album. RS uncovered details of that project, described as “a sister release to No Line on the Horizon, a Zooropa to its Achtung Baby,” which could arrive within the year.

Bono already knows the title — Songs of Ascent — and the first single, a surging anthem called “Every Breaking Wave” that was left off No Line at the last minute. Songs of Ascent will be quieter than No Line; in many ways, it’s that ghost album of hymns and Sufi singing. “We’re making a kind of heartbreaker, a meditative, reflective piece of work, but not indulgent,” Bono says. “It will all have a clear mood, like Kind of Blue. Or A Love Supreme would be a point of reference, for the space it occupies in people’s lives, which is to say, with that album, I almost take my shoes off to listen to it.”



U2 Talk “Horizon” Follow Up, Spider-Man Musical in Rolling Stone Cover Story : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily

that does sound rather lovely...

 

[ShipOfFools]

I hope it's already been recorded, too. I'd hate to wait another four years for something that they might 'throw out' because they change their minds. I want to hear it now!

That being said, though, I'm guessing that it probably won't come out this year. Prince, for example, used to have tussles with his record company, because he wanted to release 2 albums in a year's time, and the record company didn't want to promote two albums at once. My guess is 2010 or 2011.

 

[Sicy]

Doesnt really sound like my kind of album.

 

[U2girl]

Yeah, typical Bono BS.

 

[mikal]

Yeah, typical Bono BS.

well, not exactly. it's much more than that, though i'm still very cautious about getting my hopes up too much.

 

[pepokiss]

we can scratch the RUMOR part of the thread title now, don't you think?

it's even in MY newspapers here in Chile

latercera.com A d?as del lanzamiento de su ?ltima placa U2 ya tiene listo su pr?ximo disco

 

[U2girl]

Sarcasm. I know it's more than that.

 

[Muldfeld]

Well yeah since apparently they've already picked the first single

This is great news. I hope we don't have to start a WHY DID BONO/LARRY/ADAM/EDGE?/ROLLING STONE/NME/NY TIMES/EVERYONE LIE?? thread

Yes, and I hope Rick Rubin isn't producing; Window in the Skies and the Green Day collab weren't appreciated by this fan.

 

[mikal]

Doesnt really sound like my kind of album.

i know, you like faster stuff. knowing U2, i'm sure they'll mix it up a little.

 

[Muldfeld]

I had a professor once that never gave any grade above an A- on the theory that there's always room for improvement.... I think that that was kinda bullshit. No album is perfect, but I don't require perfection to rate a 10 out of 10. I just require a certain amount of wonderful.

As far as ranking things out of 4 or 5 or 10. It's just a common way of looking at things. You don't have to take part if you don't want. When I wrote my U2 article, I didn't give it a rank at all, I just talked about the album...

I think that's very true. There are lots of 10/10 albums that are better than other 10/10 albums but they all meet the requirements of 10/10. I also hate profs like that! Bastards!

Also, to me, Achtung Baby is a perfect album; I may get tired of "Who's Gonna Ride", "So Cruel", and parts of "Ultraviolet", but they still meet a 10 and the rest of the songs on the album surpass that.

 

[Achtung Billy]

well, not exactly. it's much more than that, though i'm still very cautious about getting my hopes up too much.

That would be identical to how I feel. Cautious optimism.

I like the fact that they held off Every Breaking Wave. If Bono feels so strongly about the song, then I doubt they would have left it off of the current album if he didn't think it would be released relatively soon (meaning less than the usual 4+ year gap between albums).

I won't believe it til I see it, but I'm somewhat hopeful to see this within a year or two.

 

[U2girl]

Speaking of Rubin...wasn't there a story how Edge played some of the new songs to him recently ?

Though I'm not sure if that means Rubin heard NLOTH or some of the SOA songs...

 

[Muldfeld]

I always thought that Passengers and POP were the natural direction U2 was going in, more subdued material, more hushed and baritone singing from Bono. It was this whole "rock and roll" angle during the 00's that always bothered me, because I never thought of U2 as a normal "rock" band. To me they were always a mood band. Hopefully my dream will come true that they are pursuing a more ambient, intimate sound. WAS, MOS, UC, BEING BORN and COL are my favorite moments off the album, and even Magnificent sounds great, an atmospheric rocker with all the right lighting and shade. I want them to do away with the Vertigos, once and for all.

Very much agreed. So tired of the cock rock. The Fly was something gutsier than mainstream showiness and made fun of the notion of condensed sayings into sound bytes, rather than perceiving any inherent wisdom in them, as Bono seems to have thought this last decade.

 

[Muldfeld]

Maybe, but they've apparently picked the first single already, and Bono isn't the only one to mention it. And they make it sound like the album is more complete with a theme and all as opposed to "Yeah we'd like to get back in the studio ASAP, we're in a rich songwriting vein blah blah blah"

my prediction/hope is (if they're serious) they'll release it after the first two legs of the tour. That might be too soon but we'll see!

The only thing is that Adam just recently said "Every Breaking Wave" was left off the album because the band felt it could improve upon it. So, it's incomplete. I just hope the band tends toward Eno's vision and not that of their self-conscious desire to set the mainstream alight on its terms by retreating into their pursuit of hits and Beatleseque glory or allowing Rick Rubin to dictate things. Please no Will I Am; he's crap!

 

[Achtung Billy]

I just hope the band tends toward Eno's vision and not that of their self-conscious desire to set the mainstream alight on its terms by retreating into their pursuit of hits and Beatleseque glory or allowing Rick Rubin to dictate things.

Who are you talking about, exactly?

 

[thelaj]

I like Eno and Lanois... but they aren't above reproach.

Some of the work on Passengers was abysmal.

The best work comes from mutual pressure, not U2 bending over for Eno.

 

[LyricalDrug]

I bet Paul McGuinness will insist that U2 release 'Songs of Ascent' during a holiday season, so that probably means end of 2010? Can someone please invent a time machine...

 

[LemonMelon]

Songs of Ascent sounds like a Rod Stewart tribute to the history of New Age music.

 

[super fly guy]

Hopefully it has some rocking tunes on it.

 

[Drowningman]

from everything being mentioned about this potential next album, it seems like its going to be aimed at only hardcore fans.

If they are going for an ambient theme, moody music, deep lyrics, well those things don't translate to radio airplay.

It will also alieanate many casual fans who just want to hear the "stadium shaking" songs.

All this is exactly what I wanted.

I want them to release an album that means something to them, not to sell copies and mint money but, as artists, they will be putting out their vision of whatever message they want to put out.

Yes, there will be the usual detractor who say that U2 has become self indulgent and that its all just going downhill but, well, everyone has a right to an opinion. and that's all it is, their opinion.

I for one can't wait for an album like "Songs of Ascent"

 

[cdirani]

Again the same story: we haven't heard it and we alaready didn't like it

 

[Clawgrabber]

yeah I'm hoping it just some stuff from the No Line sessions ala Amnesiac to Radiohead's Kid A and indeed Zooropa to Achtung Baby...and whatever other great things they MIGHT come up with during soundchecks. Hell even half of Zooropa's title track was recorded during a soundcheck. Like someone already said if they go in and make all this new stuff and SLAVE over it we're screwed

yeah seriously...

but that intro music they came up with for the live BOOTS is friggin great, and that NME article seems to paint its creation as a quick off the cuff thing. If they can somehow bring that speed and creativity to finishing these songs I think we will be in for something great sooner than expected. (at least i HOPE)

 

[animeavalanche]

does anybody see All My Life from the beach clips on the new album? or is it a lost cause

 

[Clawgrabber]

from everything being mentioned about this potential next album, it seems like its going to be aimed at only hardcore fans.

If they are going for an ambient theme, moody music, deep lyrics, well those things don't translate to radio airplay.

It will also alieanate many casual fans who just want to hear the "stadium shaking" songs.

All this is exactly what I wanted.

I want them to release an album that means something to them, not to sell copies and mint money but, as artists, they will be putting out their vision of whatever message they want to put out.

Yes, there will be the usual detractor who say that U2 has become self indulgent and that its all just going downhill but, well, everyone has a right to an opinion. and that's all it is, their opinion.

I for one can't wait for an album like "Songs of Ascent"

hey at this point in their career, calling them "self indulgent" would be a welcome change of pace from ATYCLB and HTDAAB... no one can call those self indulgent. Those were clearly "reapplying to be the biggest rock band in the world"

 

[mikal]

by the way, did anyone else notice the picture in the book that came with the Magazine version of NLOTH that shows both "No Line On The Horizon" and "Songs Of Ascent" both in caps?

this may prove that the band has had a two album plan longer than we think. i remember hearing rumors of this a couple months ago, but didn't think much of it. but considering this magazine was most likely made around late December/early January, this picture was probably taken quite a while ago.

 

[Clawgrabber]

by the way, did anyone else notice the picture in the book that came with the Magazine version of NLOTH that shows both "No Line On The Horizon" and "Songs Of Ascent" both in caps?

this may prove that the band has had a two album plan longer than we think. i remember hearing rumors of this a couple months ago, but didn't think much of it. but considering this magazine was most likely made around late December/early January, this picture was probably taken quite a while ago.

damn, really?
i havent' gotten my uberdeluxe box set in the mail yet.
can we see a scan of this?:

 

[U2girl]

Bono already knows the title — Songs of Ascent — and the first single, a surging anthem called “Every Breaking Wave” that was left off No Line at the last minute.

Not all of it will be totally "self indulgent".

 

[gujuju]

i wouldnt get too excited about Bono's timelines...

ALTYCLB was originally supposed to come out in 1999, Bomb in 2002, and NLOTH in 2007 according to him!

 

[powerhour24]

"Self-indulgent" what a stupid label, they're artists, they have every right to create exactly what they want, and its about time they went back to letting that dictate what they release.