Invisible Discussion Thread II (Do not post song requests - discussion only!)
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U2freakboy
War Child
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Okay, here's an update on my Invisible impression. After listening to the song almost exclusively for a week (it was punctuated by a few spins of TUF thanks to this forum) the euphoria has died down. I was one of the majority on this site who liked the song and I still do. I said it seemed like a heavyweight on the second day. Not sure about that now, maybe it is, maybe not. Time will tell. I don't think this is U2 4.0, not saying that the album won't be. This, to me, is a very good U2 song. But I feel encouraged by the fact that I was compelled to go back for so many repeated listens. Didn't happen with Boots but did happen with NLOTH2, and I still love the latter. Invisible gives me hope for the new album, genuine hope that it is going to be better than their last two. The reason for this hope is in no small part due to Bono's measured and assured vocals and the unpretentious lyrics. I think the strongest part of Invisible (apart from that almost magical 'all those frozen days, and your frozen ways) is the simplicity of the lyrics, which somehow sink deeper upon repeated listens. It makes the song at once immediately accessible and (for lack of a better word) intellectual. In summation, chuffed with the new song and eagerly waiting for the album. Drop baby drop (don't for a minute think it will be a minute sooner than June).
I agree with this almost word for word. The "frozen days, frozen ways" part into "melts like snow" is a classic U2 moment. And the chorus is one of their best ever. Can't wait to see the song come alive in the video tomorrow and on Fallon next week.
breathe
Refugee
I honestly think invisible is not just a great U2 song but a great song in general, I loved no line was it U2's best work? No where even close. But it was a great album in it's entirety, but it was missing that raw in your face passion, I feel that invisible has that passion, it's just a really good song, we can't over think it. It's a very in your face song, the fact that Bono wrote it when U2 were getting turned down even makes it better, it's a very like look at me
Now song, which is something we have not seen them do in years, and from a musicians point of view the music is crazy good, very different from what we usually see them do.
Now song, which is something we have not seen them do in years, and from a musicians point of view the music is crazy good, very different from what we usually see them do.
Am I the only one who thinks this headline reads like something from The Onion?
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The whole "errmagawd theyz dropping the album on Fallon cause albumz come out on Tuezdayzzzz!!!" crowd is apparently forgetting that albums are released on Mondays in the rest of the world.
Now of course a first week digital only download can be released at anytime... but yea.
Sent from my android cause iphones are for old people
Now of course a first week digital only download can be released at anytime... but yea.
Sent from my android cause iphones are for old people
Where I am right now, I want to agree that its a great song. But I am stopping myself because when its U2 I am shamlessly biased, or have been known to be among my friends. But yes very very good.
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Peter_The_Roman
The Fly
I agree! I think that Bono's voice sounds a lot better on Invisible than it did on the entire NLOTH album. To be honest, that album had some cringe moments for me in terms of Bono's voice.
Fullonedge3
The Fly
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2008
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- 298
Agreed. There was a lot of over singing on that album like he was trying too hard. On Invisible I like that the vocals are more restrained and the passion bleeds through more naturally.
jeevey
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Not to belabor the voice processing discussion, (and admittedly I know almost nothing about it) but I found this interesting article about autotune. Seduced by ‘perfect’ pitch: how Auto-Tune conquered pop music | The Verge Apparently it's much more the rule than the exception. Of course I want Bono to sound great but I like that they allowed some of his pitchy parts to stand on NLOTH.
It makes sense that he may sound better in the studio after a long rest, and hopefully he IS using great technique and all, but his voice sounds suspiciously textureless to me, especially on the front end of the song. It's almost like the wrinkles and age spots of his voice have been photoshopped out.
It makes sense that he may sound better in the studio after a long rest, and hopefully he IS using great technique and all, but his voice sounds suspiciously textureless to me, especially on the front end of the song. It's almost like the wrinkles and age spots of his voice have been photoshopped out.
Peter_The_Roman
The Fly
It's possible...yes.
gvox
Ghost of Love
No that was the first thing I thought too..
Maybe atotune is the difference, dunno anything about that. I lived NLOTH onight). I have generally been of the opinion that U2's fortunes are very strongly tied with Bono's voice. That is nothing out of the ordinary because the vocalist's is the sound that comestoo but not Bono's voice there on many of the songs (crazy t through loudest and which casual listeners pay attention to. So autotune or not I am happy if it stays this way
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Well we know they didn't auto tune No Line... Theeeeeese daaaaaaayayayayayayayayyyyyys...
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Sent from my android cause iphones are for old people
It does sound very "professional" - I think Lillywhite said that? I don't hear any egregious autotuning though.
jeevey
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
No, not egregious. Just a LOT of cleaning up, none of those characteristic flaws/idiosyncracies that Headache mentions. I understand why they feel like the need to use it to compete and even why it fits the song, but personally I'm all about the freckles, the wrinkles and the passionately oversung flats. I like the gravitas that Bono's voice has gained over time, though I do wish he'd stop smoking.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
You CANNOT hear if autotune has been used to touch up a recording. Period. You can only hear it when autotune is being overused, ie Kanye West. It has a very robotic synth sound.
So you can speculate all day long but you'll never know unless DM tells you. But if they were using it why wouldn't they use it throughout the entire song?
So you can speculate all day long but you'll never know unless DM tells you. But if they were using it why wouldn't they use it throughout the entire song?
I do this for a living and I can tell you his voice is not auto tuned on Invisible.
I'm sure, however, like most vocalists, the vocal performance is actually the best parts of many different takes spliced together.
I mean, I mentioned one particular moment in one song where it's clear that no auto tune is used... or if it was used, it was used poorly, as it's not in tune.
Nobody has any idea what kind of pitch correction has it hasn't been used on this or any other album. I would lean towards it not being used on invisible, actually... but I obviously can't be certain.
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BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
If it's being used to correct a note here and there and not an entire verse, then I would venture the singer was way off like a whole step or more if you can hear it. Which I would categorize as overuse.
jeevey
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
JOFO, can you hear a single "massaged" note, as one engineer in the article describes doing? And what do you think about the general smoothness of his tone? Does that seem like his natural voice just sounding well or like it had some sort of production assistance?
Yeah that's my least favourite part, especially the last 'there is no them' which to me sounded like someone had suddenly told him that its the last line of the song and that the music will stop just a second later. Too abrupt
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Hollow Island
New Yorker
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There's no autotune. Bono's voice sounds rough and papery. The reason he sounds decent is because he knows how to sing and isn't forcing it like he has been lately. Bono's voice isn't what it was, but he does not need autotune. One of the things that I like about them is that no matter how polished the music is, the vocals are always real, regardless of how ragged they are.
I doubt that Bono's ego would even allow anyone to suggest autotune be used.
I doubt that Bono's ego would even allow anyone to suggest autotune be used.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Mark Romanek said he was still getting updates on the music while he was editing the video, so they’re probably still working on the song and RED Edit is probably more likely the RED Quickly Slapped Together Edit (Fuck It, This Will Have To Do Mix).
breathe
Refugee
I thought it was a pretty good mix, again U2 has always came alive LIVE bono has said this countless times, the song has that raw live sound that they only can produce, to me it's a very good mix. All though there is a part in there where you kinda here a clicking sound something similar to edge clicking a effect on his bored or something, I don't know.
Probably not if it's just one short note.
It sounds totally natural, but definitely spliced together takes, which has been the norm for decades now from most singers.
Hell, I knew an engineer who worked on a Shakira album, and of the 11 songs, there was something like 257 vocal takes....which is something like 20 takes a song.
Peter_The_Roman
The Fly
Yeah, I mean think about it...go back and listen to the song "One." There's certainly no autotune there.
U2freakboy
War Child
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- May 6, 2005
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Invisible jumps from #83 to #10 on Triple-A chart this week.
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