New Album Discussion 1 - Songs of..... - Unreasonable guitar album

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I wish he would stop saying things that have me feeling positive… bigger let down coming!

All of them are quite expansive when describing the music, but very short and quick to shut down any comments about timeframes. I wonder if they have agreed to get through the film and promo and then pivot onto whatever the plans are for timing. Sure there’s scope to write and develop, but they’ve have 8 years worth of song ideas to bring into whatever context they are recording in. I still think they must know it’s been way too long and will get things moving. The focus is on recording and the sound of the band together - not writing from scratch
On the one hand, the lack of timelines has made me suspect they could be starting from scratch, which I think would be fair enough - everything written in the past few years would likely be coming from a very different creative space, one closer to the ‘songs of’ era/mindset. I could imagine Eno throwing in entirely new and distinctive chord progressions, melodies, philosophies and musical and lyrical themes to explore. I would have thought he’s a producer who’d be there from the start, informing the very nature and foundations of the music - though perhaps I’m wrong, and this time they’re working with Eno to get a half-formed album over the line.

… and then in that Rolling Stone interview, Bono says:
“And even some of our music we have assembled, and we’ll do that again, but to try and capture a moment of a rock & roll band in full flight is at the heart of this record that we’re making that we’ve recorded, but we are not finished.

Funnily enough, didn’t he say the same thing about Songs of Ascent? Something like “we completed it, but didn’t put it out. We want to do a rock album first”.

And they’ve scrapped the rock album idea…

Bono’s said the ‘songs of’ era is behind them - but perhaps it’s the material they (according to him) recently completed for Songs of Ascent that they’re picking up with Eno? If I had to guess what SoA might have sounded like, “sci-fi folk with Brian Eno’ wouldn’t have been far off.

After all, Songs of Ascent was originally a follow up to NLOTH, the last album U2 worked on with ENO. Perhaps things are coming full circle.
 
So are the Jacknife Lee sessions still going on?

I hope not. I really wish they'd just put their lot into one singular vision / idea (ie this one with Eno) rather than have 'multiple' albums floating about that eventually gets condensed into one ultra processed, safe and boring 45 minute LP.

Regardless, it's phenomenal to hear that they are all back in the same room together with Brian. When they said a few months ago that Edge and Bono were working on something with him it was fine...but it didn't sound concrete and I assumed the absence of Adam and Larry (again). But this, for once, seems like it's got legs.


Be brave, be daring and explore just because they still can. An effort that misses the mark but shows ambition and difference will always be more admirable than much of their output the last 20 years
 
On the one hand, the lack of timelines has made me suspect they could be starting from scratch, which I think would be fair enough - everything written in the past few years would likely be coming from a very different creative space, one closer to the ‘songs of’ era/mindset. I could imagine Eno throwing in entirely new and distinctive chord progressions, melodies, philosophies and musical and lyrical themes to explore. I would have thought he’s a producer who’d be there from the start, informing the very nature and foundations of the music - though perhaps I’m wrong, and this time they’re working with Eno to get a half-formed album over the line.

For a band that has a varied catalog of sounds and types like this one, I would have no doubt that a lot of the later albums go through a lot of changes in overall thoughts or sounds. By that, I mean it wouldn’t surprise me if at one point they’re saying “Wow, this material is shaping up like our War material!” or “Hey, what if we did some stuff in the Zooropa vein of songwriting?!” I’d even go as far to suspect that happens for every single album they do now. Particularly since they have long gestation periods that go on years and years.

But like you hinted at, you cannot determine what the final product is going to sound like at all. That’s part of the fun in songwriting too is just going in, throwing stuff at the wall, and just seeing what sticks. I’d hate it if I could just walk up to a DAW and know how it’s all going to come out.

And yeah, it is hard work - and a lot of time devoted to nothing with concrete results. Give it a few months or years, and sometimes you just bang your head against the wall wondering why the 10-20 songs you’ve worked up to a certain point just don’t sound “right” at all.

So then suddenly, the War-leaning or Zooropa-leaning album doesn’t sound as exciting or right, and you call in Brian Eno or Steve Lillywhite to come in and suggest some things for those songs. Or work on a few new or unfinished ideas to finally get up to that 10-12 songs. For me, that’s strikes me as normal, especially for a band of four guys and a few other interests and not some solo artist.

… and then in that Rolling Stone interview, Bono says:
“And even some of our music we have assembled, and we’ll do that again, but to try and capture a moment of a rock & roll band in full flight is at the heart of this record that we’re making that we’ve recorded, but we are not finished.

Funnily enough, didn’t he say the same thing about Songs of Ascent? Something like “we completed it, but didn’t put it out. We want to do a rock album first”.

And they’ve scrapped the rock album idea…

Bono’s said the ‘songs of’ era is behind them - but perhaps it’s the material they (according to him) recently completed for Songs of Ascent that they’re picking up with Eno? If I had to guess what SoA might have sounded like, “sci-fi folk with Brian Eno’ wouldn’t have been far off.

After all, Songs of Ascent was originally a follow up to NLOTH, the last album U2 worked on with ENO. Perhaps things are coming full circle.

I mentioned it before, but I re-watched the band’s BBC special they did for NLOTH not too long, and Bono talked about how they had 60 ideas they were happy with and had to narrow down to that 12 or 13. In the context of other albums, it probably makes sense that it’s something that happens every time nowadays. For all the criticism the disjointed nature of that particular album gets, I think every album is about some sort of compromise anyway. Bono may have replaced the middle 3 with some esoteric material from SOA, or Larry might’ve included more of the guitar heavy stuff to replace White as Snow or Cedars, and so forth.

Even then, an album is never completed by a musician until it’s released and put out there. And even after that, it’s not above critique, but you just pushed them to a point where you didn’t feel you could do much more or do better than them.

So yeah, it doesn’t surprise me that Bono talked about 10+ songs he was excited about from a prior project, but wants to look ahead to the next thing. If they were happy enough with Ascent, it would’ve been put out by now. But most likely, they’ll either incorporate some of those ideas into a future album (a la Every Breaking Wave for SOI), or come back to it and put some changes and overdubs on it to make it releasable in their eyes (a la Re-Assemble or Disappearing Act, et. al.)

That said, I would never object to Eno coming in and doing some work with them! If it's old stuff or new, for that matter.

So are the Jacknife Lee sessions still going on?

I hope not. I really wish they'd just put their lot into one singular vision / idea (ie this one with Eno) rather than have 'multiple' albums floating about that eventually gets condensed into one ultra processed, safe and boring 45 minute LP.

I’ll respectfully disagree here. For one, if they truly started from scratch with Eno, it’d be another few years before they’re even anywhere close to done with an album. You can always translate bits and parts of prior songs to whatever project you’re doing now too. Or add on to whatever ideas that were already near the finish line anyway. I think Eno did something similar for Love or Peace or Else off HTDAAB?

Be brave, be daring and explore just because they still can. An effort that misses the mark but shows ambition and difference will always be more admirable than much of their output the last 20 years

Again, as a songwriter, you can’t really walk into a room and say “I’m writing a Passengers-type song and it’s absolutely making this album - no matter what happens!”

Inspirations for sounds or ideas, sure. Edge probably already has a few dozen instrumentals that aren’t just Bm-G-D-A - or have some sort of “unsafe” song structure and/or interesting effects on it. But like I said in a prior post, it really does no good if he and Bono can’t come up with a decent melody or lyric over the track. So naturally, you’re going to work on all sorts of ideas - until you come up with 10-20 songs where you can listen to them in three months and say “I don’t hate that.” or “I can’t do better than that.”

If those unusual type of songs don't make an album, then more often than not, that tells me that any they had weren't very good in the first place.

For me personally, I just want some songs that I enjoy listening to. I don't care if it was recorded in Mali, or with an unusual key and song structure, or had a guitar solo recorded while Edge was hanging upside down from a ceiling. A good song is a good song. And plenty of people did like some of the output from the past 20+ years, so obviously something is working out, even if it doesn't hit for me every time.
 


Bono was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight. At the 9:45 mark he's asked about new music. He repeats the line about focusing on the future rather than nostalgia. Says they've been in the studio, says "we've got something coming," a kind of music that none of us have heard before, and "we're having a moment."
 
"Nostalgia is a thing of the past" seems like it's going to be the new talking point we hear ad-nauseum.

I'm looking forward to hearing this music of the future...which I suspect will sound an awful lot like the music of 2000-2018.
 
Re: the Apple movie, it's been three years since the book was announced right? So the book, the album, the Letterman doc, the live show, and now this, is quite the milking, innit?
 
eh... i would separate the live show (and this apple event) from the book release, even though they're obviously connected.

the book, songs of surrender and letterman doc are all one marketing push - the show and now the Apple special is something different - even if they're based off the book.

Springsteen released his book in 2016. Springsteen on Broadway debuted in late 2017. The Netflix special hit in late 2018. Then he came back and did a few more shows in 2021.
 
The music of the future:
* one that kinda sounds like beautiful day
* one that kinda sounds like vertigo
* one that is electric, but piano live
* one that is soaring and actually good
* one that is about kids or something
music of the future.png


Guess you kids aren't ready for that yet. But your parents are gonna love it.
 
Is the Irish folk rock or whatever he said it was something we never heard before?

I enjoyed the photos I saw of Bono at Cannes, he seemed to enjoy the company of Amal Clooney and who can blame him. Ali and Eve and Elijah were there too.

This is my favorite Screenshot_20250516-211227.png
 
Bono: I'm 5'7", i swear it

Also Bono:
be28779f5d6b8d7d45a2e2bf129befe4.jpg
 
Is the Irish folk rock or whatever he said it was something we never heard before?
seems to be


I'm willing to bet it'll sound sonically different from the last couple records. I believe them.

that said, I'm guessing the work with Eno is largely a revisit of tunes they've worked on for years now. Probably stretching back to NLOTH era - songs they had identified for Songs of Ascent at one time. Only brought back into the light to be rerecorded, rethought. Probably bringing in some of the Irish musicians they've worked with along with way, like those in the letterman Disney doc.
 
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I hope their idea of sci-fi folk doesn’t end up sounding like squeaky clean radio friendly Lumineers circa 2012.
 
I hope their idea of sci-fi folk doesn’t end up sounding like squeaky clean radio friendly Lumineers circa 2012.
The Lumineers are great, so if there were hints of them, I'd be down.

Or they could just return to the sound of the Joshua Tree, and I don't think anyone would have much of a problem with that.
 
I hope their idea of sci-fi folk doesn’t end up sounding like squeaky clean radio friendly Lumineers circa 202012.
I have this terrible feeling that any experimentation will be smoothed out akin to the MOR bland folk of Mumford and Sons or some other nonsense like that. Less Lankum, more Galway Girl will be the final motto....

The Edge will come out and say 'we want to be part of that conversation' or something like that. I'm 34 and it's barely in living memory when U2 released something experimental. I probably need to stop hoping for such. I understand they always reign it in a bit and try to get something a bit more conventional - heck they probably even did this for Zooropa - but the degree by which they do so is pretty extreme these days, eradicating all traces of sonic exploration.

How a band came to believe Tedder, Will.I.Am (yeah okay he's on No Line but the rot starts there) ,and guff like Your Song Saved My Life (with a dose of songs with Jacknife Lee's autopilot dad rock) are solutions is beyond me. It's judgement beyond comprehension given the failure of these albums yet they still persist in telling us they are great. It's worrying that albums as bland and uninspired as the 'Songs of' albums are put on a pedestal. Shit they only released the awful Atomic City recently. That creative rut is so deep it's hard to believe they are the same band that made Zooropa and The Unforgettable Fire.
 
I hope their idea of sci-fi folk doesn’t end up sounding like squeaky clean radio friendly Lumineers circa 2012.
Co-sign. Most boring opener of theirs I’ve seen. Total drag given the other openers on JT30.
 
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