New Album Discussion 1 - Songs of..... - Unreasonable guitar album
- Thread starter dan_smee
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super fly guy
New Yorker
Yep,last description I would give it being honest.
ferball415
Acrobat
It's honestly amazing that they ever put out B-side editions of Best of 1980-1990/1990-2000 as it is (and I think we're virtually all grateful that they did). But I think that they did, once upon a time, speaks to a certain guilelessness that would be great to have back--more than "great"--necessary, for (genuinely) worthy new stuff.
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2861U2
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Wife signed up for a free Apple TV trial so we could watch the show for Father's Day yesterday. We both thoroughly enjoyed it.
ascender_RS
Refugee
I really love the guitar and bass work on Atomic City. That's another reason to be optimistic. I know the mix could have been a bit rougher, but I (still) think it's their best "single" in YEARS.
I also like 40 Ft Man... Would the positive reaction to that be any different if it was an album track rather than a throwaway one-off they did for a show?
I also like 40 Ft Man... Would the positive reaction to that be any different if it was an album track rather than a throwaway one-off they did for a show?
ascender_RS
Refugee
Apparently the immersive 3d version does have different visuals from the 2d one. For anyone who hasn't already returned their Vision Pro headset...
Registered Dude
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
obviously u2 should be making music for the teens
if they try to sound hip and cool with the kids? they're pandering.
if they act their age? dad rock dinosaur act.
can't win.
if they act their age? dad rock dinosaur act.
can't win.
Yoot-2
The John Tree
War Child
"Dad Rock" is not the term. After all, they're dads and granddads. They're the music that many dads listen to. But that's not the problem, nor is "dad rock" a good descriptor for what I think everyone's trying to say. After all, U2, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The National, Bruce Springsteen, The Foo Fighters, and Metallica are all considered 'dad rock' and they all have different sounds and come from different eras.
Atomic City is just kind of toothless. It exists in the sort of 3 minute jangly pop song territory that some fans - myself included - dislike. It's even hard to describe why I don't like it - similar to The Miracle (of Joey Ramone). It's just...lifeless. It's got a melody and lyrics and a structure, but none of them are particularly pleasing to my ear. It's more annoying than anything.
For me, Atomic City is a nothing song. It's not their worst, but it's far from their best. It's a throwaway, which wouldn't be such a big deal if they'd been putting out high quality work and this was just an aberration. But it's not - if anything, Atomic City is sort of "third-era U2 by numbers." It's bland. It also doesn't help that, coming off of Songs of Experience, it's also another recent U2 song that's lifted a melody from another song. We now have a Haim riff, a OneRepublic hit, and a Blondie classic that have inspired U2 songs. At least the Blondie song is a good one, which is more than I can say for the other two.
I just can't keep hearing mediocre songs and making excuses for them like "well, it's not even supposed to be a great song, it was just to promote the Vegas residency." If it's not gonna be a good one, why record it at all?
Even 40 Foot Man sounds pedestrian to my ears. I don't know, I just feel like I'm living on another planet listening to these songs wondering why I don't hear the good things everyone else does.
Atomic City is just kind of toothless. It exists in the sort of 3 minute jangly pop song territory that some fans - myself included - dislike. It's even hard to describe why I don't like it - similar to The Miracle (of Joey Ramone). It's just...lifeless. It's got a melody and lyrics and a structure, but none of them are particularly pleasing to my ear. It's more annoying than anything.
For me, Atomic City is a nothing song. It's not their worst, but it's far from their best. It's a throwaway, which wouldn't be such a big deal if they'd been putting out high quality work and this was just an aberration. But it's not - if anything, Atomic City is sort of "third-era U2 by numbers." It's bland. It also doesn't help that, coming off of Songs of Experience, it's also another recent U2 song that's lifted a melody from another song. We now have a Haim riff, a OneRepublic hit, and a Blondie classic that have inspired U2 songs. At least the Blondie song is a good one, which is more than I can say for the other two.
I just can't keep hearing mediocre songs and making excuses for them like "well, it's not even supposed to be a great song, it was just to promote the Vegas residency." If it's not gonna be a good one, why record it at all?
Even 40 Foot Man sounds pedestrian to my ears. I don't know, I just feel like I'm living on another planet listening to these songs wondering why I don't hear the good things everyone else does.
Re: Winter and Viva la Vida: if it hasn’t already been mentioned, technically they both copied each other. Brian Eno was producing for both at the same time and he gave each band the same opening chord sequence and challenged them both to come up with a song based on it.
See, I can disagree with most of this but at least respect that there's some thought behind your mindset, as opposed to just labeling things with silly catchphrases like "dad rock."
I get your complaint about the Blondie connection - but I feel this one was more a case of "hey that one part in the chorus sounds like Blondie, we should give a credit," vs the other two examples, which were "hey, let's build a song around someone else's riff." Big difference in my eyes.
I like that Edge's guitar is prominent in the song. That's been a big miss for a while. I also like how it's a come-all-ye to the fans. It also has a bit of an old school swing to it, specifically around the bridge, that I like - and is unlike anything U2 has done before.
And hey, I like that it's Vegasy. Down to the last lines... I got the keys to the cages, ready for bright lights. Could be seen as keys to cages as being free (as he says repeatedly), but cages are also a rather large thing in Vegas - as it's where the money's kept. Always found that line to be clever.
It's not ranking in their top 10 anytime soon, but it's a solid addition to the catalogue in my opinion.
It hurts a lot to acknowledge that that last bit is accurate when I agree with the other "bland" assessments.
I think it's been said before, but if Atomic City is what they had in mind for an all-out rock record, then I'm glad the winds have changed. AB and POP are the rock U2 records for me and I don't really see them topping those at this stage in their career. Not saying they couldn't. Just saying I don't see it.
I think they're terrified of losing American AOR audiences, after too many bible bashing hot dog lovers deserted them in their droves after Pop. So they cannot possibly imagine moving out of that limited mindset and actively appeal to that luddite bunch. Atomic City is very much a call to arms of 'Let's ROCK..... but not too hard in fear of upsetting old Doris up the road'. It's a pathetically tame 'rock' song. Dust off the leather flares and the medallion because dad's gonna show you his moves. It's perfectly suited to BBC Radio 2 like all their other recent singles, whether its aimed at teeny bopper or dad rock or whatever - and yes that is a massive insult. They do not push the boundaries as to what rock music is. For all their talk of wanting to be part of a resurgence of guitar music, they don't have let us down by releasing such refined, tepid music.
That said, I do like 40 Foot Man. It's quite raw and spontaneous but overall it has the kind of vocal restraint that I wish Bono would practice more of in later years. They're obviously not getting any younger, and there's no harm in leaning towards the more reflective, contemplative style of this one. I also wish he's use his lower register vocals again. It just feels more mature than the soundtrack of a mid life crisis which is U2 in 'rawk' mode.
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I mean I didn't expect them to record a piano waltz to open up the Sphere.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
I have 3 kids and listen to some really heavy
This is the perfect description of Atomic City. It came on a mix the other day, and I really tried to give it a chance but it's just...a Meg U2 song.
No but I expected them to open with something half decent.
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Salome
you are what you is
I had Apple Music on shuffle this morning and came across American Soul.
Really a shame that those lyrics exist, because it's a lot more interesting musically than I gave ever gave it credit for.
Atomic City is a pretty good song and I can't say lifting the 2 notes from Blondie in the chorus ever bothered me that much. What does bother me slightly is that I would never have become a U2 fan based on this song and to be perfectly honest I don't think they have released anything since ATYCLB that would have made me become a fan. (Even though I think of No Line as a top 5 U2 album). At some point "not bad" isn't good enough.
Really a shame that those lyrics exist, because it's a lot more interesting musically than I gave ever gave it credit for.
Atomic City is a pretty good song and I can't say lifting the 2 notes from Blondie in the chorus ever bothered me that much. What does bother me slightly is that I would never have become a U2 fan based on this song and to be perfectly honest I don't think they have released anything since ATYCLB that would have made me become a fan. (Even though I think of No Line as a top 5 U2 album). At some point "not bad" isn't good enough.
ascender_RS
Refugee
So what does a "rock" album from a band like U2 sound like given their back catalogue... their age... where we are in music etc.
If you look at AB, as we all know, the moods on that album and Edge's playing in particular were influenced by a lot of personal stuff going on in their lives and the band dynamics. There's some fantastic guitar lines, solos etc and they're front and central in the songs. The majority all have some incredible "rocking" solos.
Since then? There's been moments on other albums, but is there anything as raw and rocking as The Fly, let along Acrobat, Until the End of the World, Love is Blindness.
What have they said are what they'd consider rock songs? All Because of You? Does Vertigo count? Stand Up Comedy? Little Things reminds me of some of those AB songs where there's a great solo and guitar work in what is just a great song.
They've always been rock with pop leanings though haven't they? That ear for a melody, a very catchy hook and we know about their obsession with something that's radio friendly.
My hope is that with Eno back onboard, we get a cohesive album of songs which are atmospheric and mixed with a bit of an edge to them (no pun intended) to remove that over-produced sheen of the last few records.
If you look at AB, as we all know, the moods on that album and Edge's playing in particular were influenced by a lot of personal stuff going on in their lives and the band dynamics. There's some fantastic guitar lines, solos etc and they're front and central in the songs. The majority all have some incredible "rocking" solos.
Since then? There's been moments on other albums, but is there anything as raw and rocking as The Fly, let along Acrobat, Until the End of the World, Love is Blindness.
What have they said are what they'd consider rock songs? All Because of You? Does Vertigo count? Stand Up Comedy? Little Things reminds me of some of those AB songs where there's a great solo and guitar work in what is just a great song.
They've always been rock with pop leanings though haven't they? That ear for a melody, a very catchy hook and we know about their obsession with something that's radio friendly.
My hope is that with Eno back onboard, we get a cohesive album of songs which are atmospheric and mixed with a bit of an edge to them (no pun intended) to remove that over-produced sheen of the last few records.
How certain are we that Eno is working with them on this album? While Bono and Edge did some recording done with Eno, I haven't heard any confirmation that he has been working with U2 as a band.
I fear news reports/interviews with Bono have been providing misleading context to Bono's claims about the new record, embellishing his quotes with info regarding Bono/Edge's sci-fi folk work with Eno. Yet Bono's direct quotes do not specifically mention Eno working on the U2 album.
ascender_RS
Refugee
OK, I could be mistaken then. I thought there were some quotes quite recently (last couple of weeks?) which did say Eno was working with them in the studio.
OP
OP
dan_smee
ONE love, blood, life
Yeah a lot of the Bono interviews around the release of the stage show confirmed whole band with Eno.
TinKnight
Refugee
I guess we can revisit the conversation that Bono is out of touch and has ran out of meaningful things to say.
trevgreg
Rock n' Roll Doggie
It is interesting in that the band have actually released a few songs outside of the "traditional" vein of guitar/bass/drums, or the usual chord progressions... like, say, Book of Your Heart or Sleep Like a Baby Tonight. But somehow, everything's focused on just one or two songs or a single with a prominent guitar on them (the horror! /s).
Granted, the singles might be more in a vein of something else... but pretending that any fanbase just wants to hear 10 or 12 tracks in the same exact vein seems somewhat of a stretch to me anyway. They can be more than one thing at once.
I don't know how else to say this, but the band has always wanted an audience. Tedder was an 8-year-old when U2 was already releasing massive singles that are just some version of Bm-G-D-A chords and a halfway decent melody (no pun intended) over them - in Streets or WOWY. Long before it was ever his thing, it was their forte... and probably why we ever noticed them on MTV or the radio in the first place. It was the big hooks and all. It wasn't a band selling CDs out of the back of the van of their weird abstract material that would make Lennon and Ono blush.
And if we want to dig into the 90s output as being the best part, we can also talk about the prominent samples (Do You Feel Loved) or outside production help that really made those albums what they were. Then somehow after 2000, they became considered the halcyon days because message boards and the Internet made people think bands suddenly became concerned about relevance around the same times places like this popped up. (See any Smashing Pumpkins forum, where people talk about Billy Corgan in a similar light.)
At the end of everything, you still have to write a song. People don't have to like Atomic City if they genuinely don't care for it, but it doesn't mean there's somehow a better song in whatever sessions led up to it. In my own experience, the other attempts in the studio leading up to it would probably be a lot worse...
Granted, the singles might be more in a vein of something else... but pretending that any fanbase just wants to hear 10 or 12 tracks in the same exact vein seems somewhat of a stretch to me anyway. They can be more than one thing at once.
I don't know how else to say this, but the band has always wanted an audience. Tedder was an 8-year-old when U2 was already releasing massive singles that are just some version of Bm-G-D-A chords and a halfway decent melody (no pun intended) over them - in Streets or WOWY. Long before it was ever his thing, it was their forte... and probably why we ever noticed them on MTV or the radio in the first place. It was the big hooks and all. It wasn't a band selling CDs out of the back of the van of their weird abstract material that would make Lennon and Ono blush.
And if we want to dig into the 90s output as being the best part, we can also talk about the prominent samples (Do You Feel Loved) or outside production help that really made those albums what they were. Then somehow after 2000, they became considered the halcyon days because message boards and the Internet made people think bands suddenly became concerned about relevance around the same times places like this popped up. (See any Smashing Pumpkins forum, where people talk about Billy Corgan in a similar light.)
At the end of everything, you still have to write a song. People don't have to like Atomic City if they genuinely don't care for it, but it doesn't mean there's somehow a better song in whatever sessions led up to it. In my own experience, the other attempts in the studio leading up to it would probably be a lot worse...
I would like to see him get back to writing in a less literal fashion. He's always been a bit of the platitude and slogans, though I do perceive to be more cringe as of late.
For the actual music, I know this came up before....Atomic City beginning really comes off as a Miracle rip off. The generic riff / guitar line is what does it for me, and a bit of the drums. The song does get better with more bounce and some of the "Clash" style guitar.....I'm not that bothered by the Blondie reference, instead it falls back into the generic guitar sound Edge has fallen in love with. I suppose it's always been there, but he's using less effects now to cover the blandness.
For whatever they're working on right now, I say Edge please break out the effects. I don't even care if it's just the delay haha, but bring something unique back to your playing. While I love all of the band and what they bring, it was always The Edge that had me the most intrigued when new music was coming out. What weird sounds was he going to come up with? What interesting solo to break the song apart?
I do think they're too old to have a rock song like the Fly, or even something like ABOY 2 (that's my fav version). I say lean into IYWTVD or Blue Room.....slower, darker, moodier.
Fine if there's some rock songs, but again throw a shit ton of effects!
For the actual music, I know this came up before....Atomic City beginning really comes off as a Miracle rip off. The generic riff / guitar line is what does it for me, and a bit of the drums. The song does get better with more bounce and some of the "Clash" style guitar.....I'm not that bothered by the Blondie reference, instead it falls back into the generic guitar sound Edge has fallen in love with. I suppose it's always been there, but he's using less effects now to cover the blandness.
For whatever they're working on right now, I say Edge please break out the effects. I don't even care if it's just the delay haha, but bring something unique back to your playing. While I love all of the band and what they bring, it was always The Edge that had me the most intrigued when new music was coming out. What weird sounds was he going to come up with? What interesting solo to break the song apart?
I do think they're too old to have a rock song like the Fly, or even something like ABOY 2 (that's my fav version). I say lean into IYWTVD or Blue Room.....slower, darker, moodier.
Fine if there's some rock songs, but again throw a shit ton of effects!
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
HTDAAB actually gained a good number of fans. Vertigo was a banger and the promotion in New York really hit.
Agree to disagree on NLOTH. I think it's their worst album by a lot.
But overall, yeah, Atomic City is "not bad". We've really lowered the bar the last 10 years since half of SOE was a disaster.
david
ONE love, blood, life
Edit: I forgot that the finished version of 40 Foot Man was in the end credits of the ASOH doc. I just remembered the short scene where Bono and Edge played Letterman an acoustic snippet.
Did 40 Foot Man get a full playthrough in the Letterman U2 documentary? I can’t remember. I might have to see if it’s on Disney + still.
Did 40 Foot Man get a full playthrough in the Letterman U2 documentary? I can’t remember. I might have to see if it’s on Disney + still.
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I was thinking about this in the middle of the night, while trying to fall back asleep last night and the horror hit me. Bono can talk all he wants to about feeling a room and avoiding keeping things too tight on the next album, but you don't spend 7.5+ years to create something "loose".
What we're all afraid to admit...
How it started: rock with pop leanings
How it's going: pop with rock leanings
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