New album in the works while in NZ and Australia

[mikal]

if they don't pull out boy falls from the sky i'll honestly give it up. that song is ready as of last week. it's massive.

x2

plus, i think they should put it on the new album, even if it's made for Spiderman. too good of a song not to be placed on an album (ala HMTMKMKM).

 

[powerhour24]

Tacky.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

x2

plus, i think they should put it on the new album, even if it's made for Spiderman. too good of a song not to be placed on an album (ala HMTMKMKM).

totally agree. If they don't release this song in some manner, thats a complete fumble on their part.

 

[jay canseco]

I'd love to see an album with Boy Falls... plus a few more tracks of that quality. That would do well for U2.

 

[Clawgrabber]

The Pop version of WUDM was very different to AB version.

And Stand up comedy isn't Rubin.

agreed
Stand Up Comedy is the well documented result of what happens when you work on a song for four years. I find it interesting that Moment Of Surrender is what happens after "one take" and yet they feel the need to work SUC into the ground.

When i hear that song i think about bending a wire until you get the right shape, and then continuing to bend it until it snaps in half and saying "there we go! now its ready!"

Jack White should come to the studio and give them a lesson in trusting the process and knowing when a song is finished.

 

[LPU2]

agreed
Stand Up Comedy is the well documented result of what happens when you work on a song for four years. I find it interesting that Moment Of Surrender is what happens after "one take" and yet they feel the need to work SUC into the ground.

When i hear that song i think about bending a wire until you get the right shape, and then continuing to bend it until it snaps in half and saying "there we go! now its ready!"

Jack White should come to the studio and give them a lesson in trusting the process and knowing when a song is finished.

...Truer words...

SUC is a good example, but Breathe is a better one. When I heard the beach clip, it was transcendent, through-the-clouds gorgeous. The final? I don't know that I've ever been more disappointed in a song. Winter was similar. I now fear that this GREAT song that I heard on the 60 Minutes Spiderman segment didn't make the final cut.

U2 has a gift for mood and soaring melody. But only when they trust their instincts. The more they work on a song, the more they convolute the inspiration for it.

I'm reminded of a quote from Bono circa 1985. "I don't know if this sounds too spiritual or not, but I feel like the songs are already written. And the less you get in the way of them, the better."

I only wish 2010 Bono would listen to that 1985 Bono.

 

[Registered Dude]

yeah but songs like One or MOS dont sponatneously appear everyday. great ideas sometimes appear half baked.. you get an idea in your head, and you know it has the potential to be great -- but it needs moulding, shaping, tinkering.

the problem is when you tinker something so much that you lose sight of the original inspiration. if this happens, it's time to give up.. (SUC)

 

[Niceman]

Or you can take a crap song like Native Son and develop it into Vertigo.

You can't make rules about the creative process. What works on Tuesday isn't what works on Wednesday.

 

[nielsgov]

U2 has probably also made tons of great songs on which they worked for a very long time. The best example is Streets of course.

 

[ozeeko]

I think in the past U2 wrote music that was inspired by other artists.

Their early 80's output was inspired by punk and postpunk outfits like Television and Joy Division.

Their UF period was inspired by Van Morrison, by Talking Heads, by Eno, and more otherwordly sounding music.

Their JT R&M period was inspired by the roots (not the rap group) - Dylan, gospel, blues, springsteen, Roy Orbison, etc.

AB and Zooropa was inspired by the alternative acts at the time, shoegazing, rave music, industrial, a tinge of grunge, and basically anything that was polar opposite of what U2 was laying down in the past (which the same could be said about their 2 previous periods)

POP was inspired by dance music, electronica, trance, triphop, while also introducing a more traditional approach to songwriting, with Oasis being a big influence.

ATYCLB was inspired by pop music, R&B, and also, for the first time, doing something they had strayed from in the past....being influenced by THEMSELVES.

This is where, IMO, things start to go wrong. U2 was at that point (subtly tho, mind u) trying to sound like U2.

BOMB is where I think they lost direction. It was U2 trying to write just that, a U2-sounding album.

NLOTH has some outside-the-box thinking, but unfortunately they couldn't resist writing those "U2 brand name" songs. Not only that, but (and remember this is my opinion) it sounds like they were tyring to recreate the BOMB era in those few tracks. You had NLOTH doing its own thing. Why were the flashbacks needed?

What I'm trying to say is: U2 doesn't need to make music that "sounds" like U2. We all know its U2. Play Zooropa's title track next to Beautiful Day, next to A Sort Of Homecoming, next to Acrobat. IT ALL SOUNDS LIKE THE "SPIRIT" OF U2!! All very different sounding songs, but they all sound inspired! Because that's what happens when you stop trying to push your sound, you start sounding like an uninspired cover version of yourselves.

Take the new Mercy. Maybe wasn't the greatest song from the get-go, but the original did have one thing going for it. That U2 sense of wonder! Tho you could argue the original is just U2 trying to sound like themselves, but the delivery and execution of it was something new. The extended verses, the outtro, the length of it. The bending of form and structure. The new version has stripped the song back to just the bare essentials, a concise "U2 sounding like U2 song". That's not enough, the song needed those weird twists and turns to pull off the trick. That would be a brave move for U2, to write and record some drifting, Astral Weeks inspired types of songs. But alas, it didn't go there.

To sum up, when U2 follow the sounds of their influences, whether they be old or modern, it comes out sounding like this: inspired U2.

When U2 tries to sound like themselves, it sounds like this: Coldplay (just kidding). It sounds like U2 on autopilot. No new surprises. It's not enough to sound like U2, they need the inspiration to go along with it.

Not sure this fits in with the discussion. But it was just a thought I had.

Out of the new songs, I hope EBW and North Star make the cut (with "new" sounding arrangements, not "U2" sounding arrangements). They will always sound like themselves, but they don't need to sound EXACTLY like themselves.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

Very good points ozeeko, i've really been irritated when u2 tries to make a 'classic u2' sounding song - imo they ruined NLOTH by putting tracks like Crazy tonight in... thank god they had the balls to play a dance remix of it live!
However, I have to be honest, i don't think Danger Mouse will let u2 write any 'classic u2' songs - his production style is so off-the-beaten-track anyway, and so different to u2, so even disregarding things like Adam describing the new album as a "completely new area" (which could just be hyperbole, like with Lanois describing NLOTH as a "new sound arena"), and GOYB and Crazy Tonight copying Vertigo and Beautiful day respectively and failing (suggesting they'll know to do something different this time round) i think we're guaranteed a new u2 sound purely because of this producer, assuming they don't do a Rick Rubin and shelve his material!

 

[powerhour24]

Magnificent has all the hallmarks of a 'classic U2' track, and I love it, but it still has admirably different elements to it, sometimes they do need to sound like you might expect, but not for an entire album or era.

 

[Inner El Guapo]

That's great, but it isn't what THE BAND are saying. They continue to talk about having 3 or 4 separate projects.

NEWSFLASH: THE BAND say a lot of things.

And when it comes to new music, almost everything they say is inaccurate.

It's an incredible irony...and it's nearly unfathomable BUT IT IS TRUE.

I can see there are plenty of old timers who know exactly what I am taking about. It's the same shit every time...and we have these same conversations every time.

"Watch out for the new U2 album, before Christmas 1996!"
"a new album is coming out in 2002!"
"the new album is coming out in the fall of 2003 and it's going to be a a raw rocker!"
"the new album will be here by mid 2008! It's going to innovative!"

Yeah. They say a lot of things. But because the situation is so fluid, and they are artists who don't necessarily HAVE to buy into timetables (unless it is 1996) and because they record until the VERY last minute...it's simply not reliable.

It shouldn't be that way, you'd think they'd be reliable talking about their own music. This is the whole point! They don't know what they want to do...ever. I mean, they get an idea and then it changes and changes and by the time they all agree to do something, it's totally different than it started out...and a YEAR later or something.

The least believable of ANY of this...is that there would be more than one album (just say, by 2012). Those of you who believe that are in fantasyland. I believe this is 100% true. I would love to be wrong but I know I'm not. C'mon...this is U2 were talking about!

 

[cbanksy9]

We don't really know how interesting they are aside from the melody and chord structure. We have zero idea what the actual musical bed to either North Star or Every Breaking Wave would sound like.

We have somewhat an idea of what north star sounds like full band, they rehearsed it once before a show and it was recorded and put on youtube. Check it out, search north star u2 full band

 

[powerhour24]

Also, no offense to DM, because he is a supreme producer, I think we're assuming he'll be having a much larger influence than I bet he will given the circumstances. We know they were writing a lot this summer and we know they continued writing things while on tour this fall which is when they started recording with DM (again this could be pure speculation because of the sketchy details we have) which to me doesn't suggest long static sessions fleshing out material, it sounds more like mini-sessions either for the most part engineering or recording songs with a fresh face/style, let's not assume U2 doesn't want to or have the ability to find a new vein, even if DM then helps them mine it. Remember that during this time Bono and Edge were also in and out of NY for Spidey, and teasing out material for this club project as well... oh and performing in stadiums in Europe until early October, that seems like an awful lot going on for them to have gestating and free-flowing meditations at the hands of zen-master DangerMouse . I think it seems more likely that they found themselves with a lot of material, without the dream team or perhaps truly wanted a new influence behind the boards and recorded things quickly with a new, which is what we have all been wanting for awhile.

I just felt the need to say that because a lot of these posts seem to suggest that anything new that might come out of this next album will be from the mind of DM.

 

[Inner El Guapo]

the problem is when you tinker something so much that you lose sight of the original inspiration. if this happens, it's time to give up.. (SUC)

That is the point, precisely, and it's a VERY fine line.

You can labor on a song for a long time and it works...and you can not spend much time on something (relatively speaking) and still change it for the worse.
There is a sweet spot for any piece of music, the point that drives the musician to 'want' to do something with it. It has that...'it'. And any time you change it, you run the risk. But sometimes it works like aces.

The key is knowing when to back away. I would argue that U2 were excellent at backing away until POP. When they put themselves in a logistical 'vice' and were being squeezed into finishing.

And now, because of that...everything is so incredibly contrived, that 'backing away' is harder and harder on most of the songs. That MOS survived in such an early incarnation, for 21st century U2 is nothing short of stunning.

 

[Inner El Guapo]

Bono certainly is used to exaggerate but I don't think he ever really lied about this kind of things. When he says that they have 12 songs ready for one of their albums I also take it with a huge grain of salt but I won't question the fact that they are indeed right now working on those 3 different directions. Perhaps this will end with just one album with the best songs of each project, of course it can happen because a creative project can totally evolved until the last second obviously but I don't see any good reason right now to believe that this has more chance to end up this way than with different records.

Who is using the term "lie"?

These aren't lies...more like broken promises.
If you can even call them promises.

I don't question that they are working on more than one project.
When Bono says "we're doing a few albums at the same time" (to that effect) I don't question that's what he and U2 intend to do.

I just (highly) question that it will ever come to fruition.
Based on blind speculation? No.
This opinion is based on prior and repeated history.

 

[Mountain Dew Ma]

We have somewhat an idea of what north star sounds like full band, they rehearsed it once before a show and it was recorded and put on youtube. Check it out, search north star u2 full band

We do, but it's still very, very bare bones and since it was never played for the public in that manner, it's tough to safe. I have to imagine there's lots of production that would go into it creating an atmosphere.

 

[the tourist]

The Pop version of WUDM was very different to AB version.

And Stand up comedy isn't Rubin.

(#s refer to individual responses to your individual responses)

1. Proof that songs from projects can be changed, thereby meaning songs from the possible Songs of Ascent album might be released very different to their original versions (which we haven't heard) as produced by Danger Mouse.

2. Prove it. Were you in the studio during the Rubin sessions?

 

[powerhour24]

Well the band/producers specifically said that the 2007-08 sessions were not to work on 2006 material and that NLOTH was made up of entirely new material, unlike pre-album high on creation hyperbole, there would be no reason for them to say that if it wasn't true.

 

[Clawgrabber]

Or you can take a crap song like Native Son and develop it into Vertigo.

You can't make rules about the creative process. What works on Tuesday isn't what works on Wednesday.

well said. its true you can't make rules, and i'm glad someone shares the same POV regarding Native Son vs Vertigo.

i guess its all about knowing WHEN to let go, or at the very least, admitting you should go back to a previous version. Streets and Vertigo did benefit massively from tinkering, while SUC did not.

Then again, we may never know the truth. Perhaps SUC is, was, and will always be weak, no matter its incarnation.

 

[Clawgrabber]

(#s refer to individual responses to your individual responses)

1. Proof that songs from projects can be changed, thereby meaning songs from the possible Songs of Ascent album might be released very different to their original versions (which we haven't heard) as produced by Danger Mouse.

2. Prove it. Were you in the studio during the Rubin sessions?

#2 is actually well documented if you follow all the things Lanois has said about the song. It may have begun with Rubin, but he wasn't the one who tinkered it to death. In fact, if you know about Rubin, that is exactly what he doesn't do to songs. I believe Lanois said something to the effect of SUC being the one they worked on the most, and that an EP could even be released documenting its evolution over time.

 

[nirniva]

I believe Lanois said something to the effect of SUC being the one they worked on the most, and that an EP could even be released documenting its evolution over time.

It's a shame that this will never happen, because it could be incredibly cool.

 

[powerhour24]

Which one did they have a harder time decided on a mix, Hawkmoon 269, or SUC??

 

[Catman]

I think in the past U2 wrote music that was inspired by other artists...

BOMB is where I think they lost direction. It was U2 trying to write just that, a U2-sounding album.

What I'm trying to say is: U2 doesn't need to make music that "sounds" like U2. We all know its U2. Play Zooropa's title track next to Beautiful Day, next to A Sort Of Homecoming, next to Acrobat. IT ALL SOUNDS LIKE THE "SPIRIT" OF U2!! All very different sounding songs, but they all sound inspired! Because that's what happens when you stop trying to push your sound, you start sounding like an uninspired cover version of yourselves.

I don't think I can possibly agree more with anyone else regarding U2's music.

 

[medley]

Bomb is a U2-sounding album, really? Vertigo, ABOY, LAPOE and OOTS doesn't sound like anything they write before to me just like MOS, UC, Fez-BB maybe or NLOTH are the only new sounding directions on NLOTH. On ATYCLB too I would just consider 3 or 4 songs not sounding really U2-ish. This decade was really about mixing new influences with more typical U2-sounding songs, that's certainly not something that can only be said about HTDAAB. I feel like many songs on Bomb were heavily influenced by the Stones (Vertigo, ABOY), The Beatles (OOTS) and even Led Zeppelin (LAPOE) much much more than any previous U2 album or even songs have been before.

 

[medley]

Who is using the term "lie"?

These aren't lies...more like broken promises.
If you can even call them promises.

I don't question that they are working on more than one project.
When Bono says "we're doing a few albums at the same time" (to that effect) I don't question that's what he and U2 intend to do.

I just (highly) question that it will ever come to fruition.
Based on blind speculation? No.
This opinion is based on prior and repeated history.

If you had based your opinion on repeated history you certainly would never have guessed in 1991 that they could release an album like AB or in 1984 an album like TUF or in 2000 an album like ATYCLB and all these albums followed a trilogy of albums just like the new album is going to do. So based on repeated history I think it would be wiser to expect something quite... unexpected.

Also keep in mind that only the very recent albums are so diverse, this is really a recent trend that only started with Pop and then ATYCLB. It's not like they have never released "cohesive" album before. And eventually it's the first time that they are talking about working on different albums, so I don't see how you could rely on past examples to assume that this will end with just one album instead of several ones...

 

[U2girl]

(#s refer to individual responses to your individual responses)

1. Proof that songs from projects can be changed, thereby meaning songs from the possible Songs of Ascent album might be released very different to their original versions (which we haven't heard) as produced by Danger Mouse.

2. Prove it. Were you in the studio during the Rubin sessions?

1. Assuming any Songs of ascent material is, in fact, produced by Danger Mouse.

2. Were you ? They said Rubin material was dropped, and they set out fresh with Eno and Lanois in Morocco.

 

[the tourist]

1. Assuming any Songs of ascent material is, in fact, produced by Danger Mouse.

2. Were you ? They said Rubin material was dropped, and they set out fresh with Eno and Lanois in Morocco.

1. Right. But with U2's past, there is a strong indication that multiple albums/multiple projects talk is hyperbole. They recycle and change songs.

2. It was an example of the fact that we don't know what belongs where because we aren't privy to the songs in each and every session.

 

[Niceman]

So many people feel a need to KNOW. They pick a side and make their minds up when really no one here knows what's going to happen. You're not psychic - none of you - not the optimists or the pessimists. If it helps you to relax to pretend that you can logic your way out of this uncomfortable Heisenbergian state, well great enjoy, but really we don't know what's about to happen.

That's all we know.

DARE to inhabit a state of uncertainty!