mikal
Blue Crack Addict
Heyo!
I find it funny that people complain about the heights some will go to defend the new album when they go to the same heights to put it down.
I don't get it either. There is nothing as embarrasing from Bomb (alright, apart from Yahweh) as some of the songs from the first half of this record. I wouldn't listen to The Bomb these days, but at least it had some energy to it after the dead weight of its predecessor. There's some good music in there, ruined by atrocious lyrics (Love and Peace being the primary example).
I must admit this surprised me too. I think U2's four post-Pop albums are their worst, but at this stage I'd say Songs of Innocence is probably the best one with the least embarrassing moments (disclaimer: I haven't actually listened to it in full since late September and haven't played any song from it since October). Sure there's the awful California intro, some of the song titles, and Sleep Like a Baby Tonight has that c-grade 00s emo-pop line about tomorrow dawning like a suicide, but there isn't a whole lot else that makes me actually wince. The Miracle, Song for Someone, and the like are plain boring. Not quite the same as shitfests like SYCMIOYO, OOTS, and Yahweh, or dumb as fuck lyrics through the entirety of LAPOE and ABOY.
I am, however, starting to think that NLOTH is worse than HTDAAB. I realise I'm one of those who has most viciously reassessed NLOTH this year, though I swear it has nothing to do with the new album causing a kneejerk reaction against the old. I hadn't actually listened to NLOTH in full since late 2009 and hadn't heard any songs at all from it since 2012. So when I relistened to it, I was shocked how bad it was. Part of that can probably be put down to my tastes shifting a little since 2009, when I received it largely positively, but it's mainly because what I remembered fondly did not translate to what I was actually hearing.
At the end of the day I have no desire to put on any of U2's post-Pop albums, so I suppose it's a fairly moot point which is better than the others.
Can we get Axver to do a run-down of all of their singles from this century? His opinions always interest me given that he tends to like a lot of B-sides and album tracks more than the hits.
Well thought out post. I agree with so many of your points about NLOTH. I was a pretty big fan of it when it initially came out except for the middle 3 of course. But other than NLOTH, MOS, and Fez, I really have no ambition to listen to the rest of the album at this point.
As an SOI enthusiast, I would say that it's much much better than Bomb....but.....I have come back around to about half of Bomb a bit. Overall though, the post POP U2 albums for me have all been half good meaning that I like half of the albums (first part of ATYCLB + WILATW, a handful of songs from HTDAAB, and about 4-5 songs from NLOTH). On SOI, I pretty much like all the songs. Surely years from now, like any album, there will be songs that I won't return to, but for me, this is their strongest outing since POP.
If even the album's most interesting moment hasn't a chance of cracking my U2 top fifty, then the album can't be much chop.
I'd listen to Passengers over their post 2000 output any day of the week. And no, not 'even Passengers'. Passengers is fucking gorgeous.
There's one era for you. The only song I revisit from ATYCLB because I think "hey yeah I really want to listen to that song right now" is The Ground Beneath Her Feet.
It's not worth shoehorning into a DI list.
That's got nothing on Bono's mumble-rap from Big Girls Are Best.
Bono said:Oh mama, ma
Sexy mama ma
I am, however, starting to think that NLOTH is worse than HTDAAB. .
OK, just got my email about my U2.com Subscription. Should I get the book or the bootleg?
I'd listen to Passengers over their post 2000 output any day of the week. And no, not 'even Passengers'. Passengers is fucking gorgeous.
I love Passengers and the band's more experimental side, but there are a few songs on the last two albums that are better than anything on Original Soundtracks. Same with the two M$H tracks.