Shuttlecock XVI - Cobbler's Revenge

[GirlsAloudFan]

The "Ned" is clearly in reference to the deceased Warden of the North, Lord Eddard Stark.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Are those opening lyrics a riff on Paul Simon's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover?

 

[Axver]

The song was fine, it'll probably grow on me, but the thing that struck me most about that stream was how Larry may have been asleep at the drum kit.

If he's ever not looked on board, it's in this clip. It's like he didn't even show up so they dumped a mannequin behind the drumkit.

 

[lazarus]

The "Ned" is clearly in reference to the deceased Warden of the North, Lord Eddard Stark.

Nice to see them finally recognizing the POLTICALLY RELEVANT Game
Of Thrones in their own work.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

But where are the Battlestar Galactica references I ask?

 

[corianderstem]

Are those opening lyrics a riff on Paul Simon's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover?

That's totally what I thought of. Not sure how well it works.

 

[coolian2]

Are those opening lyrics a riff on Paul Simon's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover?

That was my guess, Jess.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Hit the track, Jack

 

[BoMac]

Invisible is a Top 5 post-2000 U2 song for me (in my opinion not a very high bar to clear), and the "you don't see me/but you will, I am not invisible/I am here" part was my absolute favourite part of the I&E shows.

And then SOI came out, and other than a stellar second half, I was largely underwhelmed.

But with Little Things and now The Blackout I'm cautiously optimistic about SOE.

 

[lazarus]

Yeah I get why some people prefer this to Invisible because it has more balls and sounds raw, but I find the earlier track to be very moving and it has a great chorus. There's not anything in The Blackout as powerful for me as Bono's delivery of this memory of his father: "All those frozen days/and your frozen ways/they melt away/your face like snow".

Plus the opening was definitely not U2 by the numbers and you could hear the Danger Mouse involvement. So I do really like this new song and it's probably their "smartest" release since Vertigo but agree that Invisible is a high point of post-2000 'cock.

 

[cobl04]

Invisible is so fucking overrated. Those synth strings guitars whatever the fuck they are just after the intro and after the choruses and during the "there is no them" parts are fucking atrocious. The chorus kinda makes up for it and Bono's delivery of those lines is great, but those fucking synths/guitars and all the rest of it is so so so so bad.

 

[cobl04]

And then Lemon came on after Invisible (I just played it) and I laughed at the fact that we're all sitting here trying our best to be as positive as possible and then I hear Lemon and it's like we're comparing a Rolls Royce with animal excrement.

 

[Mack_Again]

what if Nick Reinhart replaced the Edge ?

 

[Kieran McConville]

I don't know who that is.

(Tobias Funke: well, I don't actually really know who it is either.
Voiceover guy: It's this guy.)

 

[martha]

I listened to it once. (Students started today, so I was a bit busy.)

I liked it on my first listen, and I'll listen a lot more. I liked it.

 

[lazarus]

And then Lemon came on after Invisible (I just played it) and I laughed at the fact that we're all sitting here trying our best to be as positive as possible and then I hear Lemon and it's like we're comparing a Rolls Royce with animal excrement.

I think the last three tracks of SOI are in the conversation with Lemon.

They're not better, or more innovative, but they have great production, lyrics, and execution. And all sound different. And I can't think of another band who could pull off all three of those styles at such a high level.

 

[namkcuR]

Good song. Nothing special but that's about as much as I could have wanted for the first taste of an upbeat, rocky tune. Dig the Zoo Station aping at the start, Adam as everyone has said. And it's just a good song. That's a relief, that they've been able to make just a good, solid rock song without it seeming like a monstrous amount of over-effort has gone into it, it's not embarrassing like The Miracle or Boots or whatever. Interesting choice to have that be the reveal, essentially a live clip non-single. Wonder what it will sound like on the album.

Invisible is so fucking overrated. Those synth strings guitars whatever the fuck they are just after the intro and after the choruses and during the "there is no them" parts are fucking atrocious. The chorus kinda makes up for it and Bono's delivery of those lines is great, but those fucking synths/guitars and all the rest of it is so so so so bad.

And then Lemon came on after Invisible (I just played it) and I laughed at the fact that we're all sitting here trying our best to be as positive as possible and then I hear Lemon and it's like we're comparing a Rolls Royce with animal excrement.

I don't know that I've ever had such a profoundly different view on a Shuttlecock album with anybody here as I do with you on SOI.

The Miracle is a great song, hardly embarassing. Invisible is a solid track, and like Laz said, the 'I am not invisible/I am here' part is really affecting and was a powerful moment live. If you're going to pick on it for any reason, it should be the 'there is no them, only us' refrain at the end rather than the synths or whatever.

And of course Lemon is better than Invisible. You can praise the former without shitting all over the latter.

 

[namkcuR]

I think the last three tracks of SOI are in the conversation with Lemon.

They're not better, or more innovative, but they have great production, lyrics, and execution. And all sound different. And I can't think of another band who could pull off all three of those styles at such a high level.

The last FIVE tracks of SOI make up the best batch of tracks they've done this century, with the possible exception of ATYCLB's first five.

I cannot understand why SOI is so maligned by some.

 

[corianderstem]

Invisible is so fucking overrated. Those synth strings guitars whatever the fuck they are just after the intro and after the choruses and during the "there is no them" parts are fucking atrocious. The chorus kinda makes up for it and Bono's delivery of those lines is great, but those fucking synths/guitars and all the rest of it is so so so so bad.

YOU'RE overrated and YOUR synth string guitars are atrocious.

 

[cobl04]

I think the last three tracks of SOI are in the conversation with Lemon.

They're not better, or more innovative, but they have great production, lyrics, and execution. And all sound different. And I can't think of another band who could pull off all three of those styles at such a high level.

They're definitely the three best songs on the album, you won't find an argument from me on that.

But I think you've drunk some really strong koolaid. Reach Around has a great chorus, the rest of it is completely forgettable. SLABT is pretty damn great in its context but I think it still struggles to make an impact. The Troubles is tremendous and laps every song that precedes it several times over. But it took five years and 10 songs before U2 finally get to it and by that point it's just not worth it.

I don't know that I've ever had such a profoundly different view on a Shuttlecock album with anybody here as I do with you on SOI.

The Miracle is a great song, hardly embarassing. Invisible is a solid track, and like Laz said, the 'I am not invisible/I am here' part is really affecting and was a powerful moment live. If you're going to pick on it for any reason, it should be the 'there is no them, only us' refrain at the end rather than the synths or whatever.

And of course Lemon is better than Invisible. You can praise the former without shitting all over the latter.

The Miracle is horrific. Without any remote doubt in my very bottom handful of songs the band has done. Bono sounds awful, the lyrics are rubbish, it attempts to rock but has the pulse of a sloth. Atrocious from start to finish.

 

[namkcuR]

They're definitely the three best songs on the album, you won't find an argument from me on that.

But I think you've drunk some really strong koolaid. Reach Around has a great chorus, the rest of it is completely forgettable. SLABT is pretty damn great in its context but I think it still struggles to make an impact. The Troubles is tremendous and laps every song that precedes it several times over. But it took five years and 10 songs before U2 finally get to it and by that point it's just not worth it.



The Miracle is horrific. Without any remote doubt in my very bottom handful of songs the band has done. Bono sounds awful, the lyrics are rubbish, it attempts to rock but has the pulse of a sloth. Atrocious from start to finish.

While I'm 100% sure we're never going to agree on anything regarding that song, I'll say this: it's not a rock song. It's a pop song. It's perhaps produced(and performed on stage) as though it's a rock song, but it's not. One only has to listen to the acoustic version to see that. The vocal melody in the chorus is as warm and catchy a chorus melody as they've had in years. Bono sounds fine. And I don't care about the lyrics. As I've always said, if I dig the music, which I do here, I can ignore almost any lyric. Not that I have nearly the same problem with the lyric as you do.

As for being in the very bottom handful of songs the band has done, it's not even the worst on the record. That'd be Song For Someone, imo.

I've already typed too much. I'm done.

 

[Axver]

If you want to talk over-rated, go no further than Reach Around. I literally cannot remember a single thing about that song except that it must have some line about "soldier, soldier" because of the idiots here calling it that. Every time I've played it, if you asked me five minutes later to describe it I would have nothing. In one ear, straight out the other.

 

[namkcuR]

If you want to talk over-rated, go no further than Reach Around. I literally cannot remember a single thing about that song except that it must have some line about "soldier, soldier" because of the idiots here calling it that. Every time I've played it, if you asked me five minutes later to describe it I would have nothing. In one ear, straight out the other.

If you can't even remember how it goes, how can you say whether or not it's overrated?

 

[U2DMfan]

Today was such a busy and shitty day that I've only listened to the song twice. Can't wait to give it some more spins tonight!

Same here. Busy and shitty day, literally have just heard it twice as I type.

I liked it better the 2nd time around. It's certainly not bad.

I will not judge it too much either way until I hear it presented properly as a studio version. Annoyed by the high crowd noise in the mix. But comparing the two live songs from SOE I've heard, I feel like Little Things is exactly who latter day U2 genuinely are, wearing it on the sleeve, no heavy contrivance for a "hit". I prefer that approach for them these days.

 

[Axver]

If you can't even remember how it goes, how can you say whether or not it's overrated?

Because it's not memorable enough to be rated.

 

[cobl04]

While I'm 100% sure we're never going to agree on anything regarding that song, I'll say this: it's not a rock song. It's a pop song. It's perhaps produced(and performed on stage) as though it's a rock song, but it's not. One only has to listen to the acoustic version to see that. The vocal melody in the chorus is as warm and catchy a chorus melody as they've had in years. Bono sounds fine. And I don't care about the lyrics. As I've always said, if I dig the music, which I do here, I can ignore almost any lyric. Not that I have nearly the same problem with the lyric as you do.

As for being in the very bottom handful of songs the band has done, it's not even the worst on the record. That'd be Song For Someone, imo.

I've already typed too much. I'm done.

Nup. If I had to rate the songs on the album Song for Someone would be very close to the top, probably even second best after The Troubles. I think it's really nice, sounds relatively effortless and natural.

 

[Axver]

Nup. If I had to rate the songs on the album Song for Someone would be very close to the top, probably even second best after The Troubles. I think it's really nice, sounds relatively effortless and natural.

Are you on crack.

 

[cobl04]

yep, just had a listen to it. Lovely.

 

[U2DMfan]

The last FIVE tracks of SOI make up the best batch of tracks they've done this century, with the possible exception of ATYCLB's first five.

I cannot understand why SOI is so maligned by some.

I prefer the often lazily dismissed top of SOI. Aside from The Fecal of Joey Ramone. And I find the last stretch (final 4) of it to be, most often, lazily praised.

Cedarwood is a slogging snore. Duran Duran is a solid but overrated closer. Reach is an unremarkable but nonetheless good b-side. Sleep is simply an afterthought.

The production value fools a lot of people, IMO.

SFS is too slick and on the nose but a better basic tune, probably with ease, than all but Duran Duran of that final stretch. Iris is the best song on the album. If not Iris, California. And EBW delivers a pop love song U2 have been trying and failing to do for two decades.

But it's supposed to be a given that the Danger Mouse tracks are better... much like everyone knows how bad the middle three are on NLOTH. Nope. I strongly object to this lazy Interference narrative.

 

[Axver]

yep, just had a listen to it. Lovely.

I hope Geelong loses every game for the next ten years.