SOE 35 - it’s finally here, let the debate on how good/bad it is begin!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Psychobabble said:
Man, I couldn't get through the BS at the beginning to even hear what they thought about the album. People like these guys?
Click to expand...

It's more comedy than U2 but it is a really funny and enjoyable podcast. You really need to start from episode 1 as inside jokes and nonsense builds and spills over as it goes on. I gave it a go last year, got hooked and listened to all of them in about a week.
 
Some interesting info coming out of the U Talkin U2 2 me podcast. Andy Barlow produced Love is All We Have Left — the only song he produced on the album proper.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
Could the "too tight" and "need room to breath" crowd point to some specific examples?

I do agree it's tight, but I can't point to specific points where the songs should have had more... like, say, the end of The Troubles, or how Invisible seems like it's missing a verse.

Not saying you're wrong... just would like some specifics so I can judge for myself as I'm not hearing it.
Click to expand...



I’ll chime in here. As someone that loves the album, the only annoyance I have is Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way because I wish it went on about a minute longer. Otherwise I don’t mind how tight the album is.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
I mean... I'm not trying to poo poo their opinions. I just want some examples to see if I hear it myself
Click to expand...



I’d love to get more time at the end of Landlady. I want to hear just the band playing that beautiful groove.

I feel similarly about LIB. And SOL.

I also don’t know fancy musical terms like “bridge” and “middle 8” or whatever.
 
Psychobabble said:
Not sure how you could play just 30 seconds of some of these songs. This would be like taking one small bite of the best chocolate cake you have ever tasted. I don't have that kind of willpower.
Click to expand...

Willpower...I haven't touched the album since...(other than the already released songs I downloaded on iTunes).

I am desperate for Friday...but as a fan for 30+ years, and one who is VERY EXCITED by all your comments and reviews, I'm gonna wait until I have the CD in my hands (yes I'm OLD).

:D
 
Irvine511 said:
I’d love to get more time at the end of Landlady. I want to hear just the band playing that beautiful groove.

I feel similarly about LIB. And SOL.

I also don’t know fancy musical terms like “bridge” and “middle 8” or whatever.
Click to expand...
You just dropped from #2 on the DC list to #12 due to your insistence in using acronyms.
 
U2freakboy said:
Some interesting info coming out of the U Talkin U2 2 me podcast. Andy Barlow produced Love is All We Have Left — the only song he produced on the album proper.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. Suggests there's a lot left over in the vaults with that particular collaboration. If it's as good as most are saying it is then I would do anything to hear a full album worth of material with Andy Barlow.

Maybe Songs of Ascent??! (OK I'm getting ahead of myself - I haven't even heard the album yet!)
 
for people new to U Talkin U2 To Me: don't expect a serious dissection of U2. It's a comedy podcast with some U2 talk in the second half, and the joke is that they don't talk about what they're supposed to talk about...but when they do it's pretty good!
 
ChurchBay said:
That's interesting. Suggests there's a lot left over in the vaults with that particular collaboration. If it's as good as most are saying it is then I would do anything to hear a full album worth of material with Andy Barlow.

Maybe Songs of Ascent??! (OK I'm getting ahead of myself - I haven't even heard the album yet!)
Click to expand...

they've got to release outtakes from Innocence & Experience. There's got to be a lot sitting there, and judging by the tracks that didn't make the albums - Crystal Ballroom, Lucifer's Hands, Invisible, Book of Your Heart, Lights of Home strings - there's probably some great stuff sitting on hard drives.
 
Its hard to believe that SOE is going to be released on Friday! this is actually gonna be my first time experiencing an album release. :applaud:
 
I'm loving this album. I liked it from the start and it is constantly growing with each listen. It's a very well crafted piece, full of beautiful rhythms, harmonies and incredible melodies, and strong lyrics overall. I have been listening to the previously released songs (The Little Things, The Blackout, Best Thing, GOOYOW, and American Soul) quite a lot (maybe too much?), which took away some of the surprise and novelty of the album for me, but I still like these songs and do not feel the need to skip them (except "American Soul").

Upon first contact, I was surprised and very curious with "Love is all we have left". Sounded pretty, but somewhat odd; I could not "grasp" it fully, and suddenly it was over. After further listening, I find this song amazing. Smooth, ethereal and with an otherworldly vibe built around strings, an eerie organ(?)/synthesizer and the occasional vocoder. The lyrics are simply beautiful, and the interplay between human-Bono and vocoder-Bono(s) is quite magical, very mooving. Pure poetry.

"Lights of Home" comes with the Haim riff from "Song nº5" in a gritty steel acoustic guitar - which sounds great - and a whole lot more. It's a beautiful, uplifting rock song, mixing U2ness with some "Beatles spice", but sounding very modern. I thoroughly enjoy the outro(?) harkening back to "Iris" (my favorite song from SOI, tied with Cedarwood Road - Raised by Wolves and The Troubles are close seconds). The touch of female voices in the outro is sweet. This song made me tear-up several times, mostly at the end.

"The best thing" is a cool track, propelled by simple and catchy guitar and bass riff s. This song sounds "simple" and unpretentious overall, but ends up sticking to your brain. The outro with Edge singing is the highlight of the song. The song fits well within the album.

GOOYOW is another gorgeous song. Very well put together and uplifting. I love the lyrics and the flow in this. The song does have a certain "Beautiful Day feel" to it, which is ok. I actually prefer this to Beautiful Day (actually, I was never a big fan of Beautiful Day and thought ATYCLB had much more better songs, though it is undeniably a good song).

"American Soul" is the song I like the least on SOE. I do try to enjoy it , the beginning and verses are cool and groovy, but the chorus is overly repetitive (especially at the end) and it gets annoying. I don't think my distaste is due to the re-using of Volcano/Glastonburry parts per se, but more about the excessive repetitiveness of it. The song would improve quite a bit by removing the last repetition of the chorus after the breakdown and just ending there.

"Summer of Love" is gorgeously smooth and groovy. Every musician is interplaying beautifully, percussion, bass and guitar tones are spot on, as is Bono's vocal, and the result is infectious. The sonics and lyrics contrast beautifully, blooming with a sexy, luscious feel, while discussing consequences of war and lessons nature teaches in that context. The bridge is awesome, but I wish the female backing vocal (Lady Gaga?) was louder in the mix. Should be a single.

Red Flag Day! Awesome tune. Sounds like U2 went back to circa 1983 with some extra groove and experience, and made a rocking "surf song" about war refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean sea. Again, contrasting with the dark lyrical theme, the sonics are vibrant and groovy, with super U2ness in vocal melodies AND backing vocals. Again, the interplay between the four musicians is mesmerizing. Single material.

I did not care much about "The Showman" at first. I still don't, but it is slowly growing on me. It is a nice song and it does remind me a lot of early Beatles. It sounds a bit "corny" and not very original, but it is catchy, and it is ear-candy. I don't understand a lot of the lyrics yet, so this will likely influence my opinion of the song.

"The Little Things" is astonishing. It is so beautiful and atmospheric. It builds up slowly, with the masterful instrumentation unraveling gradually, until it becomes a huge wave of sound. Edge's work is nothing short of amazing. The lyrics are deep, emotional and resonate. I loved this song in its live renditions, and I love it even more now.

"Landlady"... What a beauty. Another subtle song that develops gradually, but with a much lighter vibe, relieving the tension in "The Little Things". The ending reminds me of "North and South of the River", which is a good thing.

"The Blackout" comes to stir things up again. This is a great song. Heavy and funky. Adam and Larry are monsters here, and Edge's work is subtle but amazing as usual. I agree with other Interferences that think Edge should be louder in the mix, especially in the verses. But I still love this song. At first it felt a bit strange to have "The Blackout" located where it is , but with more listens I think it makes sense. It's a realization of the darkness in the world, and that we can be the light shining through. It brings tension back, before the final resolution.

"Love is bigger than anything in its way" follow suit, and like a marvel. This song also made me tear-up several times. It is almost cheesy, but it is not. It is beautifully emotional and heartfelt. It's also a grower. Bono really delivers here. The outro is heavenly, wrapping up the song .

"13" somehow makes a pair with the first song. This song surprised me and made me cry. Such a deep, meaningful song of experience. It employs "Song for Someone" motifs in a different, soberer context, and it works like magic. I love this song (and I never cared much for "Song for Someone"). I wonder if that distorted sound during the choruses is Edge's guitar or something else - reminds me of Scotish pipes. This song closes the album beautifully.

ps.: "Book of your heart" is amazing. After one listen I did not get it. Then, upon further listening, it sounds like 21th century Unforgettable Fire. The "vibe" of this song swept me off my feet. Edge does an incredible job, alternating between his trademark chime and sultry slide guitar, accompanied by great bass and synthesizers. At the end Bono kind of incorporates a Spaniard bard or something like that ;) It should be in the album proper, no doubt whatsoever. I would gladly swap it with "American Soul".

Overall this is a great album. It flows really well and the majority of songs are strong, emotional, and have connection and staying power. It is a luscious album, but has a lot of subtlety. I understand and appreciate the use of SOI motifs here, as it has mostly worked really well. I also think it makes a statement about the quality of SOI and the overall SOI-SOE duo, considering SOI was unfairly judged based on the release method, and not the songs. I think U2 will get a lot of people off-guard with this album, by gathering strength from adversity and experience, and transforming it into a high quality musical opus, once again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

U
Hey there! I finally made an account here!
Replies
2
Views
362
U2_family365
U
P
Surrender Memoir Love the Audio Book But Same Old Stories
Replies
13
Views
2K
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
cobl04
Kiss the Future documentary
Replies
11
Views
3K
MrsSpringsteen
MrsSpringsteen
N
NBA 2023-24 Thread
17 18 19
Replies
563
Views
17K
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
  • Locked
Songs of Songs, Books & Fat Puns - New Album Discussion #8
33 34 35
Replies
1K
Views
55K
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom