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  1. Originally posted by Genaro92U2:What's interesting to me is that this album is more consistent than ATYCLB, HTDAAB and NLOTH, but there are no 10/10 songs on SOI in my opinion. For me the new album has a lot of 7-9 out of 10 songs. No song is great as Moment of Surrender, No Line on the Horizon, Sometimes You Can't, City of Blinding Lights, Beautiful Day and Walk On which in my opinion are perfect songs. (even if most of those are overplayed)

    I definitely see where you are coming from here and I kind of agree! This one definitely feels like a complete package though.
  2. Originally posted by Genaro92U2:What's interesting to me is that this album is more consistent than ATYCLB, HTDAAB and NLOTH, but there are no 10/10 songs on SOI in my opinion. For me the new album has a lot of 7-9 out of 10 songs.


    Totally agree - I said something similar earlier in this thread (that the album was amazingly even for U2, has no real lows, but also no real highs). Have listened to it quite a bit and remain feeling it's good, though mediocre. I'd put the songs not in a 7-9 (out of 10) range, but the 5-7 range.
  3. The album is greater than the sum of it's parts. Most complete collection of songs since Achtung Baby! The first five songs and the last five songs go together very well with Volcano smack in the middle to separate the two side of the album.
  4. Originally posted by AMLBONO:The album is greater than the sum of it's parts. Most complete collection of songs since Achtung Baby! The first five songs and the last five songs go together very well with Volcano smack in the middle to separate the two side of the album.

    Very well said!
  5. I definitely think EBW, Song for Someone, Iris and The Troubles are going to be 10/10 songs with time. They're 9/10 at the moment for me. I'm just flabbergasted there isn't anything like Boots or Wild Honey to weigh down the album. Volcano is close but that's not a problem because the "playfulness" and general rocking vibe works after the first 5 songs I think.
  6. Amazon:



    So, what do you think the final cover will look like?
  7. Originally posted by LikeASong:After a second, more detailed listen...


    Summary

    Trying to hold back from the excitement and the mindblowing presentation move, and focusing just on the music... It's a more consistent album than NLOTH and HTDAAB, steadier, less hit&miss. It has a disctinctive sound all throughout (these albums didn't have any actually). And even though there aren't as many highlights or stand out tracks as in NLOTH (MOS, UC, Cedars, Breathe and No Line were all mindblowing), it has a bigger "album feel" to it - which is something I love.
    Edge is truly on fire this time, he's loosen up a bit (and got wild on the fuzz pedal) and it comes through blatantly. Adam is a bit absent on some tracks (something that didn't happen in NLOTH, which was "his" record as many of us said) but stands out in others. Larry is consistently good, with some highlights like Wolves or Iris. Bono is... Bono. A bit too much screaming at times, and I as a singer myself think he'll have trouble singing some of these songs: they're way too high on the vocal range. Let's see how he delivers on tour. The lyrics are amazing anyway!


    Top tracks (in no order)
    Raised By Wolves
    The Troubles
    This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now


    Rank: too early for this but... Between the good albums and the great ones. Somewhere around Rattle And Hum or NLOTH. I dare to say... 8/10?


    Thank U2. Thanks for being the sountrack of my life and the reason I was born and I'm still alive. Love ♥


    More than a week later...

    I have changed my views a little... Overall rank and summary don't change much, but the Are U2 overly reliant on producers? thread made me realize that there's too few Edge in here. Raised By Wolves and The Troubles SCREAM for a dirty, painful guitar solo that never happens. And yes, I know the "he'll probably do them live as he did with Love Is Blindness bla bla", but fact is that while he might lengthen or change solos live, he rarley (never?) adds something out of the blue - if the song doesn't have a studio solo, it won't have it live. Which is a shame specially for these 2 songs.

    Bono is still the lower point of the album for me. He's surely written some amazing lyrics, but the way he sings many of them... I can't stand it at times. There are some amazing vocal deliverings (The Troubles!!, Cedarwood Road, SFS, The Miracle, Raised By Wolves, Reach Me Now...) but also some pretty poor ones (Sleep Like A Baby, EBW at times, California). Anyway, I have an immense respect for him and I don't want to rain on his parade - it's just my opinion as someone who's grown and learnt English singing along to this man's vocal lines.

    I'd now add Cedarwood Road to the top tracks, and maybe leave off The Troubles (the lack of a true Edge solo is more and more disappointing).

    Rating as 8/10 is fine with me, I feel it's more like 7'5 at times but no big matter. It will settle as 7'5 eventually I think, but time might tell, maybe it climbs up to 8'5! And in fact, after doing the Rank the albums thingy, it stands above both R&H and NLOTH!


    Still thanks to the band of my life for keeping the passion alive ♥
  9. If it's "Innocence" album, I could see similar artwork to Boy/War...
  10. For whatever reason, I didn't feel I was able to post any review/rating of the new album over the past week. It seems that I wasn't giving it the proper attention it deserved - sure I played it several times on my Ipod but often with only one ear-bud in as I had other things going on around. However, I finally took the time to put the album on my docking station yesterday and thought, "Wow, this album sounds fantastic." I also started to pay more attention to the lyrics and the theme of the album....yep, they've done a really nice job here.

    I can't believe they are in striking distance of preventing a potential fall from glory for a THIRD TIME! That's gotta be unprecedented.

    I know I am a bit bias here but these guys are extremely good at what they do - maybe even the best ever.
  12. Originally posted by RUMMY:For whatever reason, I didn't feel I was able to post any review/rating of the new album over the past week. It seems that I wasn't giving it the proper attention it deserved - sure I played it several times on my Ipod but often with only one ear-bud in as I had other things going on around. However, I finally took the time to put the album on my docking station yesterday and thought, "Wow, this album sounds fantastic." I also started to pay more attention to the lyrics and the theme of the album....yep, they've done a really nice job here.

    I can't believe they are in striking distance of preventing a potential fall from glory for a THIRD TIME! That's gotta be unprecedented.

    I know I am a bit bias here but these guys are extremely good at what they do - maybe even the best ever.

    I think it's fitting that U2 and Madonna have the same manager now as both acts seem to have reinvention down to a science.
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