But I don't think he listens to them much outside of me telling him to. For reference, his favourite U2 song is Trying To Throw Your Arms Around the World (favourite, not what he'd say is their best).Here are his thoughts, I found them interesting as many of them are the polar opposite to what many here:
Okay this is going to be kind of sporadic but these are the thoughts I took down while listening, please keep in mind this is my first time listening and also the casual nature of my U2 fandom therefore if something HAS been done before but I haven't heard it, I will act as if this is a first time kinda thing. Let's get into it.
Track 1 - (?)
- This feels like an intro more than a song in and of itself, I realize it is, but you know.
- Reminds me a LOT of 808s and Heartbreaks, Kanye's 2008 album where it was all autotuned kinda of synthy ethereal stuff
- Also got a Daft Punk vibe from the instrumental
- Has a good mood to it, and having heard the rest of the songs now, it's a good setup for what to expect.
Track 2 - Lights of Home
- Dang, this track is rocking. It has a lot of energy from the instrumentals and even the vocals
- Catchy af, words are repetitive and get in your head, I was able to sing along by the final chorus
- Neat little Edge solo, really nice tone, and the delay works
- The bridge/outro whatever you want to call it. Oof. Give me more of that sound, I like it.
Track 3 - You're The Best Thing About Me
- Not as bad as I remember, definitely kind of rote and generic, but listenable.
- There's definitely some interesting IDEAS at work here, the fuzzy overdriven bass, some of the little background inflections synth and stuff
Track 4 - Get Out Of Your Own Way
- Wow, this is the best song so far, really fucking good.
- Melody reminds me slightly of 'Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac, either I'm reading into it too much or that's intentional
- Please tell me this is the companion piece to California because it feels like it should be even if it's not
- I love the sound, it reminds me of more modern indie bands but has that unmistakable U2 sound (Edge backing on chorus really does it)
- Love the outro that leads to American Soul
Track 5 - American Soul
- This intro is fucking stupid. It might work if I didn't know Bono was coming in to be an old white dude.
- That I love the driving rhythm, the guitars/bass is really doing it for me.
- This is the chorus you were telling me about and I have to say for me it kinda works.
- I guess that makes this the companion to Volcano, which I can dig.
- The lyrics are terrible, don't hate me for that opinion but they sound like a teenagers idea of being deep.
Track 6 - Summer of Love
- Edge!
- Adam!
- Both of them have parts that are very satisfying, Edge especially sounds like not himself but it really works
- Song itself is decent, it really rewards being able to sit down and listen because I don't know that it would be that attention-grabbing in a different setting
- The strings on this one are pretty cool
- I like the lyrics on this one
Track 7 - Red Flag Day
- This one is different, feels again like a modern indie band
- I have mixed feelings on this one, there is no doubt its good, but it feels like it kind of betrays U2's 'sound'.
- I do like that they are trying new things, this is just one that feels a little like it's them playing someone else's song.
- That said, Edges background vocal and the lyrics reclaim it as a U2 song without a doubt.
- 'Waves are breaking', I don't know if this is meant to be the companion to Every Breaking Wave, but that's a nod if nothing else
Track 8 - Showman
- This has to be the one you said reminds you of early Beatles
- Funnily enough, it reminds me a little of Green Day too, they have some Beatles ripoffs that have the same sound
- This is a really fun song, not sure if it's supposed to be anything more, but I really dig it
- It might not be the first thing that stands out to the 'average' listener, but Larry Mullen does some strong work here keeping the feel of the song locked in.
- Catchy as fuck, singing along already
- Bridge is really interesting, short, but does some cool stuff with the halftime feel
Track 9 - The Little Things ... (its cut off)
- I didn't love this one, it felt kind of boring for the first half
- I expect you liked it because it has the elements of a strong U2 song.
- It just didn't do anything for me except...
- From the slow, quiet part onwards (2:30) this song transforms and the ending is really great. It captures the emotions the first part felt like it was trying to.
Track 10 - Landlady
- I have nothing good to say about this song
- It didn't have the emotion to carry a slower song, or the lyrics to make it profound
- If I listened again I'd probably skip this song
Track 11 - The Blackout
- Love that intro, reminds me of All Because of You, very short though
- Once Adam comes in, it's a nice driving bassline, and the lyrics are actually fun on this one
- This Chorus, hmm, I like it. It delivers on the promise the intro sets up.
- Little quiet pre-chorus is nice with all the effects in the background
- Pretty great outro too
Track 12 - Love Is Bigger
- This song feels like a marriage, with a more 'expected' or classic U2 sound and more modern production
- It feels like with some changes it could fit on one of their albums from early in the 2000s
- I really liked the chorus, it doesn't change up the feel much and I like the lyrics a lot.
- Has the epic feel you might hope a U2 song to have
Track 13 - There is a Light
- Interesting sound on this one, minimal instruments
- Bono obviously is the star on this song, the band is there to accompany.
- Love the piano and the synths, understated and moody
- Interesting lyrics
Track 14 was missing?
Track 15 - Book of Your Heart
- Similar to Love is Bigger, this feels like a U2 song that's been made in this modern production style
- It's decent, the lyrics are more interesting than the music
- I have to say, the energy picks up by the end, and Edge gets to do his thing. The prominent synth is interesting, sounds like of like a Rhodes but not.
Overall impression:
Alright, credit where it's due, this is a pretty impressive record for a band that's going 37(?) years from their debut. It feels very, very fresh. It owes a lot to the production, it's masterful and absolutely brings their sound up to date with whatever is on the radio without sacrificing too much of what makes U2 a band and not an electronic group. The only casualty in this update is Larry Mullen, if only because some songs put him in a box or use electronic drums. That's not to say what's there does not serve the music, because I can see that it's in the name of bigger picture over individual contribution. Edge does some really great stuff all over the place, whatever sound Songs of Innocence brought out of him, he's expanded on it here I think. Some songs have big distorted guitars and some have him playing more arrpegios or chord structured riffs. That's not to say we don't get 'Delay Edge' every now and then, but he's going deeper and I think that's a good thing. Adam Clayton gets to have a lot of fun here, correct me if I'm wrong but a lot of 2000s U2 he's been hanging on the root note and not getting to stretch his fingers a lot. Here I'm reminded he's a honest to goodness musican, not just your average bass player. Bono, what can be said about Bono? His vocals sound great, obviously he's sounding older, but it hasn't hurt the songs and I didn't hear any weak vocals. The lyrics come and go, some are really notable and cool, some are...something that's not that. I feel like that's the case with most U2 for me though, they can either be profound or thirteen years old.
8.6/10
Hope this was a good read!
