Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
I don't agree with everything but:
What transpires is not so much a classic concept album where songs are unified by a thematic cohesiveness, but rather a collection of disparate singles not necessarily hewn by the “Experience” premise. This collection, therefore, seems weirdly disconnected. That’s understandable since nine producers were used in making the record. Current hipsters to turn morbid ideas into pleasing hooks.
As a result, U2 sounds modern, but the songs sound largely generic. Consequently, with no unifying thread, their sequencing on the album is also out of kilter. Maybe experience isn’t linear. The techno dance-crunch of “The Blackout,” a stand out track, doesn’t fit neatly where it is positioned on the disc. It’s an orphan, among many. More problematic, The Edge, known for his distinctive guitar tones, is practically reduced to a session player. Most of his sonic signatures have been turned off or lowered in the mix. And potential new ones left in the box. That might be the most arresting aspect of the record. Mostly, it doesn’t sound like U2. It sounds like its producers.
But make no mistake. This is Bono’s record. Conceptually, lyrically, and sonically. What began as a sincere attempt to explore experience seems to have intentionally morphed into something different. Alas, Bono discovers that the new material really produced “love letters” to family, friends and places. Not death marches. Life may be perishable, but spirituality (love) is eternal.
(...)
U2 could have defied current trends -- which emphasize songs over albums -- by issuing the best songs from the Innocence/Experience sessions under a single double-album. That radical idea would have resolved the thematic discontinuity plaguing both records and would have transformed the efforts from mediocre to masterful.
These all are very valid points, coinciding with my main criticism of the album. Whoever wrote this definitely knew what he was writing.
I think people confuse theme with sound. I keep going back to Beyoncé’s Lemonade and how it had a cohesive theme yet each song sounded different.
