New U2 album (SOE): Which sound would you prefer it to have?

[gujuju]

something less bloody obvious, more thought provoking and something with more atmosphere....a darker, more brooding but off kilter album..

shy away from verse, chorus, verse...ban edge from chiming, force bono to sing in his lower register, get larry and adam unshackled and come up with something that sets u2 apart.

lose the pop veneer, the crappy cheesy keyboard fills and the over production.

I remember you liked SOI when it was released.  What are your thoughts on it now?

[iehomecoming]

something less bloody obvious, more thought provoking and something with more atmosphere....a darker, more brooding but off kilter album..

shy away from verse, chorus, verse...ban edge from chiming, force bono to sing in his lower register, get larry and adam unshackled and come up with something that sets u2 apart.

lose the pop veneer, the crappy cheesy keyboard fills and the over production.

Agreed. Please yourselves, critics and fans, forget the Coldplay loving non-music fans.

Don't worry about pleasing fans and critics. just make music that you want to make with no regard if the fair weather fans, critics, grammy committees, etc will like it. Don't try and dabble in hip hop or dance just because that's what "the kids" will buy, they're not the ones buying the concert tickets. And please stop trying to be coldplay ferchrissakes.

Look to Springsteen as a role model, he just does what HE wants (although I personally don't care for it), not what he thinks will sell or what he thinks may make him more "relevant".

[daffi]

ROCK ROCK ROCK !!! not pop-dance songs, we hear it enough on the radio in the past few years , more Edge's  solos!!!! some fresh and new rock songs!!!!!!! 

[The Hair of Martin Gore]

something less bloody obvious, more thought provoking and something with more atmosphere....a darker, more brooding but off kilter album..

shy away from verse, chorus, verse...ban edge from chiming, force bono to sing in his lower register, get larry and adam unshackled and come up with something that sets u2 apart.

lose the pop veneer, the crappy cheesy keyboard fills and the over production.

All of this!  I think SOI would have been greatly improved by not having every song filled with keyboards pads. They were suffocating.

Bono's voice - or the way he chooses to use it - is piercing.  Even if it was lower in the mix it would be better.

Edge has to stop chiming.  He did his best work when during the time chiming was basically banned.  It's possible that he's done everything he can do, but if he's going to repeat himself I'd prefer it was with laying parts laden with different effects, or the muted riffing on War than the chiming.

Larry and Adam are better players than they've ever been, but it doesn't come through on the album.  A more balanced mix would bring them up more, but it would also be great if they played parts that were a bit more complex or inventive.

If I could have U2 grant me one wish, it would be for Bono to quit with the damn love songs, and the self deprecating songs that are basically humblebrags, and with the attempts at cleverness which have always fallen flat this century.  I guess that's three wishes.

[satellitedog]

Neither please. U2 should just write music for music's sake, no rock songs, no pop tunes. These categories limit their scope to goals that will result in formula.

I want music from them.

[PieBlaCon]

something less bloody obvious, more thought provoking and something with more atmosphere....a darker, more brooding but off kilter album..

shy away from verse, chorus, verse...ban edge from chiming, force bono to sing in his lower register, get larry and adam unshackled and come up with something that sets u2 apart.

lose the pop veneer, the crappy cheesy keyboard fills and the over production.

I think that ship has sailed. "Cedars of Lebanon" doesn't engender the hip new fans U2 seems to be after.

[an tha]

something less bloody obvious, more thought provoking and something with more atmosphere....a darker, more brooding but off kilter album..

shy away from verse, chorus, verse...ban edge from chiming, force bono to sing in his lower register, get larry and adam unshackled and come up with something that sets u2 apart.

lose the pop veneer, the crappy cheesy keyboard fills and the over production.

I remember you liked SOI when it was released.  What are your thoughts on it now?

it is ok....it is a decent effort.

side 1 didn't wear well and has some dogs on it...side 2 has some of their best music since Pop on it.

more of the same or more pop rock would be very dull though to me

the biggest criticism i have of modern day u2 is they aren't as clever and subtle as they used to be the music is dumbed down and too safe - lacks a spark, lacks grit, anger, atmospherics and isn't to me moving in the main - when they step away from the middle of the road they still shine ala SLABT, COL even the troubles...

[Neil Young, man!]

something less bloody obvious, more thought provoking and something with more atmosphere....a darker, more brooding but off kilter album..

shy away from verse, chorus, verse...ban edge from chiming, force bono to sing in his lower register, get larry and adam unshackled and come up with something that sets u2 apart.

lose the pop veneer, the crappy cheesy keyboard fills and the over production.

Agreed. Please yourselves, critics and fans, forget the Coldplay loving non-music fans.

Don't worry about pleasing fans and critics. just make music that you want to make with no regard if the fair weather fans, critics, grammy committees, etc will like it. Don't try and dabble in hip hop or dance just because that's what "the kids" will buy, they're not the ones buying the concert tickets. And please stop trying to be coldplay ferchrissakes.

Look to Springsteen as a role model, he just does what HE wants (although I personally don't care for it), not what he thinks will sell or what he thinks may make him more "relevant".

Regardless of how you feel about their music, Springsteen has integrity, and so does Neil Young. Seeing as Bono looks (looked?) up to both of them, can't he just take some inspiration...

[SwimmingSorrows]

If it's good, I don't care which direction they go in.

[mc]

both.....just like Lemon was different to the rest of Zooropa

[jules]

For the me the live versions of Breathe and NLOTH are the best thing U2 have done in years. So elevating and life affirming.

[wik73]

something less bloody obvious, more thought provoking and something with more atmosphere....a darker, more brooding but off kilter album..

shy away from verse, chorus, verse...ban edge from chiming, force bono to sing in his lower register, get larry and adam unshackled and come up with something that sets u2 apart.

lose the pop veneer, the crappy cheesy keyboard fills and the over production.

I remember you liked SOI when it was released.  What are your thoughts on it now?

it is ok....it is a decent effort.

side 1 didn't wear well and has some dogs on it...side 2 has some of their best music since Pop on it.

more of the same or more pop rock would be very dull though to me

the biggest criticism i have of modern day u2 is they aren't as clever and subtle as they used to be the music is dumbed down and too safe - lacks a spark, lacks grit, anger, atmospherics and isn't to me moving in the main - when they step away from the middle of the road they still shine ala SLABT, COL even the troubles...

I agree completely with your last paragraph. The lyrics are too straightforward and the nice guy persona in their music gets boring.


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[wik73]

I think MOS and Unknown Caller are tunes that show they still have something special but the delivery still lacks the urgency we've heard before. SLABT and Trouble are also moving in the right direction.


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[Cam501]

I'd have voted "mix" if I had any faith that U2 were into good electronic music, but there's nothing to indicate that they are.  The clip Adam posted is great, and I want more of that. Edge's guitar sounds incredible. The song at the end of Edge's Fender video is really good too, so they should stick with that - adventurous, effect laden rock songs.  Not lame EDM.  The kids don't want to dance with their parents, or grandparents. 

Adam's clip the Edge's fender video, along with the improved songwriting and conceptual tour had me more excited about U2 since the run-up to ATYCLB (coming off nearly 20 years of greatness).  You're The Best Thing kinda dampered that though. They should just give that song to Ariana Grande or someone like that.

I'm ok with a mostly rock album that has some electronic influences.  Heck I go to more electronic shows than I do rock shows these days.  If you would have asked me that 10 years ago I would have said you were crazy.

[andrewau2]

Rock please. That clip along with You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, past 4:00 mark sounds like Edge finally coming back.

Yeah, I agree.  The end of that youtube clip sounds great.  An album of heavy guitars like that and the clip Adam posted would be amazing.  I don't think U2 has ever really had a guitar driven mostly rock album before.  Come to think of it, the times they have been close are arguably their best albums.