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Post by Let It🩸 on Sept 9, 2014 17:33:01 GMT -5
God I hate itunes. how do you download it? I got to the album and it says "purchased" but it's not on the music library I clicked on the 'purchased' and that led me to downloading or streaming it. God bless.
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Post by eva on Sept 9, 2014 17:43:07 GMT -5
God I hate itunes. how do you download it? I got to the album and it says "purchased" but it's not on the music library I clicked on the 'purchased' and that led me to downloading or streaming it. God bless. that's disabled for me. WTF? if i download this FREE album from piratebay or something, is it still illegal? bleh I'm gonna go listen to the new Damien Rice song on loop
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Post by xo0oo0ox on Sept 9, 2014 18:21:39 GMT -5
The songs are pretty good, but the production is too dry and repetitive IMO. It all kind of blends together... U2 needs Eno "Raised By Wolves" is a real standout though.
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Post by Lennon2217 on Sept 9, 2014 19:48:25 GMT -5
Well if you remember 2-3 years back, the band said they had a rocky/punky album they made with Danger Mouse and a more dance influenced album as well. Perhaps the second one is that? Sleep Like A Baby Tonight reminds me of Pop - which is good. I'm thinking more of the same production wise, but maybe different lyrical approach? Sure Adam Clayton said they scrapped the dance album they were making. That is a very good tune. I enjoyed it a lot on first listen. Back to the second album topic, I also seem to remember U2 teasing us with another companion album for No Line On The Horizon back in March of 2009. Bono said another album would follow in the winter called Songs of Ascent. That obviously never happened.
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Post by Let It🩸 on Sept 9, 2014 20:09:59 GMT -5
I clicked on the 'purchased' and that led me to downloading or streaming it. God bless. that's disabled for me. WTF? if i download this FREE album from piratebay or something, is it still illegal? bleh I'm gonna go listen to the new Damien Rice song on loop apparently you're the only person who has to pay for the album. ---------- haven't fully digested the album....normally i like to listen to new music with earphones whilst bicycling but tonight some asshole thought he was in the Tour de France so i raced him for a while and didn't absorb the music. as stated, i really like 'Sleep Like A Baby Tonight'....love that last minute or so. God bless.
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Post by Let It🩸 on Sept 9, 2014 20:10:38 GMT -5
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Post by matt on Sept 9, 2014 20:14:12 GMT -5
Sleep Like A Baby Tonight reminds me of Pop - which is good. I'm thinking more of the same production wise, but maybe different lyrical approach? Sure Adam Clayton said they scrapped the dance album they were making. That is a very good tune. I enjoyed it a lot on first listen. Back to the second album topic, I also seem to remember U2 teasing us with another companion album for No Line On The Horizon back in March of 2009. Bono said another album would follow in the winter called Songs of Ascent. That obviously never happened. The man himself said he'd said that before! But I'm sure he wouldn't make the same mistake twice, especially as fan reaction has been impressive for this record. There's not one bad track on this one - perhaps the only real stand out catchy radio tune is Every Breaking Wave, but the other tunes are all impressive for different reasons. It's the first U2 album in ages that I don't feel tempted to skip any tune. Big big kudos to Danger Mouse. Got very worried when I saw that many other producers like Epworth and Ryan Tedder had been drafted in. Genuinely thought that Danger Mouse's influence would be minimised to the extent we couldn't tell he was a producer, but everything musical about this album screams Danger Mouse. Love how all band members are on top top top form, Clayton, Mullen and The Edge at their tightest in years. It's clear the age old team of Eno/Lanois had gone stale, so a fresh young and modern producer has certainly reinvigorated their sound. More I listen to it, the more I love it. I wanted an album that was superior to the last two mediocre albums, and heck I've got it. No album that they release would ever top War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, but to have one that ranks in the second tier of albums like Pop, All That You Can't Leave Behind, Zooropa, etc makes me very happy indeed! Not so much a reinvention, but a reinvigoration. I'll take that all day long.
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Post by ETrilk on Sept 9, 2014 20:14:48 GMT -5
Been awfully impressed so far. Loving "California" and "Song For Someone".
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Post by Cast on Sept 9, 2014 21:23:08 GMT -5
First impressions: This is indeed a pretty solid album. Obviously I'm still very much digesting this and reviewing an album after initially listening to it isnt the best way to pass judgement on an album but this is definitely their best since How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (which I actually find pretty enjoyable). I think this one is probably the better album because it is more diverse musically, and far more interesting but HTDAAB might be stronger if I put each song against each other.
The album starts off strong. The first four songs are all good and each of them showcase various sides of what we've come to expect from U2 after all these years. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) is a roaring rocky anthem, much better than Boots or Vertigo. Every Breaking Wave, on the other hand, is slow soaring anthem that so many bands try to mimic, but only U2 pulls off with such grace. California (There Is No End to Love) is another upbeat tune that has a wonderful chorus melody. Love the synths on this one as well. Song for Someone showcases U2's quieter side. It is is akin to "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" without all of the bombast on the end.
After these first four the album kinda dips in quality at least to my ears. Iris (Hold Me Close) and Volcano are probably the two weakest songs on the album for me. The former is just bland, and thus my least favorite on the album. U2 going through the motions as far as I'm concerned. Volcano has some interesting sounds in there and it is nice to see U2 trying to the return to their punk roots, but the melody is poor. The Edge kinda redeems it with his guitar playing.
Raised By Wolves and Cedarwood Road pick up the quality a little bit. I suspect that Raised By Wolves is a grower. It is one of the more interesting songs that U2 has done in recent memory that doesn't feel overly thought out, but the chorus melody is just, I don't know kinda wack. Cedarwood Road is a solid rocker that blends nice guitar riffage with nice production techniques.
The album ends on a very strong note. The last three tracks are up to par with the first four tracks in terms of quality. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight is definitely an album highlight. Pop vibes are very apparent on this track. It is a slow creeping track and I actually like U2 showing some restraint for once and not going all melodramatic in the final moments of that song. The last minute and half gives me hope that they still craft weird pop experiments. This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now is another album highlight. It is an early favorite for sure. It stomps, it grooves, and it very clearly has Danger Mouse's hands on it. Nice melody on there as well. The Troubles is a somber, sedated, but elegant closer. Lykke Li's voice sounds great on here.
It is definitely the best U2 album in a while. More tuneful than their past release but more interesting than How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and All That You Can't Leave Behind. I'm willing to say its good, but not great. It is me or is father time finally catching up with Bono's voice? He still has great range but he is sounding a little weathered in some isolated moments on this album. I also gotta say, maybe its because I haven't listened to U2 in a little while but there are some atrocious lyrical couplets on here. Props to Danger Mouse for making U2 sound so fresh and for not overly doing it on his trademark cartoony production. He is an excellent producer but over the years I have found his work to be a little stale (especially with the Black Keys). He sometimes falls in the trap of doing the same thing with the artists he works with. He dresses up their songs to sound and to fit into his aesthetic. He sounds like he has found a second wind as well.
All in all the album kicks off excellently with songs that showcase all the classic sounds of U2 but it loses a bit of steam in the middle. The album picks up in the final three tracks with the band exploring new sounds with great success.
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Post by matt on Sept 9, 2014 21:32:17 GMT -5
Our very own Noel is thanked in the digital booklet/sleevenotes.
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Post by Lennon2217 on Sept 9, 2014 22:15:20 GMT -5
Our very own Noel is thanked in the digital booklet/sleevenotes. Noel is the kind of guy Bono wishes he could be on a daily basis. Totally freewheelin' it.
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Post by Headmaster on Sept 9, 2014 22:17:31 GMT -5
I've heard most of the songs and I have to say that it has an "old uncle trying to stay hip" feeling.
If it's good or bad dunno exactly.
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Post by RUBIKON on Sept 10, 2014 1:20:47 GMT -5
Not a bad track on this album at all. The melodies are perfect
Favourites are California, Every Breaking Wave, Song for Someone, Cedarwood Road.
Feel like they should have released California as the first single though.
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Post by eva on Sept 10, 2014 6:54:00 GMT -5
in case anyone else had the same problems as me, I found the solution here I can't open the pdf though. Why do they have to make things so complicated?? fucking apple
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Post by lahaine on Sept 10, 2014 7:29:59 GMT -5
I've heard most of the songs and I have to say that it has an "old uncle trying to stay hip" feeling. If it's good or bad dunno exactly. I think you are been a little unfair, nothing sounds like old pro's trying to sound young on the album for me. I think it's a excellent album.
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Post by lahaine on Sept 10, 2014 7:34:35 GMT -5
Our very own Noel is thanked in the digital booklet/sleevenotes. Noel is the kind of guy Bono wishes he could be on a daily basis. Totally freewheelin' it. I think Noel wished he was in a band like U2. But that must be a kick for him though been thanked by Bono and Co.
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Post by appleseed on Sept 10, 2014 7:35:33 GMT -5
It reminds me of Radiohead's In Rainbow. There is not big hit tunes, but all songs is high quality and amazing.
And I like Iris (hold me close) lyrics.
Free yourself, to be yourself if only you could see yourself Free yourself, to be yourself if only you could see...
dat lines!
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Post by Lennon2217 on Sept 10, 2014 7:41:21 GMT -5
Noel is the kind of guy Bono wishes he could be on a daily basis. Totally freewheelin' it. I think Noel wished he was in a band like U2. But that must be a kick for him though been thanked by Bono and Co. Noel was also thanked on Atomic Bomb. I believe Noel and Liam were thanked on ATYCLB also.
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Post by lahaine on Sept 10, 2014 7:47:56 GMT -5
I think Noel wished he was in a band like U2. But that must be a kick for him though been thanked by Bono and Co. Noel was also thanked on Atomic Bomb. I believe Noel and Liam were thanked on ATYCLB also. Oasis where a influence on the back to basics of ATYCLB, plus Noel seems like good mates with the band although Liam is always taking pot shots at Bono. Didn't Noel give U2 a Brit award for Lifetime achievement a few years back?
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Post by theclock on Sept 10, 2014 8:49:35 GMT -5
in case anyone else had the same problems as me, I found the solution here I can't open the pdf though. Why do they have to make things so complicated?? fucking apple Thanks! I was having the same problem as you. And I can't open the pdf either.
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Post by matt on Sept 10, 2014 11:55:31 GMT -5
I have to praise U2 for getting Lykke Li on a duet for The Troubles. She's a great talent, and it would have been so so easy for U2 to opt for the 'sell out' option like Coldplay and gratuitously insert a big star like Rihanna or Adele on the track.
The fact they got a relatively unknown Swedish singer to duet shows these guys have quality control and reputation in mind.
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Post by Cast on Sept 10, 2014 12:55:22 GMT -5
NME's review of the album is just so piss poor. I can't think of a major music reviewer site that has this amount really shitty writers working for them. Really a 4/10? NME tries to be so hip and trendy that it just isn't. I honestly don't know why I even give them clicks anymore.
I don't know if I'd call Lykke Li relatively unknown. Sure, she isn't a household name like RiRi or U2 but I'd say any avid music listener is at least aware of who she is. You don't get articles posted on major sites like Grantland or Pitchfork if you are relatively unknown. She's a niche artist for sure, who might not be played on the radio but I know a surprising amount of people between the ages of 18-35 that are familiar with her work. I'm nit picking a little bit though.
Still, good for U2 for recognizing real talent and for not trying to force it with a more popular name.
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Post by eva on Sept 10, 2014 13:14:25 GMT -5
yeah, at least it's not Lorde yawn
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Post by matt on Sept 10, 2014 13:31:10 GMT -5
NME's review of the album is just so piss poor. I can't think of a major music reviewer site that has this amount really shitty writers working for them. Really a 4/10? NME tries to be so hip and trendy that it just isn't. I honestly don't know why I even give them clicks anymore. I don't know if I'd call Lykke Li relatively unknown. Sure, she isn't a household name like RiRi or U2 but I'd say any avid music listener is at least aware of who she is. You don't get articles posted on major sites like Grantland or Pitchfork if you are relatively unknown. She's a niche artist for sure, who might not be played on the radio but I know a surprising amount of people between the ages of 18-35 that are familiar with her work. I'm nit picking a little bit though. Still, good for U2 for recognizing real talent and for not trying to force it with a more popular name. I agree but relatively unknown to the mainstream I mean. They're not targeting teenage girls with no taste which is what Coldplay did.
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Post by Lennon2217 on Sept 10, 2014 13:47:31 GMT -5
Thus far, after about one day, my highlights include: The Miracle (of Joey Ramone), Every Breaking Wave, California, Sleep Like A Baby, This Is Where You Can Reach Me, and The Trouble. The last three tracks on the album have a total Broken Bells feel to them, especially The Trouble which easily could be mistaken for a track off After The Disco. I really love the run up to the end of the LP. Fun stuff. This album is a massive improvement over the silly at times No Line On The Horizon.
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