It's not bad. In terms of songwriting it's modern-U2 by numbers and it's very unimaginative but it's better than what I expected to be honest. I like the intro riff, the verses are quite good but the chorus is such a clichè.

If this record doesn't sell or produce a mega hit single who does Bono point the blame at this time?

It sounds like 3 different songs at once. And I agree, just make music for music's sake. 57 year olds aren't going to be Top 40 hitmakers, so stop trying to pander to the "youth".

Is this the last fart of a dying corpse?

Horrible song, they should stop.

People talk about the Rolling Stones, but at this stage they were wrinting much better songs than this.

No, I completely disagree, I like that album. Not great, but very good. I think there's an optimism there that isn't actually cheesy (aside from Elevation which in fairness did the business live - see Live At Slane Castle) and is lyrically sincere making it feel authentic. It helps with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois's restrained production and there's not this incessant need from Bono to write cut and paste choruses either. It's a U2 album that shows a band past their best but is able to tie up loose ends from the 20 years previously.

There's nothing abject on it. And I can say that everything off that album is better than this sorry new single. It was always going to be shite. I just cannot believe the band listened to this and thought 'yeah this is up there with the best'.

Blackout is a decent tune, nothing more, nothing less. I really like The Little Things - it's typical U2 but there's a real melancholy to the melody and lyrics that has been sorely lacking in their other MOR tunes of late. But the fact is, they need to get a fucking grip and rehire Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and this time give them free reign, instead of cowardly bringing in mainstream producers to compromise their work.

I agree. However, I will say that Stuck in a Moment is good and soulful (acoustic version > album version as well), Wild Honey is fun and doesn't need to be anything more, and When I Look at the World has some good guitar work and interesting lyrics. Elevation is a good rocker, though, but I'd be damned to say that the "Woo-hoo"s don't ruin that. Peace on Earth and Grace are rather boring, but New York is okay. The latter seems too much like Dirty Day in its structure. 

Difference between ATYCLB and the other 21st century U2 albums is that the simple songs on this album came from a time of the band having to reinvent themselves after things went south during the PopMart era (caused by problems that were of their own making, like booking the tour before the album was done) and they sound like they come from the heart more than Get On Your Boots, I'll Go Crazy, Song for Someone, and The Miracle on some of the later albums which have some really good songs on them but you wouldn't know of it because those get relegated to filler material. 

Technically, ATYCLB is a 20th century U2 album. Released the November before.

Further proves my point that 21st Century has been rubbish. Continually trying to remain a relevant Top 40 band, poorly produced and executed songs, Bono's ego getting worse and hobnobbing with George W Bush, "Vertigo", "Get On Your Boots", that whole iTunes debacle, etc.

Sounds familiar....

God bless.

There is this talk about The Rolling Stones going on for too long (agree they shouldn't, but they did), but in their 30+ years career they released some great songs, ok their albums at that time were all shit, but at least they could knock a few awesome songs with a bit of their mojo intact, however U2 can't even do this.

By far the best SOE song so far. This is up there with some of the best stuff U2 has done post-Pop. It mixes the best of what the band can do and has a tinge of melancholy and hope with a certain ambiance to it. I hope the album version captures the song as well as the live version does.

It is standard U2, if we are going with the earnest style wrapped up with lyrics of doubt, which is good enough for me.. It has got better with each listen - I thought it was standard ho hum U2, pleasant to listen to which would inevitably fade. It hasn't however. I like the lyrics; it's not poetry but more honest than anything written lately and I really like that pre-chorus ("Oh I'm not a ghost now/I can see you/you need to see me"). Evidence that the small subtle edges are essential to any good U2 song, rather than the crass, brash and outlandish bellowings of recent tunes.

To be fair I don't mind it now after a few more listens. Chorus is catchy.