U2
Songs of Experience
[Interscope Records]
On the thirtieth anniversary of The Joshua Tree, one of their most celebrated albums, U2 released their fourteenth album, Songs of Experience. Their latest is a contentious piece because while it’s not entirely dreadful in its musicality, its purpose and place amidst iconic records The Unforgettable Fire and War is feeble.
The band worked with a varied production team including Steve Lillywhite, Ryan Tedder and Danger Mouse hoping to reclaim their former glory whilst bringing forth contemporary tones to the create chart friendly singles. These figures attempt to emulate a myriad of soundscapes. Spanning Frank Ocean’s unpolished autotuning (Love Is All We Have Left) whist tapping into The Killers and Coldplay, also. Lest we forget an appearance from Kendrick Lamar on American Soul, bringing two of the biggest names in music together for the second time in 2017.
The lack of credibility throughout the lyrics is the central issue with the record. On Landlady, Bono sings in a feigned vocal “Cos when I was broke, it was always you that paid the rent”. It’s impossible to imagine a time when Bono was ever stuck to pay rent. This is just one instance where their lack of universal experiences leaves them exposed to ridicule. Unfortunately, for a band with such an incredible output this is not good rock n’ roll, uh, music.
Words – Zara Hedderman
Like This? Try These:
Coldplay – A Head Full Of Dreams
The Killers – Wonderful Wonderful
U2 – Songs of Innocence
