apparently they're planning a second album later in the year. i'll believe it when i see it. they've said that the last two times out, haven't they?

anyway, here's the link. it's at the end of a a great, long interview about the making of the album:

http://www.guardian.co.uk...he-horizon

It leaked last night.

boner is a pompous twat

Dewrede said:

contrapposto said:

Yup, must confess I have naughtied a copy onto my PC to listen to tonight.

What I have heard so far sounds promising. Quite moody, not as throwaway as I was fearing from that first single.

listening to it right now....

No Line On The Horizon (the song) is a weak opener, the song itself is ok.....it should not have been the first track.

at track 3 (Moment Of Surrender) now.....I'm thinking: what the fuck?????

Lord, Moment of Surrender sucks major ass!

Unknown Caller - anyone ever heard John Farnham's 'The Voice'?????

i'm waiting on my "copy" as my boyfriend is downloading it from his place (i'm at work and can't do that sort of thing here, lol). he said he liked the title track a lot...very excited to hear...

don't if I can take much more.....very disappointed so far!

ok...i've heard four tracks and LOVE each and every one so far!

we've all heard get on your boots...no line on the horizon is awesome! fez being born is incredible! white as snow is great! lots of eno/bowie sounds here which is a big deal for U2 and, honestly, i see their traditional fans having a difficult time swallowing this one. lots of ambient sounds attached to a distant u2 signature sound.

ok, while typing this, moment of surrender came on and, musically, so far i love it!

moment of surrender is AWESOME! it's got a very faraway (so close) sound to it...very smooth...with an neil young vibe as well

this is the U2 i've waited 10 years for! nice pickup where pop left off...

first quick listening, and somewhat distracted by my passenger in the car, but i didn't hear any classics. really liked the title track, but nothing else grabbed me. but like i said, i only had one ear on it. Put On Your Boots sticks out like a sore thumb on the album, and i still don't really like it.

i did hear some stuff i liked in the second half, though.

It's supposed to be a "grower", not a shower. Of course, I'm going to try to hold out until I have a copy of the CD in my hot little hands. It's gonna be a long 2 weeks....

Everything that I've heard so far has been really promising. From what I've been told, "Magnificent" is gonna be the one that blows me away, I think...

Axchi696 said:

... have you also been told that it's a remake of Prince's NPGMC track from 2004?



j/k. i think i remember it being one of the stand-outs. i really want to listen to this album again now and pay attention to it, but it's late.

New U2 is dreadful. Their worst ever.

Shapeshifter said:

Wash your ears & stop listening shit music....the new u2 is a Masterpiece..Sorry!

love2thenines2003 said:

Sure. Will do. I've just dumped the new U2 album.

Did a quick listen last night. Will listen again today. Overall not too bad. The songs seem to be more in the style of "Acrobat". Breathe is my favorite song. We'll see how my opinion changes later today.
[Edited 2/19/09 5:25am]

THEY GET PROPS ALONE FOR TAKIN' IT BACK TO THE OLD SCHOOL W/THE SOUND. I KNOW THEY HAVE MAJOR JOCK ITCH (COLDPLAY), AND HAD TO FIND A CURE.....

listened to it twice, completely, and i just don't like it

i want to, i so desperately wanted to like this one. i guess
i will just have to cut and past their last 3 albums into an
incredible 10 track LP.

but as far as complete albums go, the last one i truly loved
was zooropa.

i don't know what it is, they sound like they reach for new or
interesting ideas so hard that they throw everything they can
at it. the outcome is filled with good ideas layered on top of
each other until it's just a wall of predictable/recognisable
sounds.

though i like what bono is trying to do with his voice in a lot
of places, searching for a new sound or tone, he also screams a
lot, as if the wall of sound has become so dense the only real
option he has is to scream instead of sing.

all of this is common ground for U2 and it's nothing new but it
all became so "turned up to 10" with this album imo.

instead of layering on more and more stuff they should have just
sat down and written a few stronger hooks and memorable melodies.

i haven't heard a single song with a strong melody like 90% of
the material on "achtung baby" since the POP album. they have a
ton of interesting and cool songs but they always feel rough
and unfinished in "flow" yet they sound overproduced and too
laboured. it's a weird combination but it's the only way i can
describe it.

"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

=

"Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"

I see a very expensive, Spinal Tap headed lawsuit on the way

IstenSzek said:

+1



.

IstenSzek said:

Good point. He tends to scream more today rather than sing. I think it is a combination of things--one being that his voice isn't what it used to be.

Terrible record, but you know it's going to win Album of the Year at the Grammys 3 years in a row.

I think its a great record but i'm not surprised some people are not happy with it. I thought Zooropa and Pop were great records and I was very unsatisfied with All That You Can't... but my opinions on those three records were total opposite of the mainstream.

I realize others were involved but this record is definitely an Eno produced record and I think a lot of it is reminiscent of the Eno/Bowie collaborations in the 70s, yet with a very distinct U2 element along with current influences (ie, the arcade fire, white stripes). When the band said this cd didn't sound like anything U2 has done in the past, they were being very honest. It doesn't, and that means a lot of people will not know what to do with it.

I think this is a record they will be simultaneously lauded for and critized for but I think it was necessary to stay relevant. An interesting observation is that people in my office who don't really get into U2 are liking this, as is a friend of mine who has zero U2 in her music collection (until last night, that is).

This is hardly a record that sounds like a bunch of 50 year olds and for that they should be applauded. Some people will not like this and that's fine. The most important thing from an artistic standpoint is to remain excited and creative, evolving and changing over time. U2 has once again done that with this record and I'm thrilled with the results.

VoicesCarry said:

So true!

The album is a bore, nothing stands out. I can't believe after nearly 5 years this is all they could come up with...