U2 | Songs of Innocence

[stip]

I spoke to my students about this on Thursday, since I was curious about their reaction. So after talking to 60 larger middle/working class kids on long island (mix of white, black, hispanic, ages 18-22) I discovered the following:

1. Most had no idea.
2. Most did not care.
3. A few people did say there were more likely to give it a listen since it was made available for free and already on their ipod/phone/account, etc.
4. A few thought this would be really cool if they gave a shit about u2
5. A handful of people who were already u2 fans (not many) were glad they got it for free.

[spike]

Only 200,000 copies downloaded. That's a staggeringly poor amount. The rest aren't happy about it apparently
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sect ... -1.1926732

i think that's misleading; it's still very early days and the album had no promotion leading up to its release or the benefit of a lead single. there are some catchy songs on the record, i'm sure one or two will catch on and propel album sales/downloads to less embarrassing levels.

[stip]

I think I'd give this a 6.5 or a 7. I'd put it on par with soundgarden's most recent album. Better than the AIC records and FAR better than Smashing Pumpkins. Not nearly as good as REM's last album (you know how I feel, and continue to feel, about Lightning Bolt). But some songs that are pretty good (we'll see if they grow or diminish with time), and a number of interesting directions that could and should be explored. Certainly good enough to justify continuing, especially if they focus on further developing the best moments.

[stip]

Only 200,000 copies downloaded. That's a staggeringly poor amount. The rest aren't happy about it apparently
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sect ... -1.1926732

i think that's misleading; it's still very early days and the album had no promotion leading up to its release or the benefit of a lead single. there are some catchy songs on the record, i'm sure one or two will catch on and propel album sales/downloads to less embarrassing levels.

I have a good friend who is a die hard u2 fan and she hasn't heard it yet just because she's been too busy these last few days to get to it.

[spike]

Only 200,000 copies downloaded. That's a staggeringly poor amount. The rest aren't happy about it apparently
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sect ... -1.1926732

i think that's misleading; it's still very early days and the album had no promotion leading up to its release or the benefit of a lead single. there are some catchy songs on the record, i'm sure one or two will catch on and propel album sales/downloads to less embarrassing levels.

I have a good friend who is a die hard u2 fan and she hasn't heard it yet just because she's been too busy these last few days to get to it.

lol she probably can't figure out how to download it but is too embarrassed to admit it.

[EJ]

“11 tracks of straightforward rapture about the life-saving joys of music.”
- David Fricke, Rolling Stone

oh, sweet jeezus.

[McParadigm]

Only 200,000 in two days. It's a catastrophe.

I did laugh at the "we talked to retailers who said the album would have opened with 500,000 if released normally." Dunno what the record is now, but Coldplay was the year's top debut as of 3 months ago....at 383,000.

[Mike]

"for free to half a billion users of Apple’s iTunes software"
"A number of websites reported yesterday that less than 5 per cent of iTunes account holders have willingly downloaded the new album."
"It was reported that less than 200,000 active downloads had been made so far, according to Billboard. The group’s label has rejected this figure."

Less than 5 per cent is a very nice way of saying 0.04%.

[spike]

this is all just another brilliant maneuver by one of the biggest sell out bands around. they got their money and they're getting their publicity (good or bad), which is all bono ever wants anyway. it doesn't matter if only five people download it.

[McParadigm]

It looks to me like it's going to be a case of "The people who would have paid for it anyway are the ones who downloaded it for free. The people who wouldn't have bought it won't." 2-300,000 is very much in line with what I would have assumed for first week sales on this release.

Which leads to the possibility that there is a median with long-established acts...that, if we cross the line of wanting to hear something new from a known quantity, we also cross the line of being willing to pay for it. It doesn't seem all that contradictory with the last 10 years of industry trends, where "the real money" is increasingly seen as being found in artists who cater to the 40+ crowd.

[VinylGuy]

Guys, Sleep like a baby tonight is fucking awesome.

[stip]

it's good. I'm not prepared to call anything on this album fucking awesome just yet

[Blaine Ryan]

Do you guys think this thought is fair? (from the Pitchfork review)

Accordingly, the music itself aims for a one-size-fits-all, vaguely inspirational tone, with a lean approach to details despite the press kit assertion that it’s all “very, very personal.” So a song about Bono meeting his wife is given the non-committal title of “Song for Someone”, and a song called “The Troubles” isn’t a callback to the prolonged Northern Ireland conflict that inspired their first great song, but a bunch of self-pitying platitudes (which uses guest Lykke Li to mimic adult-contempo Duran Duran hit “Come Undone”). Even Bono’s opening love letter to Joey Ramone is only given specificity by the title’s parenthetical, a generic “last night a [fill-in-the-blank] changed my life” tale that could be adapted to the idol of your choosing. It’s all emotional content left intentionally formless, vaingloriously hoping to fit around the experiences of millions.

I keep going back and forth on it because I favor specificity in my songwriting, but wouldn't begrudge anyone who goes for something more general.

[Blaine Ryan]

I don't know if it's due to the kind of people and publications that I follow on Twitter, but it feels like everybody's shitting on this album.

http://www.stereogum.com/1704542/premat ... valuation/

This is like the third review I've read that calls it out for not having good melodies. I really disagree with that point, personally. I kind of agree that "Iris" doesn't take off like it should, but that's about it.

[McParadigm]

Do you guys think this thought is fair? (from the Pitchfork review)

I keep going back and forth on it because I favor specificity in my songwriting, but wouldn't begrudge anyone who goes for something more general.

Slide on next to me. I'm just a human being.
I will take the blame, but just the same
this is not me
you see.

[Kaius]

1-5 are pretty much soupy turds.

6-11 are solid pieces of music, ranging from dirt to diamond.

The Troubles Diamond
Sleep Like a Baby
Raised By Wolves
Volcano
This is Where...
Cedar wood Road Dirt

[stip]

Do you guys think this thought is fair? (from the Pitchfork review)

Accordingly, the music itself aims for a one-size-fits-all, vaguely inspirational tone, with a lean approach to details despite the press kit assertion that it’s all “very, very personal.” So a song about Bono meeting his wife is given the non-committal title of “Song for Someone”, and a song called “The Troubles” isn’t a callback to the prolonged Northern Ireland conflict that inspired their first great song, but a bunch of self-pitying platitudes (which uses guest Lykke Li to mimic adult-contempo Duran Duran hit “Come Undone”). Even Bono’s opening love letter to Joey Ramone is only given specificity by the title’s parenthetical, a generic “last night a [fill-in-the-blank] changed my life” tale that could be adapted to the idol of your choosing. It’s all emotional content left intentionally formless, vaingloriously hoping to fit around the experiences of millions.

I keep going back and forth on it because I favor specificity in my songwriting, but wouldn't begrudge anyone who goes for something more general.

Still haven't paid attention to lyrics, but in theory this doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's just a different type of writing. You can do both well, and you can do both poorly

[EJ]

California is the only real fecalesque song here.

Most of the others rate inoffensive to decent.

The Troubles, Sleep Like A Baby, and This Is Where... all give hope that the band still has some interesting things to share.

[Kaius]

California is the only real fecalesque song here.

Most of the others rate inoffensive to decent.

The Troubles, Sleep Like A Baby, and This Is Where... all give hope that the band still has some interesting things to share.

[VinylGuy]

i want to know Lament´s view on this new album.