U2’s newest album Songs Of Experience leaked into the world last Monday and my initial reaction was very positive, mostly because I was just stoked I didn’t hate it. They’re a band I grew up obsessing over, and one I rediscovered after seeing them play The Joshua Tree in full on the 30th Anniversary tour this year. I think they’re a great band, but hell, they haven’t released great music in a long time. Their version of 21st century rock music is largely insufferable. Bombastic guitar riffs and uninspired “ohh ohhh” choruses taking precedence over the experimentation and nuance that made me fall in love with the band.
U2 are a band I truly believe in because, despite all of their bullshit, they’ve always made hits. Arcade Fire’s recent attempt at doing the ironic consumerism shtick was perhaps ambitious for an aging indie band, but it fell flat for the very reason U2 soared through the 90s and 00s. U2 had the hits!
Yes, they had Bono wearing makeup and devil horns calling for a cab on stage, but they also had ‘One’, a song that I detest but marked their fifth US Top 10 hit and cemented their ‘stadium rock’ status. Even when Bono was being his most Bono in the mid-2000s, they were experiencing what was arguably a career peak, winning five Grammys and selling 4.6 million tickets on their Vertigo tour. In their mid-forties! That’s the power of having songs!