Thursday, March 05, 2009

U2 On Letterman

I was just not into the Irish lads putting out a new CD. In fact, I was just not impressed. The I got a copy of it, and it's not bad. Then they went and played Letterman.

And now they've gone and done a Top 10 list. Damn you, U2.


My question is - will this new CD (No Line on the Horizon) hold up? While their previous two albums impressed me for a stretch, they soon faded into the back of the CD shelves/iTunes library. In other words, I haven't listened to them in a while.

I'm still that person who loves War, Boy, and The Unforgettable Fire while liking only "Gloria" from October (though I should probably give that another spin). After that, it's all OK. I don't genuflect for The Joshua Tree, for instance, preferring the earlier work. But that's just me.

Also on my latest listening list is the most recent release by My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges. After two tracks, I was ready to burn it (and I don't mean to disc). Fortunately I didn't give up that easily. Sometimes I hear so much buzz about a band or an artist that I need to learn more (this is how I came into being a Radiohead fan). MMJ was pretty good in the same way as Kings of Leon (another recent discovery). These bands straddle that line of what's "alternative" these days, and that's what keeps troubling me. Maybe this concept of "Adult Alternative" had dumbed us down? So many of these acts are simply nothing more than pop bands that would have been dumped on Z100 in the 80's.

2 comments:

Vintage Richmond said...

I'm right there with you, although I love October and The Joshua Tree as well. I haven't really liked a whole album from them since Achtung Baby. The new CD hasn't done much for me, but Magnificent is easily their best song in 20 years.

Rob Adams said...

And I'm right there with you on "Magnificent." It seems everybody thinks that should have been the first single. Regardless, it's the best song I've heard from them in, as you said, about 20 years.