Songs of Innocence by U2 free essay sample

Last year, Apple released U2’s new album, â€Å"Songs of Innocence,† as a free download to over 500 million iTunes users. While fans rejoiced, critics called the release an act of desperation from an aging band trying to stay relevant. The move appears to have put a target on the band’s back, and the album has received mixed reviews. While â€Å"Songs of Innocence† is certainly nowhere near the stature of the U2 classics â€Å"The Joshua Tree† and â€Å"Achtung Baby,† many of its sour reviews from the international press are simply off the mark. This album is a quality addition to the band’s extensive collection. Overall, â€Å"Songs of Innocence† certainly is deserving of respect. Bono clearly hasn’t lost a beat vocally, and the production, while overpowering at times, is high quality. Unlike the stadium rockers and defiant songs of U2’s past, â€Å"Songs of Innocence† is much more personal. Much like the Beatles did in creating their â€Å"Magical Mystery Tour† album, U2 looked to their childhoods for inspiration. We will write a custom essay sample on Songs of Innocence by U2 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"Cedarwood Road,† for example, describes a street Bono remembers as a boy. This interesting approach makes the songs lyrically appealing. After a few listens, it becomes apparent that the album is top heavy. Structured by garage band gristle and a poppy energy, the opening track, â€Å"The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone),† cements itself as the anthem of the album. Smooth rockers â€Å"Every Breaking Wave,† â€Å"Song for Someone,† and â€Å"Iris (Hold Me Close)† bring back the classic U2 energy and sound. Not to be forgotten is â€Å"California (There Is No End to Love),† a song as sunny and cheerful as the name implies. The album’s first half has an optimistic vibe that builds a connection with the listener. While â€Å"Songs of Innocence† begins with a bang, it ends with a whimper. None of the concluding songs are terrible, but they leave something to be desired. â€Å"Sleep Like a Baby Tonight† and â€Å"The Troubles† are lifeless and seem to float endlessly. â€Å"This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now† is far too bland and repetitive. The melancholy â€Å"Cedarwood Road† doesn’t make a lasting impression either. The occasional uninspired lyrics, like â€Å"tomorrow dawns like someone else’s suicide† and â€Å"Northside, just across the river to the Southside,† leave listeners scratching their heads. Bono’s awkward falsetto in â€Å"Sleep Like a Baby Tonight† isn’t impressive. The unconscious, dreamy effect that the band is trying to produce with their final songs simply falls flat. â€Å"Songs of Innocence† is a mixed bag. But considering that this is the band’s thirteenth studio album, the outcome is actually quite impressive. Even though the critics have been quick to label this album irrelevant, that is not the case. U2, while not as consistent as they once were, prove that they are still very much alive and capable of producing quality music. Songs of Innocence by U2 free essay sample U2: Songs of Innocence Review It’s been four years after U2’s terrible â€Å"No Line on the Horizon† and since then U2 has cleaned up their act. Even though many people believe â€Å"Songs of Innocence† wasn’t a great album, many reasons prove that it is. For those of you who are new to U2, here is some information on the new album. â€Å"Songs of Innocence† has 11 songs. It is the Irish rock band’s 13th studio album. What was really interesting was the release. â€Å"Songs of Innocence† was released on September 9th, 2014. 500,000,000 iTunes users had the album downloaded directly into their libraries. I love the style of music on the new album. It is classic U2. Not a lot of new things were incorporated in â€Å"Songs of Innocence,† but that’s okay, because I like normal U2. A lot of the songs sound like some of U2’s earlier songs, like ‘Iris (Hold Me Close)’ and ‘Every Braking Wave. We will write a custom essay sample on Songs of Innocence by U2 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ’ Then again, there are a few new, like the disastrous ‘Raised by Wolves,’ with just about the worst rhythmical lyrics there can be. But the most original song on the album was ‘The Troubles.’ This song has mostly background with a bit of an eerie feeling, and Bono chimes in every once in a while. There are a numerous amount of amazing songs on â€Å"Songs of Innocence† so I’ll only talk about two. ‘Every Braking Wave’ is slow and soft, and the melody is similar to ‘With or Without You’ one of U2’s greatest songs. And ‘The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)’ is another great song about Joey Ramone, who deserves a song written about him. It’s got some hard driving guitar with some exploding drums. Although there’s a lot of dispute over â€Å"Songs of Innocence† it’s definitely one U2’s finest.