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"I shouldn't be here because I should be dead" sings Bono on "Lights of Home," the second track on Songs of Experience, the long-delayed sequel to 2014's Songs of Innocence. It's not merely a turn of phrase. Two months after U2 unleashed Songs of Innocence on the world, Bono injured himself in a bicycle accident so severe he suspected he may never play guitar again. He recovered, but his misfortune derailed plans for the band to wrap up Songs of Experience swiftly, so U2 decided to take their time. A version of the record neared completion in 2016, but that year's twin elections of Brexit and Trump spurred U2 to revise the album, as they decided they couldn't release a record that didn't address such cataclysmic political events. Retro-conning the existing Songs of Experience material to suit the political climate wasn't the easiest task and the album often shows its seams, particularly when Bono decides to tackle the crisis head-on: the line "Democracy is flat on its back, Jack" arrives with a thud on "The Blackout," but it's nothing compared to "American Soul," an ode to real America where the singer and the band engage in a battle of hams. "American Soul" also features a line -- and no more -- by Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who is on the vanguard of popular music in 2017 (no less of an authority than David Bowie cited Lamar as an influence on his final album, Blackstar), but Kendrick gets buried in the mix in a fashion that's sadly indicative of the tentative nature of Songs of Experience. Bono may wrestle with big themes in his lyrics but his ambitions are reined in by a production that seems afraid of alienating any constituent. Typical to many modern records, Songs of Experience is the result of too many cooks: Jacknife Lee and Ryan Tedder claim the main production credits, with Andy Barlow, Jolyon Thomas, and old friend Steve Lillywhite responsible for additional production, whatever that may be. With all these hands, it's not much of a surprise that Songs of Experience feels diffuse, its modernist moments -- like Bono embracing pitch-shifted vocals -- counterbalancing feints toward U2's arena rock past. It all feels so familiar, it takes a moment to realize that the echoes of the Edge are muted, that the rhythms are sometimes constrained by tight sequencing, that the glossy surface can sometimes recall Ellie Goulding, or how when the tempo slows, it feels like U2's greatest aspiration is to be as graceful as Coldplay. All this adds up to an album that feels vaguely desperate. Say what you will about the muddled Pop: at least it had an ethos. Here, U2 feel trapped between their history and the pull of the year, and they wind up seeming diminished. For the first time, they seem smaller than life.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Andy Barlow, Producer, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Bailey, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Ariel Rechtshaid, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Brent Kutzle, Producer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jolyon Thomas, Producer, Additional Producer - Danielle Haim, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Alana Haim, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Este Haim, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Drew Bang, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dave "Squirrel" Covell, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry McCready, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tyler Spry, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer, Programmer - Matty Green, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Davide Rossi, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Engineer, Keyboards, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - The Edge, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brent Kutzle, Programmer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Rainey, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Christopher Henry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rich Rich, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alan Kelly, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gosha Usov, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Bost, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Scott Sedillo, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry McCready, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Duncan Stewart, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tyler Spry, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Greg Clooney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Kelana Halim, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Matty Green, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Declan Gaffney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Additional Producer - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Kendrick Lamar, Spoken Word, AssociatedPerformer - Brent Kutzle, Producer, Additional Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Bishop, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jolyon Thomas, Producer, Guitar, Additional Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Christopher Henry, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rich Rich, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gosha Usov, Additional Keyboards, Asst. Recording Engineer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Bost, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Drew Bang, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tyler Spry, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Declan Gaffney, Producer, Additional Producer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Kendrick Lamar, Spoken Word, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jolyon Thomas, Producer, Additional Producer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Drew Bang, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dave "Squirrel" Covell, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry McCready, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Paul Nelson, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Ryan Tedder, Producer, Keyboards, Programming, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Lady Gaga, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jacknife Lee, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Betsy Lamb, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Noel Zancanella, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - Doug Sarrett, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Brent Kutzle, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Christopher Henry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rich Rich, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Collins, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Brandon Bost, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Nate Lotz, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Avery Bright, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Tyler Spry, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Amy Helman, Violin, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer, Programming, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Matty Green, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Declan Gaffney, Engineer, Additional Keyboards, Additional Mixer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Julian Lennon, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Brent Kutzle, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Andy Barlow, Producer - Christopher Henry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rich Rich, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Bailey, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Aleks von Korff, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gosha Usov, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Bost, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Wilmot, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Tyler Spry, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Matty Green, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Additional Producer - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Christopher Henry, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rich Rich, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Aleks von Korff, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gosha Usov, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jolyon Thomas, Producer, Guitar, Additional Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Andy Barlow, Producer, Additional Keyboards, Additional Producer, AssociatedPerformer - Alex Bailey, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Bost, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Drew Bang, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dave "Squirrel" Covell, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer, Associate Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Declan Gaffney, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Davide Rossi, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Andy Barlow, Producer, Additional Producer - Aleks von Korff, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Bost, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Dave "Squirrel" Covell, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry McCready, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer, Associate Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Declan Gaffney, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Additional Keyboards, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Brent Kutzle, Producer, Additional Producer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Christopher Henry, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rich Rich, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dave "Squirrel" Covell, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry McCready, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tyler Spry, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Jacknife Lee, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Additional Keyboards, Additional Vocals, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Bishop, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Andrew Taggart, Additional Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Dave "Squirrel" Covell, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry McCready, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Ryan Tedder, Producer - Paul Epworth, Producer, Keyboards, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Declan Gaffney, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Matt Wiggins, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Rich Rich, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Bost, Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited
Album review
"I shouldn't be here because I should be dead" sings Bono on "Lights of Home," the second track on Songs of Experience, the long-delayed sequel to 2014's Songs of Innocence. It's not merely a turn of phrase. Two months after U2 unleashed Songs of Innocence on the world, Bono injured himself in a bicycle accident so severe he suspected he may never play guitar again. He recovered, but his misfortune derailed plans for the band to wrap up Songs of Experience swiftly, so U2 decided to take their time. A version of the record neared completion in 2016, but that year's twin elections of Brexit and Trump spurred U2 to revise the album, as they decided they couldn't release a record that didn't address such cataclysmic political events. Retro-conning the existing Songs of Experience material to suit the political climate wasn't the easiest task and the album often shows its seams, particularly when Bono decides to tackle the crisis head-on: the line "Democracy is flat on its back, Jack" arrives with a thud on "The Blackout," but it's nothing compared to "American Soul," an ode to real America where the singer and the band engage in a battle of hams. "American Soul" also features a line -- and no more -- by Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who is on the vanguard of popular music in 2017 (no less of an authority than David Bowie cited Lamar as an influence on his final album, Blackstar), but Kendrick gets buried in the mix in a fashion that's sadly indicative of the tentative nature of Songs of Experience. Bono may wrestle with big themes in his lyrics but his ambitions are reined in by a production that seems afraid of alienating any constituent. Typical to many modern records, Songs of Experience is the result of too many cooks: Jacknife Lee and Ryan Tedder claim the main production credits, with Andy Barlow, Jolyon Thomas, and old friend Steve Lillywhite responsible for additional production, whatever that may be. With all these hands, it's not much of a surprise that Songs of Experience feels diffuse, its modernist moments -- like Bono embracing pitch-shifted vocals -- counterbalancing feints toward U2's arena rock past. It all feels so familiar, it takes a moment to realize that the echoes of the Edge are muted, that the rhythms are sometimes constrained by tight sequencing, that the glossy surface can sometimes recall Ellie Goulding, or how when the tempo slows, it feels like U2's greatest aspiration is to be as graceful as Coldplay. All this adds up to an album that feels vaguely desperate. Say what you will about the muddled Pop: at least it had an ethos. Here, U2 feel trapped between their history and the pull of the year, and they wind up seeming diminished. For the first time, they seem smaller than life.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:51:05
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: U2
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Universal-Island Records Ltd.
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited, Under exclusive license to Interscope Records in the USA ℗ 2017 Universal Music Operations Limited, Under exclusive license to Interscope Records in the USA
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