Let's be realistic here, this song is as good as you can expect from a man who has a limitless budget and his hands in about 274 different projects from coconut water to feature films.
In between the smaltz is a pretty good record, or at least 60-70% of it is good, and at a few times, great. There are some genuinely nostalgic U2 'moments' on it.
As far as the live performance, remember, these guys are old now! Also, I bet that bike accident Bono had a while back has rendered him unable to move around as much as he probably wants to. I think if it were 10 years ago, he would have interacted with the crowd on American Soul or at the least created some sorta memorable stage moment.
I know these guys are an easy target on this site, which btw is ridiculous and only coming from anyone who didn't grow up with them, and I respect some of the arguments about their overactive effort to stay relevant when they probably should peel back a titch, but still. Rock is better when these guys are around.
I do think Momentary Lapse could be included in their discography only because in '87 I would take anything Floyd related, and it was ear candy, and that tour was insane...when they went their separate ways I hung on for that and Radio KAOS before ultimately saying, yeah, this isn't the same..
Ironically, those two albums were argued as Westerberg and Waters 'solo' albums. Gilmours guitar on Final Cut was easily some of his best licks which, to me, makes that a Pink Floyd album, hands down, no matter whats been said.
Now Pros and Cons with Clapton on the other hand was Waters best solo effort!
So, here we have a middling rock star exploiting offensive onstage drunk antics and this is all of a sudden new now?
Man, rock and roll is turning into the NFL.
Shoot Out the Lights hands down the greatest divorce album, and aside from the heartbreaking duets and songs on it, is the fact they then went out and toured the album...through and after their split. This obviously made it become one of the more compelling live shows to witness.
There were two physical albums when I was around 7 that left a searing image on my brain forever....Opening up the News of the World album was one. I was both frightened and intrigued beyond comprehension.
The other album was Meatloaf Bat Out of Hell, which also frightened and intrigued me only with an added level of young boy arousal thrown in.
I always loved the album , Wildflowers, like, all of it, but Crawlin Back to You always seemed like it could have fit within the category of his 'best' hits in any decade.
Saw him years ago with the Mats opening up....the experience I felt in the outdoor arena with myself and 15,000 people taking over the 'Breakdown' vocals from him after the first verse was easily one of the most prolific moments in my concert going life. Truly one of rocks best ambassadors.
Oh I get it Mr. Edge, and respect it, as well, but what I'm saying is that LCD is obviously, well, older now, and arguably in what appears to be 'swan song' mode. You can tell in his reflective lyrics that circle a lot around almost conceding the fact he can't keep up, their grooves are shadows of earlier grooves (I mean he's still banging on that simon sez keyboard). Think in terms of the New Brand New album...you can tell these are a bunch of dads now, tired of keeping up and it shows in their downshifted (outstanding) new album.
Much respect to you as a fan, and hopefully this album will be a grower for you, but if I think you give their discography yet another listen from beginning through American Dream, I bet this on will act as a fitting final chapter. It may not bang, but it sure shows he's aged well.
For a band that has aged and somewhat reluctantly pulled back into recording another album, this is everything any fan could dream up to have as a piece of their catalog. Its pretty cool listening to Murph in reflective mode. Its as if he can't keep up anymore, knows he can't, doesn't really care about keeping up, yet still slays in a style only LCD can own.
There is nothing hokey about this man. True folk singers, especially with this guys insane talent, are fully submerged in their craft. It simply why he is so good at what he does. In this day and age, theres a lot to be said about an artist who rolls like this.
The debate here is that they aren't a very good band, yet they are selling out arenas. So where does not being a good band come in? Obviously, their last two albums were trash to everyone but the entire arenas they've sold out.
Maybe there's a percentage of concert goers that head to their shows for Hot Fuss, or for Sams Town, but maybe some are going to hear deeper tracks off lesser 'acclaimed' albums (much like the Coldplay theory)
Either way, the word 'trash' or 'suck' should have zero association with any band who sell out stadiums and arenas no matter how up and down their discography may be along the way. They're still connecting with fan bases, and that's paying bills, and that is a great band.
Quality music rarely sells out Wembley unless you've mastered the art of sorta selling out. Never will understand how people think a band sucks because of how successful they've become. You think Martin was sitting in a beer drenched English pub, or Flowers in a trashy Vegas strip joint beer and shot joint going, 'Man, I hope we don't ever get bigger than this."?
I love polarizing statements like these from bands that evolved in what was an extremely unsettled moment 'alternative' rock. You always have to first put yourself in moment a band emerged. Hot Fuss was 2004, and I remember reading about them in what I think was a Spin 'Summer Issue' where they marked them as a "Band to Watch" and whatta ya know...they took off. They had an outstanding formula...radio ready rock with a pop hook while maintaining this alternative feel, simply because they weren't as exposed as new bands can get. The resources you had as a music fan were more limited but if you kept up, you could discover them. Arcade Fire was a great example of this, as well.
Now, its coming at you from every angle imaginable to the point where you can't avoid finding great new music if you're even paying slight attention. They are all doing the same thing now as they were then, they just have so many more outlets to saturate. You still need to accomplish that one thing, which I think is their point...you need to be good at what you're doing or nowadays, you'll just bleed into the middle. It's not because you aren't good, its because theres too many ways to find great music.
When bands emerge now, there
Artists or honorees 'threatening to not attend,' or flat out not attending celebrations/events that include Trump are continuing to rise. It could begin to turn toward it being a bigger deal if some decide to attend any events he's is scheduled to take part over making the statement to boycott.
The 80's references you make with WoD is so true based on what we've heard from Deeper Understanding. You get tons of reminders throughout all the songs from that era of classic radio rock. Its the band, Girls, theroy I always come back to...On Father, Son, Holy Ghost, there are moments where you hear songs within their own songs that made you remember some great random 70's tune or you get some weird inspired feeling or soul of that band it reminded you of.
That, to me, explains why these guys have a strange ability to get into your head like an earworm. Call them students of their profession or educated pioneers of rock history...either way, they are essential listening, today.
My guess is that he does understand and clearly, to him (and many), Grizz is the obvious best album of the week regardless of process in which Stereogum works. That being said though, it wouldn't be a month without someone not accepting or knowing the SG preval slash AOW approach.
Think you may need to actually listen to the album before labeling it shitty. It's a complete departure from what she has put out in the past.
Choose your debate battles here, she is definitely an musical enigma, but what has been shitty are the past couple years for her. Whether or not its a case of 'any press is good press,' albums still very much worthy of a listen just based on her confessional cleanse alone.
Better yet, to be able to still continue to suck you into that lower middle class view filled with hopelessness filled with jaded optimism....while being a gazillionaire
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