The band U2 that carries in its DNA the construction of an unplugged version of cathedral postpunk hymns to rock stadiums? Small thinking giants? Do the conquerors make themselves appear humble? Songs of surrender can represent self-change of the whole, a betrayal, or a pastime for boring gentlemen. There’s another way to look at it, to understand that their songs with larger-than-life aspirations are moving, turning them negative, and as a way to show it without getting too loud.
Here, Adam Clayton (bass) and Larry Mullen Jr (drums) are almost on vacation, as a delicate web of acoustic guitars and pianos dominates the stage. Reducing to the smallest common denominator and a look at the past, giving continuity to the modern working style of the quartet, which has long been melancholy and lip-licking with its fragility: albums devoted to innocence (2014) and experience (2017). , the revival tours of The Joshua Tree (2017-19) and the volume of Bono’s memoirs called Surrender, which is exactly the direct precedent for this quartet album.
Each disc belongs to a member of the group, and there are 40 songs in total (although 11 are not the same) as the number of chapters in the book. For The Edge, who signed on to production, he said it was about recreating songs “as if Bono were singing it into your ear” and doing it with a few mortgages, illuminating new arrangements and dynamics. Helped by regulars Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, as well as knowledgeable Bob Ezrin (curriculum with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, etc.), the result exudes a striking richness of nuance, moving from the subtle gospel tone of One, and at that very moment. it lowers the tone. The crescendo must arrive in a Red hill mining town with an air of rice and public marching, where the group can’t help unleashing their glorious instincts. As in Pride (in the name of love).
Songs that initially rely on energy and electricity rather than melody suffer the most, but culminate with the bitter cello played by Vertigo 2Cellos member Stjepan Hauser. The fly retains some of its perverse nature with this distorted folk rhythm, and the album misses second chances for notable songs, but it’s buried under hits like Walk on that have been renamed to support Ukraine. Bono turns out to be the winner of this game, which allows him to go whisper and vocal pinch that signifies maturity.
His performance combines a purposeful exercise with style and moderate creativity, but we all know that when the next round returns, the world will be praying for U2 to get original versions.