5 Monday Music Thoughts

* The new U2 album, No Line On The Horizon, leaked last week, so just about everybody and their Mom has heard the thing at this point. I’m quite convinced at this point that it’s going to be a grower. I like it so far but I don’t love it yet. It’s like How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb filtered through Achtung Baby. The textures and structures are quite interesting, but it’s still a rather placid affair. As Jennifer pointed out to me, this seems to suit Bono’s voice in his twilight years. I guess we don’t get anymore Zooropas. I like to compare it a bit to the last few David Bowie records. They’re adult records. Mature, right? You’re certainly not going to get your pants rocked off.


Get On Your Boots - U2

* The new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, It’s Blitz, has also leaked. It’s quite lovely, actually. There’s a huge new wave influence running through the record that’s a bit unexpected, but rather welcome. It’s a logical progression, I suppose. They couldn’t stay in “garage rock” territory forever. They were never going to be as good at it as Jay Reatard or The Black Keys, so why not move towards a sonic style better suited for Karen O’s voice? The last few records were fun, but it’s going to be the next few that tell whether or not Yeah Yeah Yeahs are legendary or not.

Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

* Oh, my! What is it with the last week? New Depeche Mode single? Um, yes? Thank you very much! “Wrong” is an odd choice for a lead-off single, but it’s still a fantastic song. I really don’t care what any critic thinks of them. I adore Depeche Mode and they can do no “Wrong” in my book. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. The new album, Sounds Of The Universe, releases in April. I’m very much looking forward to it.

Wrong - Depeche Mode

* The Oscars were bizarre last night, but for me they were made even more bizarre by the fact that Peter Gabriel was nominated for a Best Original Song award and didn’t actually perform the song in question on the telecast. John Legend did it instead. Like, a minute of it. But Gabriel was in the audience. The camera flashed by him a few times. WTF? I get artistic integrity and all of that jazz, but that was just weird.



* I need this Cure covers album. Eddie Argos recommends it heartily.