We now move to 2014 and U2's most recent studio album,
Songs of Innocence. Released on September 9th, U2 did a ground-breaking thing, by releasing it for free to all iTunes users. This was a great thing the band did, despite what some crybabies said about it- "Wahhh, I don't want a U2 album on my playlist!!" "Then delete it, dumbass." Sadly, some of the backlash was loud enough to where the album was then panned for the way it was released, instead of being judged on merit, which is kind of a shame since it is a really good album; their best and most consistent since
Achtung Baby. Every song on this album is good, and many of them range from really good to great, including standouts like "Iris (Hold Me Close)," "The Troubles," "Song for Someone" and "Every Breaking Wave." I am very fond of "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight" and "This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now" as well. "The Miracle" kind of got the "Vertigo" treatment - featured ad nauseam in an Apple commercial - but while not one of the better songs here, it's still enjoyable enough, and definitely better than "Vertigo."
One really nice thing about this album is the sound of it; it actually breathes!
Dismantle had compression issues at times, and then
Horizon was suffocated to the point of nearly choking by the mastering, but
Songs of Innocence has a very nice, open sound. Considering how "airy" U2's music often is, the mastering and production of their albums should enhance that, not hinder it. They accomplished that on this record.
Overall, the songwriting is just darn good on this record. There is a nice hook in nearly every song, Edge's busts out many classic guitar leads, and Adam Clayton gives us one of his most bad ass bass lines ever ("Volcano"). I kind of go back and forth on how good I think "Volcano" is - I am sometimes not sure how effective I think the chorus is - but that bass line sucks me in right away every time. "California (There is no End to Love)" seems to have gotten a lot of non-love from fans, but I like it a lot. The melody is rather un-U2ish, but that is why I like it; it's them giving us something a little different, while maintaining the catchiness that is found on the entire album.
Basically, this is an album you can turn on and enjoy from start to finish, without ever having to skip over anything. I can't say anything on here is one of their best songs ever, although who knows how some of them might blossom when played live as often happens with U2, but I will say that most bands that get to a 13th studio album, do not make one this good, especially after close to 3 1/2 decades together. U2 is still a very relevant band here in 2015. Bring on the Innocence + Experience Tour!!!