That was the last time the band allowed tepid performances and overwrought production overwhelm an otherwise solid set of songs. The closest analogy might be 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look back to the searing fury of Boy and War, or the epic pomp of The Joshua Tree. Sonically, too, the record looks backward. “Raised by Wolves” tells the story of a traumatic car-bombing in Dublin.

“Iris (Hold Me Close)” is about the death of his mother. “Cedarwood Road” refers to the street where Bono grew up. Thematically, the album certainly feels intimate and introspective. No apologies if it gets excruciating.”Ĭan he retract that retraction? “Songs” is indeed excruciating, not because U2 is a bad band, but because they are a great one who made a lousy record. Bono wrote about that choice in a letter to fans on U2.com, calling the new record “a very, very personal album.” He also wrote “Apologies if that gets excruciating…actually, I take that back. In scope, tone and execution, Songs of Innocence is a departure. The record itself, however, is not emblematic of U2. It was at once a unique and generous gesture, yet also felt contrived a curiously self-serving kind of altruism only made possible by sucking at the corporate teat. It was audacious and global in scope, yet annoying for being unavoidable. The flashy release was emblematic of everything people love-and hate-about the band.

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