U2
Songs of Innocence
ISLAND
5/10
It’s pretty difficult to accurately assess U2’s latest LP because one of the main goals of an album review is to inform a reader if the album in question is worth their time and money. Should you buy this album? If you clicked over to your iTunes account right now, you would find U2’s thirteenth full-length already in your library, thanks to Apple’s Tim Cook and the creepiness of the Internet. While the method of “gifting” all iTunes users with a shiny new album left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, the truth is that Songs of Innocence isn’t a terrible record. With the help of Danger Mouse’s lead production (additional production help from Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney, and Flood), Innocence shuffles U2 into a world of modern sounds and innovative beats through tracks like the heavy, bass-driven “Volcano” and the ultra-sleek “Sleep Like a Baby Tonight.” While there are still a few clunkers on the album including the repetitive “Iris (Hold Me Close),” the strange “Raised by Wolves,” and the lackluster single “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone),” Songs of Innocence suggests that the legendary quartet still care about progressing their sound…and their methods of reaching new listeners by any means necessary.
