Category
Reviews & Commentary
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05.08.09What kind of NLOTH fan are you?If you've wondered which NLOTH tracks appeal to which types of U2 fan, check out this chart, derived from last.fm, a music service that tracks the music you play and creates your own music profile, recommending songs from other listeners with similar tastes. For the Top 50 Fans of each NLOTH track, this chart lists their aggregated top 11 U2 tracks. Because the data is limited to the top 50 fans, there's quite a bit of distortion, and last.fm likely skews to younger fans. But who would have thought that The Ground Beneath Her Feet would feature? http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pZwTRFc-imZlXslVSwbt_aA
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02.20.09Rolling Stone: “U2’s Five Star Masterpiece”The review's not online yet, but the March 5 issue of music magazine Rolling Stone awards U2's New Line on the Horizon no less that five stars. The cover of the issue says "U2's Five Star Masterpiece". (via M2) Update: review now available on RollingStone.com "No Line on the Horizon is closer to the transitional risks — the Irish-gothic spell of 1984's The Unforgettable Fire, the techno-rock jet lag of 1993's Zooropa — but with a consistent persuasion in the guitar hooks, rhythms and vocal lines." NLOTH has also managed to win back the heart of Irish journalist John Waters (Author of 'U2 - ...
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01.16.09Bono, Sugimoto and the Church of LightThere was something familiar about the sleeve of U2's new album (Not a picture of any sea or ocean, but actually Lake Constance (Bodensee) as seen from Uttwil, in Switzerland, taken in 1993.) A few Google searches later, I realised that the photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto, also took a photo of Tadao Ando’s Church of Light: And it so happens that Bono visited that church, when he was in Osaka, Japan with Guggi and Gavin Friday back in 2006: Bono and Gavin Friday, Church of Light. Photographer unknown. And here's a picture of Bono and Tadao Ando together when the architect came ...
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01.12.09First review of U2’s new single ‘Get On Your Boots’Alan Cross, the host of the radio edition of ExploreMusic, has heard U2's new song 'Get On Your Boots', expected to be the band's first single off their upcoming album 'No Line on the Horizon'. He describes the song and his 20+ years experience with the rituals and security surrounding a new U2 release. He writes: "There are some new sounds that could only come from an Eno/Lanois production, which left me with a feeling similar to what I experienced when I heard “The Fly” for the first time. This is NOT a back-to-basics guitar/bass/drums track like “Vertigo” or even ...
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01.21.07Bono’s Greatest Gig EverThe Guardian have asked a panel of artists and writers to describe the concerts that changed their lives. Bono picks a gig by The Clash, at Trinity College in Dublin, 1977: Can't remember the set list, can't remember much about the music, to be honest. I just know that everything changed that night, and I'm sure it was not just for me.It wasn't so much a musical event. It was more like the Red Army had arrived, on a cold October night, to force feed a new cultural revolution, punk rock. Marching boots and the smell of sulphur.As I sat in ...
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11.08.06U2 and a didgeridooU2 and didgeridoo player on stage in Brisbane at the end of their set. Our man Down Under reports: "The line up process was well organised with a first in best dressed policy (no fan club priority) . I got there just before midday and secured a position right on the railings of the stage (Adam's side) The show seemed pretty much the same as what had been done previously but with a few changes here and there. 'Walk On' was performed as a full band again, and it showed that it had been a while. It ...
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07.01.06Rock Werchter: The Who in the Attic with a couple of KooksIt's been a very long time since there was an update in the Transit section. I suppose it could be blamed on the gig overdose we had after the full U2 tour, or the lack of funds as a result. But none of this is true. It's not that we haven't been out much, we just haven't written about it. Yesterday, however, we were lucky enough to be at Rock Werchter. The lineup of the festival is pretty impressive with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode, Muse, Live, Scissor Sisters, The Who, Placebo, Franz Ferdinand, the Arctic Monkeys, the ...