A Bob Marley biopic is in theaters now so that’s probably why Streaming is pushing out a lot of Marley content. 2012s Marley by the great documentarian Kevin McDonald is probably the most known so I had to check it out.
U2 was my favorite band of my high school years. I can’t help but be fanatical about him. Today I am going to catch up with reviews of their recent activity.
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story: Book by Bono
Surrender is surely a bit of a Rorschach Test for what you think of Bono. I am a huge fan, bordering often on obsessed, so of course I loved it. But if you find Bono pompous or arrogant or just plain annoying, this won’t change that. And most people probably fall somewhere in between, and will find this a mixed bag.
The first pages of the book open up with a lot of purple prose but after it settles down to standard bio after 20 pages or so, it isn’t so bad. The end of the book seems similarly appended with two dozen unnecessary pages.
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but Bono is a good storyteller in that he has generally come off to me as the most relatable human Everyman musician.
He’s not dramatic like Nick Cave or poetic like Leonard Cohen or angry like John Lydon, for example. Perhaps that is what made U2 so good.
The U2 story has been covered in depth for years, so fans won’t find anything much new. Still, if you find yourself as someone who relates to Bono, you probably won’t mind.
A 45 year career is a lot for one book. Especially as the 20th Century U2 was a music entity and the 21st Century U2 is largely a political entity. Both are interesting and important but it’s a lot to fit in.
I think most people would agree that the book could use some trimming. Maybe Bono doesn’t need to add all 500+ pages of his thoughts. But otherwise, I have no real complaints and while the political stuff won’t interest everyone, it does interest me.
As interesting as the band’s interactions with Presidents Clinton and Obama are, it’s the interaction with the people he generally disagree with like Bushes (and lack of interaction with Trump) that is most interesting.
As an aside, I hate the cover, which i find pretentious and awful and I don’t like the 40 song tie in- which is a reference to the chapters because I don’t think it quite fits.
Which is a tie in to the 2023 album
Songs of Surrender by U2
The first “album” from U2 in six years (and I have liked their last two albums more than I hated them) is a reinterpretation of the band’s catalog re-recorded largely without the band’s rhythm section.
I streamed these songs when they were first released and my wording was their classic songs redone as an incredibly boring piece of art”. It consists of four albums of ten tracks picked by each member.
Lyrics are rewritten- Walk On becomes about Ukraine, Bad becomes a first person narrative.
Projects like this seem self indulgent (and U2 is the most self indulgent of bands). It is easy to pencil this in as in similar vein of recent Rod Stewart albums. It is at once too long and though there are changes, they don’t feel like enhancements.
Allmusic user reviews are a fun read to tell you exactly what is wrong with the album as one one-star review after another complains about what feels like an uninspired cash in.
But as I reflect now a year later, I seem to fit more into my fandom and less as a critic. Is it for anyone but the most diehard U2 fan? No. Is it anywhere meeting the expectations a fan might have? Not really.
But in small pieces, there are enjoyable moments. I just can’t find myself hating it completely. It will be forgotten quickly as time goes by but given that it came out to virtual thrown tomatoes, I hate to see it buried completely
The album is accompanied by a film that streamed on Disney +
Bono and the Edge- A Sort of Homecoming with David Letterman
The album and the documentary feel like U2 are in their autumn years and that is okay. They are and it has been 30 years since they felt like the most important band on the planet.
Pairing them with David Letterman only doubles down on nostalgia. That’s ok because it gives the film a sense of importance. There were always Beatles comparisons and they do seem like the 80s/90s version
Adam Clayton is busy acting and Larry Mullen injured, explaining why they are not here and largely missing on the album.
Still, Bono and the Edge feel intimate- telling their story (again once over shared but it still feels important here)
Letterman walks around Dublin in his usual way. The band plays their Adam and Larry less versions of their songs, but they sound good in this particular live environment.
The mood stays light throughout which is probably for the best. It’s another postcard for the fans, but Letterman’s involvement help frame it in an interesting way.
I loved New Model Army from my first listen in the 90s. They had already released their masterpiece album (1989s Thunder and Consolation) and a signature song (1986s “51st State”).
I haven’t written about Van Morrison, so here goes. When I was coming of age, music critics were male and white and usually so were their favorite records. Moondance and Astral Weeks were considered some of the best albums ever, and I have to admit that the moment I listened to them, I had to concur.
Best is subjective so how about we call this the list of my favorite albums of 2023 - check them out
The Baseball Project- Grand Salami Time (Omnivore). Come for the Buck/Mills/Easter reunion, stay for the songs about Mark Fidrych, Jim Bouton and Sadaharu Oh
The Bomboras-Songs From Beyond (MuSick) Rob Zombie championed horror surf band returns after 25 year hiatus
Zach Bryan - self-titled (Belting Bronco/Warner) Hot buzz country artist makes album worthy of the buzz
Bug Club- Green Dream in F# (Bingo/We are Busy Bodies) if you want to argue this is a 2022 release (it got its larger label and Bandcamp releases in April of 2023) then substitute it for one of the other two releases of theirs that came out this past year
Maher Cissoko - Kora World (Ajabu!) The prolific master of the 21 string West African instrument draws from history for this meditative work.
Crocodiles - Upside Down In Heaven (Lollipop) Rejuvenated by their 2021 cover EP project, the band finds the melodic side of their Jesus and Mary Chain style noise rock.
The Damned- Darkadelic (Edel/EARmusic) Building on the promising 2018 reunion Evil Spirits, with Paul Gray added as a cowriter for four tracks, the band hits its nearly 50 year career potential
Galen and Paul - Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day (Sony) - Sea Shantys,Ye-ye Pop and romantic ballads hardly seem to be the expected from The Clash’s Paul Simonon and prog royalty Galen Ayers but this one is hard not to like
The Gaslight Anthem - History Books (Rich Mahogany/Thirty Tigers) - Rejuvenated by a near decade hiatus, the band returns to Springsteen inspired Heartland Rock with actual Springsteen included.
Gorillaz- Cracker Island (Parlophone/Warner) Now an eight album institution, more simple than ambitious, their best album in awhile.
HD Harmsen -Glaciers (Strawberry Jam Jams) Veteran of the glory years of the Ames/Des Moines scene (2012-13), Harmsen returns with a quirky Shimmy Disc style pop record.
Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo - Phantasmagoria in Blue (Mute) - Australian goth country icon Harvey teams with actress Acevedo for an album of more perfect goth country.
Inna De Yard- Family Affair (Wagram) - Third album from Jamaican collective that mixes reggae legends (this time Keith and Tex) with new talent.
Jim Bob- Thanks for Reaching Out (Cherry Red) - Clever social commentary on third album of former Carter USM main man’s trilogy that started with 2020s Pop Up Jim Bob
Don Letts- Outta Sync (Cigale/Cooking Vinyl) - Filmmaker/Clash colleague/Big Audio Dynamite cofounder releases his debut which is a fun producer party record.
Lydia Loveless - Nothing’s Going to Stand in my Way Again (Bloodshot) Loveless continues to be one of the best songwriters on the planet.
Metal Marty- Greatest Hits (Acetate) A de facto Supersuckers album from the band’s guitarist brings the old fashioned rock n roll
Theory of Ghosts-EPs 1 and 2 (Theory of Ghosts) - Ex Piano Magic main man Glen Johnson delights with a mix of slowcore and Bunnymen style alternative rock
The Ventures- New Space (Hi-Tide). Essentially a Ship of Theseus band led by producer/long time member Bob Spalding that captures a modern version of the Ventures sound as close as could be possible
WITCH- Zango (Desert Daze) Jagari Chanda has relaunched the 70s Zamrock legends with a sound that equally recalls their classic songs and a modern sound.
And one bonus pick
Gentlem3n- Mochyn Dall (Kinder Gentler) I can’t have an impartial opinion about my friend Jesse’s love letter to 90s Champaign scene
Do we all agree that Vince Clarke is probably the icon when it comes to synth pop. You likely know the story - cofounder of Depeche Mode, two incredible albums with Alison Moyet as Yazoo, detours with the Assembly and VCMG, bunch of remixes and probably most notably, the other half to Andy Bell for nearly 40 years now in Erasure.