U2 And Their New Album (Part 2)

Continued from the last post


Almost as central to the unknown and unseen in their music is a mood that could be described as the sadness of leaving. We walk towards the mystery as beings that will vanish, forever unknown like we never were born. Here’s the Irish in them, here’s the Irish in us, here’s the Irish forever. Mo chuisle, avourneen, “my true love forever, the police are watching, and I must go ashore”. Their best songs are partings, my love as I’m leaving, my love to the vanished, my love to the gone. And they may be uplifting, but you’re leaving your home now, we’re all leaving our friends now, “my love, sing along”. Their fellow countryman, the poet W.B. Yeats, summed up the Irish quality of human existence better than anyone, “Our souls are love and an everlasting farewell”.

In terms of the actual sound quality of their music, the major characteristic is The Edge’s guitar sound. (I don’t get that name, it’s another thing that’s thrown me off about U2. No matter which way I look at it it sounds stupid) It’s that distant, echoey chording, like streaks of light across the sky. The only real precursor to it that I can think of is Neil Young’s guitar playing in “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield, and as far as I can remember he never really played like that again. The Edge has truly developed as unique and original a sound as has ever been heard in rock music.

What makes it a strange case however is that unlike other unique guitar players, the Edge’s style hasn’t created a whole race of imitators, in opposition to, say, Dave Davies on the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”, a case that launched a thousand ships. My guess as to the reason why, when people pick up a guitar, they don’t want to be The Edge is that lack of physicality that is so central to the band’s sound. Where Dave Davies’ playing on “You Really Got Me” sounds like a lusting, beating heart, The Edge’s sound is more about space and ambience. Ninety five percent of his riffs don’t matter, and when he tries to play hard then he’s trying to hard. Questions and sadness don’t require your bones to be crushed to the face of your rotting skull. Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and every band that’s played great riffs, has keyed the message that they’re hungry, that they’re angry, that they’re hard, and that they’re jealous, and that the best is coming hard and then to come again at home. This message is not to be scoffed at, and in not delivering it U2 have a tricky job that can make them look uncool. And they are sometimes, and they actually are often. I’m defining uncool as talking just to fill space, being clumsy, being boring, being safe, and driving well.


Continued next post