“IT just kinda sounds like a fart any way you listen to it,” was how Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins described U2’s latest album.
Embarrassingly, this less than complimentary remark can easily be adapted to describe his band’s new release, a dull, run-of-the-mill offering. But Sonic Highways was never meant to be about the music.
It shares its name with Dave Grohl’s HBO series, recorded in a different US city with the lyrics written to document their surroundings. This clash of culture and music has only managed to produce average songs, a disappointing aspect of a highly anticipated album in what is the band’s 20th year.
A UK stadium tour was announced on the back of its release and they will undoubtedly sell out the five UK dates, but only thanks to their extensive and memorable back catalogue.
The first two songs – Something From Nothing and The Feast and The Famine – are the band’s current singles, and the only redeeming features on an unimpressive eighth album.
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