Imagine walking into your living room and all your stuff is there, but it鈥檚 different. The sofa has moved, the bookcase is leaning on a different wall and the framed photos have swapped locations. That鈥檚 the feeling you get listening to U2鈥檚 new album.
鈥淪ongs of Surrender鈥� is a 鈥渞eimagining鈥� of 40 songs from the Irish quartet鈥檚 deep catalogue, cleverly presented from 鈥淥ne鈥� to 鈥�40.鈥� Think of it as a thrilling home makeover.
鈥淚 want to tear down the walls that hold me inside,鈥� Bono sings in the new 鈥淲here the Streets Have No Name鈥� 鈥� lyrics that perfectly fit this sonic experiment. This version of the song is virtually unrecognizable from the one the band made famous in 1987.
That鈥檚 the point of this exercise led by Bono and The Edge. 鈥淥nce we surrendered our reverence for the original version, each song started to open up to a new authentic voice of this time,鈥� The Edge writes in the liner notes.
There are triumphs and a few fumbles, but there鈥檚 a growing realization that the architecture of these songs is strong indeed, even with some new lyrics. The new 鈥淰ertigo鈥� has Middle Eastern instrumentations, while an acoustic guitar-driven 鈥淪unday Bloody Sunday鈥� sounds more like something from a coffeehouse open-mic night than a strident arena-ready demand. But they鈥檙e both still gorgeous.
Some might even be improvements. One of the band鈥檚 earliest hits 鈥� 鈥�11 O鈥機lock Tick Tock鈥� 鈥� is smoother, slower and cleaner than the original. And would you believe the new 鈥淭he Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)鈥� might be better than the one on 鈥淪ongs of Innocence鈥�?
Many reworkings are relatively straight-forward, like 鈥淐edarwood Road,鈥� 鈥淧eace on Earth,鈥� 鈥淏ad鈥� and 鈥淚 Will Follow.鈥� Most have a stripped-down feel, which gives Bono鈥檚 voice little shelter amid moody keyboards or choppy acoustic guitar. 鈥淓very Breaking Wave鈥� is cinematic, like something that should run over the end credits when an anguished drama has faded to black.
鈥淚 Still Haven鈥檛 Found What I鈥檓 Looking For,鈥� gets a cowboy vibe and unexpected honky-tonky electricity. 鈥淒esire鈥� has Bono high in his falsetto against a strummy dulcimer and the effect is hypnotic.
鈥淕et Out of Your Own Way鈥� is remade as a Mumford & Sons tune, in a good way, and the new 鈥淪tuck in a Moment鈥� is a folkish prayer, the structure holding. The new 鈥淥ne鈥� is a little marred by a choir effect, but it is such a beautiful song that it could be remade as a punk tune and it would still sparkle.
Listening to the new 鈥淪ometime You Can鈥檛 Make It On Your Own鈥� is like running into an ex who is barely recognizable. The reworked 鈥淲ith or Without You鈥� has an air of antiseptic menace.
One effect of the album is to put Bono鈥檚 lyrics under a spotlight, making his words and imagery more pronounced. The new 鈥淥rdinary Love鈥� emerges like a tone poem, the new 鈥淚nvisible鈥� reveals deeper pain than originally sang.
Some don鈥檛 work, as when the grimness of 鈥淩ed Hill Mining Town鈥� is undercut by horns, effectively remaking it into a defanged children鈥檚 song. The new 鈥淏eautiful Day鈥� is not an improvement over the original; it has been made lounge-y and meandering, despite some nifty new lyrics.
In a new 鈥淧ride (In the Name of Love),鈥� Bono鈥檚 voice has been harnessed and tamed, losing the original鈥檚 stridency and anger. And the new 鈥�40鈥� 鈥� with Bono appropriately arguing 鈥淚 will sing a new song鈥� 鈥� has been made limp and passive.
If you鈥檙e not a U2 fan, this collection will not convince you to embrace them. If you are a mega-fan, you will marvel at their mutability. And if you are a casual fan, you must admire a band willing to get in its own way.
鈥擬ark Kennedy, The Associated Press
