Thoughts on this- SOI album of year

Not a surprise.  Listen I like SOI but I'm a fan; it's certainly not an album that was going to win over a bunch of new fans. Rolling Stone gives U2 a lot of love based on past glory.

There were lots of great albums that year. For the album having only been out a few months, I was quite surprised.

I would imagine even the fiercest u2 fan would concede it really wasn't the album of the year for 2014....

I read Uproxx a lot even though they have their hipster spin on everything which i can't stand- and i think everyone already knows my thoughts on Rolling Stone.

I read Uproxx a lot even though they have their hipster spin on everything which i can't stand- and i think everyone already knows my thoughts on Rolling Stone.

and this article kind of confirms what i was saying for years. i just didn't know the reasons why.  wow.

2014 was an amazing year for music. While I don't personally believe SOI was the best of that year, it was in my upper tier and it's still a strong album.

Rolling Stone is known for endlessly praising both U2 and Springsteen, who garner stellar reviews regardless of the quality of their content. When I saw them give Working on a Dream five stars and list High Hopes as one of the best albums of the year, I knew it was all a crock. I love Springsteen but those two albums rank among his worst.

2014 was an amazing year for music. While I don't personally believe SOI was the best of that year, it was in my upper tier and it's still a strong album.

Rolling Stone is known for endlessly praising both U2 and Springsteen, who garner stellar reviews regardless of the quality of their content. When I saw them give Working on a Dream five stars and list High Hopes as one of the best albums of the year, I knew it was all a crock. I love Springsteen but those two albums rank among his worst.

As a person who thinks SOI is a solid album, the RS reviews are just way over the top.  However, it seemed like other outlets (NME, Pitchfork) just trashed SOI because trashing anything U2 did was really cool in 2014*.  So where is the balanced, happy medium? Probably nowhere to be found on the internet - no clicks to be generated that way.

*Duly noted that U2's release of SOI was idiotic and the finger-touch moment with iTimCook was off the charts on the embarrasment scale.

As a person who thinks SOI is a solid album, the RS reviews are just way over the top.  However, it seemed like other outlets (NME, Pitchfork) just trashed SOI because trashing anything U2 did was really cool in 2014*.  So where is the balanced, happy medium? Probably nowhere to be found on the internet - no clicks to be generated that way.

*Duly noted that U2's release of SOI was idiotic and the finger-touch moment with iTimCook was off the charts on the embarrasment scale.

That's true. True criticism is rare these days, with people finding it easier (and more profitable) to either rip something to shreds or praise it endlessly. I didn't see too many reviews that were fair or coming from a place of objectivity. Granted, it's hard to be truly objective about a lot of things, but making the effort is part of balanced criticism. Most of these publications abandoned basic journalistic principles years ago.

The same thing occurs in the gaming community. Players often cite good reviews as paid-for or negative reviews being attributed to someone who must be terrible at the game and therefore gave it a negative score.

Bloody awful album - by some distance their worst

Bloody awful album - by some distance their worst

I don't want to get banned on my first post, so I'll bite my tongue and just say this:

EBW, Iris, Sleep Like A Baby, The Troubles... some of U2's best work.

Quote from: Very good on October 27, 2017, 04:47:05 PM

Bloody awful album - by some distance their worst

I don't want to get banned on my first post, so I'll bite my tongue and just say this:

EBW, Iris, Sleep Like A Baby, The Troubles... some of U2's best work.

Nice to see you, finally!

I'm still posting at @U2 and I was wondering where everyone went! Wait, they didn't tell you @U2 is secretly open?

Quote from: Very good on October 27, 2017, 04:47:05 PM

Bloody awful album - by some distance their worst

I don't want to get banned on my first post, so I'll bite my tongue and just say this:

EBW, Iris, Sleep Like A Baby, The Troubles... some of U2's best work.

You won't get banned here for having a different opinion to someone else - you have the freedom to disagree with an opinion and if you wish enter into a discussion with that other person you disagree with...

I am a little confused as to why you feel disagreeing with someone elses opinion about something they think is bad and you think is good might lead to a ban....

Someone having an opinion that something is bad will not lead to condemnation from the admin and mod team about their opinion either.

Quote from: The Edges Cat on October 27, 2017, 06:49:40 PM

Quote from: Very good on October 27, 2017, 04:47:05 PM

Bloody awful album - by some distance their worst

I don't want to get banned on my first post, so I'll bite my tongue and just say this:

EBW, Iris, Sleep Like A Baby, The Troubles... some of U2's best work.

You won't get banned here for having a different opinion to someone else - you have the freedom to disagree with an opinion and if you wish enter into a discussion with that other person you disagree with...

I am a little confused as to why you feel disagreeing with someone elses opinion about something they think is bad and you think is good might lead to a ban....

Someone having an opinion that something is bad will not lead to condemnation from the admin and mod team about their opinion either.

He's become institutionalized, an tha. Can't blame the poor fellow!