Some context: I absolutely love their previous album Songs of Innocence. The tour that followed was ambitious and fresh. Then, along came the 30th anniversary of their The Joshua Tree, including a tour of the material, which had the band revisiting those songs in a fresh way for a modern audience.. So, between the previous and supposed bookend album, and dreaming up their peak masterworks, I was expecting the introspection to lead to an album made up of songs, a product of those factors would be exquisite rock ‘n roll. So, when Songs of Experience came along, I had the impression that it would be a bookend to Songs of Innocence, the way William Blake might’ve liked. Where Songs of Innocence was biographically the U2 origin story, unfortunately, as all 4 members are now in their 60s, Experience may really be a harbinger for their retirement. Experience ranks at the bottom of my list as least enjoyable; you’re off the hook, Pop. Experience showed they are still willing to give it a go, but, in this superfan’s opinion, they are venturing in the wrong direction. The wrong way in the envelope. I sure hope it isn’t their last work. From another perspective, this song that most of the members played on for soccer is better than any track on Experience. So I hold out hope.
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