Sunday, August 9, 2009

U2's "Unknown Caller" and Gloriana's "Wild at Heart"

U2 released No Line on the Horizon in March of this year.

I've recently downloaded "Unknown Caller," "Magnificent," and "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight." I'm interested as U2 is playing Scott Stadium in October.

These are good songs, and I can tell they are growing on me as a I listen to them, although none of the three completely grabbed me and made me want to repeat endlessly, as new songs sometimes do. There's definitely a tinge of The Unforgettable Fire in the background (the steady guitar and beat), but there's also an element of the theme song from Gangs of New York, which seems to be something of a stand-by for U2 in the past 5-7 years.

"Unknown Caller" explores technology and the emotional reaction to it. I'm not clear what the message is supposed to be, but I like Bono's emphatic "Shush now" and other lines:

Restart and reboot yourself

You’re free to go

Shout for joy if you get the chance
Password, you, enter here, right now


You know your name so punch it in

Hear me, cease to speak that I may speak

Shush now

-----------------------
Gloriana is a new pop country band, along the lines of Sugarland.

Very
pop, though I guess "officially" country for Billboard and radio-play purposes. "Wild at Heart" is cheesy for sure but also upbeat and catchy. The name Gloriana cracks me up -- it seems like a name that a mockumentary for a cheesy-pop-country group would come up with!