U2
Songs Of Experience

The only way to listen to the new U2 album is to try to insert each track within their discography and – if possible – their biography. Bono's voice seems to have returned to a better state compared to the last indecent album, and the rest of the band functions properly.

The Miracle could be included as a b-side on an album like War, Every Breaking Wave could have the glory of a new track from All That You Can't Leave Behind, as well as California. Song For Someone is nothing more than an Edge ballad for voice only (Bono's) meant to be performed mid-concert, on a stage surrounded by fans. And it will be so, you'll see. All the other songs have a placement—historical, biographical, musical—from which they don't detach and from which it's essential to clarify the comparison.

The work in itself is imperfect. Precisely because it's not a standalone piece, but a non-anthological approach to the history of the Irish band, so much so that a Songs Of Experience is in the air. Precisely because each track makes you think of what happened next, what happened, what was added to U2's music, and this, at least the long-standing fans will have understood very well.

It is not possible to feel betrayed by Songs Of Innocence. U2 are in it, creating something new on something over 35 years old, with entirely different producers, means, and aspirations. In an era where "not knowing" becomes science, that right direction for Bono and company is still distant, but where the streets have no name, anything can still happen.