Much Vetrautes, little new, good bonus tracks

After more than 5 years back, a new U2 album. Because the expectations are high. The first impressions after repeated listening is that the album is both well-audibly, on the other hand but also somehow missing a hit, the album, the two predecessors had with Vertigo and Magnificent to offer each. Great innovations remain of sound technically. Am curious what remains of it hanging at the end of the tour.

The panel begins quite ugly rock with The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone). The song has a weak chorus to be well saved by the Ohoh choirs. The guitar riff is good but over. Because of Bono so revered Joey deserved a better song and the album's first single and a better opener. As a tribute I would have rather expected a runtergerotzten 2-minute bubblegum punk song in the Ramones-style.
With Every Breaking Wave follows as the second song a U2 standard, which could possibly get caught. The song sounds so incredibly familiar, whatever it is determined that the bass line a little With Or Without You and the Final Walk On similar.
California is the next song that relies on Oohoohs. With its Beach Boys beginning (Baba-St. Barbara) hard on the threshold of pain and pretty much the low point of the album. Since the 3 bonus tracks of the Deluxe Edition would have been more compelling album tracks.
Song For Someone is the second highlight, I like that especially with its reduced arrangements. But the chorus comes it again not without Oohoohs from. Could be a classic in the repertoire are, maybe just in acoustically concert imaginable with two guitars.
Iris is then again a song like from the modular system with known musical U2 set pieces. Recall here only to Where The Streets Have No Name, Ultraviolet or City Of Blinding Lights. Unfortunately, the piece gets a bit out of control in the final stanza. Thematically Iris is the third tribute (for I Will Follow and Mofo) at Bono's mother.
Volcano and Raised By Wolves then get more rocking, therefore, with Volcano is in the chorus back to the frequent use of the vowel "O", but annoying in the end. That is now the fourth song needs something and leaves doubts about the songwriting. If that was not enough, come in the middle part still Nananas. The second and final weak point of the album.
With the last 5 songs the album but finally more interesting.
Raised By Wolves relies in the stanza on the shimmering guitars well known. The song builds first well voltage on and explodes in the chorus. Will work determined in concert well.
For Cedarwood Road The Edge has occurred to a catchy riff, but the song is weakening slightly in the verse and the chorus.
Sleep Like A Baby Tonight sounds for the beginning in the verse like nothing at U2 previously and is electronically similar to power plant hall of mirrors. The chorus is it then again everything as it was. If after using The Edges overdriven guitar brute, but you still feel a bit of Love Is Blindness recalls. The partially reminiscent of a children's song sweet music and melody are at the stark contrast with the shocking text on child abuse. The alternative version with the bonus tracks brings the song then lyrically from the victims' perspective. Since a shiver.
This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now begins percussive oriental, with a slightly ajar to One guitar melody, then the song takes on speed and grooving bass. The "Soldier Soldier" - chorus is very catchy.
Completed is the album with the successful ballad The Troubles, when Lykke Li assumes the mantra-like chorus. A perfect final song which is unfortunately disappears prematurely. For me, the best song.

Overall, I was hoping that the album is more rock. On the other hand, I'm surprised how well do the quieter songs. Musically it occurred to The Edge and the band very little new on this album. Here some is recycled. Much sounds somewhere familiar. To be fair, one must also say that many popular rock bands have used unabashedly at typical U2 sound in recent years, Beautiful Day there was a blueprint for much but. In addition, the band has also been widely criticized when they did not sound like U2. This can be the new album, at least not accuse. The band just has their own sound and is more or less limited to 3 instrumentalists. AC / DC, Metallica or Iron Maiden raises indeed no one before that they sound like they sound, but be sure just loved (or hated).
Bono's voice no longer creates any sound, especially when he tries to high notes or in falsetto (Sleep Like A Baby ...) it is very terrible. Better avoid falsetto, singing deep or leave these places The Edge.
The production is in spite of several producers (including Danger Mouse) very homogeneous but rather on security and ironed. Unlike in the past are increasingly keyboards in use.
Compared to many recent productions, the songs have a proper dynamics, only Cedarwood Road looks in this regard from compressed.

Supplement for Deluxe Edition and a bonus track Invisible:
All unsuspecting, like me (at first) had taken Vorlieb with the standard version, because they thought Invisible would be on any CD version, can fret now, because Invisible is a hidden track on CD 2 of the Deluxe Edition behind Sleep Like A Baby Tonight, as well as in its long version. Unfortunately Invisible is not selected directly. Neither are the songs in the Acoustic Sessions (after about 20 minutes) can be selected individually. Very awkward. In this respect bore the back of the CD cover and the Amazon product description. In total there are 11 and not as described 5 bonus tracks. CD 2 has a playing time of approximately 46 minutes (long pause before Invisible has already been deducted).
Lucifer's Hands (again with Ahahas etc.) is a rockigerer song with distinctive guitar riffs, a nice break on the actual album would have been. If the piece some thing sounds familiar, could be that it partially served as instrumental The Return Of The Stingray Guitar as an opener of the last tour. The Crystal Ballroom on the other hand is more pop and almost danceable therefore with keyboards. After 23 minutes at a stretch acoustic versions of songs Album 6 (Every Breaking Wave with piano and violins, California with horns, Raised By Wolves, Cedarwood Road, Song For Someone, The Miracle Of Joey Ramone). The songs I like there in its simplicity almost better than the slickly produced and delivered soundwise gelatinized album versions. An album in this way would have been in the database (similar in Manic Streets Preachers with Rewind The film) because the band wants to yes after pushing another album soon also a nice change.
Plus alternate versions of The Troubles without Lykke Li, Sleep Like A Baby Tonight and as a hidden track Invisible, has it pretty incomprehensible failed on the actual album. Earlier this year Invisible became part of the public as a shortened RED Edit after Soundtrack Song Ordinary Love without larger Echo published. The song works much better and according to a patented formula U2 in its long version. Its potential is wasted as a hidden track somehow.

Packing:
Cardboard cover to unfold in glossy print on every finger print and scratches. Very sensitive. Front The Misunderstood by many Cover with drummer Larry and his son. Inside a band photo. The CDs are the right and left in thin white paper sleeves. Plus, there's two miserable long white piece of paper with typewritten to unfold with lyrics, song statements, production notes, etc.
For the packaging of a Deluxe Edition you could have come up with something more elegant. I also have the bonus disc read only once in the computer and split the tracks, so that I can select individually.
To what extent the Deluxe edition is limited beyond my knowledge (as determined a few million).

Conclusion:
Not much new in the house U2, spending a lot of familiar. Compared to the predecessor album works better for me, the songwriting on Songs Of Innocence. Overall, a solid album. A complete failure does not have to offer the album. California and Volcano but are close. On the cheap gimmicky Oohoos etc. the band but could do without.
On the plus side Every Breaking Wave, Song For Someone, Raised By Wolves, Sleep Like A Baby Tonight, This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now and The Troubles are to be mentioned. This is already considerably more than me has remained from the last album in memory. While the rest of the album is also audible, but only average. The standard version of the album is not as the bearer, at least the second half succeeded. The bonus tracks (especially Invisible and Lucifer's Hands) and acoustic versions of the Deluxe Edition tear the album out, however, and I have to correct my mind from 3.5 to just 4 stars.