Originally posted by cyborgninja117:[..]
That's exactly what they were trying to do though. The record label wanted a greatest hits from them and they opted to go back and try to do a greatest hits with new songs, so it's by design really.
I do agree with the 'revolting against the system' angle though. To be honest it's been hard to go along with that since the band acheived major mainstream success and became millionaires. At least there's a few songs like Ghosts and Verona which feel more heartfelt and, dare I say it, genuine.
Those themes are getting really stale. A lot of bands get stuck in familiar territory, but it would be nice for them to explore something else. As far as the sounds, I don't mind recycled musical ideas.
U2's been stuck in the same sonic landscape for most of the last 25 years. The "failure" of Pop made them play it safe ever since. Not like I want Muse to do a Polka album. Staying in a Black Hole may be a good place to be. Duran Duran's Future Past has lots of recycled sounds, and I love most of it. Most bands that a U2 fan would like are anywhere from 40-70, or ancient like The Stones. Breaking new ground in any profession is not an easy task over 40. I haven't written a creative post in probably 10 years lol.