3 posts tagged “u2”
I'm a big U2 fan, I don't think that's any secret. I also quite liked Green Day's last album, as well as Dookie way back in high school. Still the idea of them teaming up for a song seems a bit odd, given that they're from different generations and stylistically don't really have much in common. It happened though on the song "The Saints Are Coming". Here is the video:
One of Lydia's favorite bands is Final Fantasy [wp], so when it was announced that they'd (he'd) be coming to Vancouver for a show on the University of British Columbia campus she snapped up tickets right away. Last night was the show and it was actually pretty good. The entire show is done by one fellow, Owen Pallett, on violin with a ton of looping and just a tiny bit of piano.
There's two albums out, and it's worth checking out if you've got the time and inclination. His last album won the first Polaris Music prize the day before yesterday, so it's award winning don't you know. If you like violin based indie music this is right up your alley. Pallet did a lot of the string arrangements on the Arcade Fire album that everyone loves so much, so if you're into the music it's likely you've heard some of his work before. If you've gone to a U2 concert on their latest tour it's also likely you've heard his work, since U2 comes onto the stage to "Wake Up" by the Arcade Fire.
It all comes back to Bono doesn't it?
P.S. I forgot to add that I actually really enjoyed opener Bob Wiseman [wp]. His music was good and his videos were hilarious.
What or who is your favorite product mascot? Why?
The Flaming Lips. I want to love them, and their music makes me, but when you hear "Do You Realize" being used to sell cars then I have to wonder did the song actually mean as much to them as it does to fans? Sure I know it's hard out there to be pimpin' moderately successful indie / mainstream music to the masses but surely there has to be enough money to pay the hookers and coke bills to avoid being a corporate shill?
At least the Beatles have no control over where their music ends up after Michael Jackson sold all the rights to their songs to Sony in exchange for another ten years worth of a career.
Say what you will about U2 being corporate whores, but the only two commercials their music has ever appeared in was for the U2 iPod in which they did not get paid for but rather used it as a way to advertise their new album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb and once for a third world charity whose name escapes me but again they recieved no money. Had they used "One" to sell dish washers, or "All I Want Is You" to shill mini vans to soccer moms then I'd be really disapointed.
As it is whenever I hear a song I really feel an emotional connection to in an ad I feel cheated. Like someone's taken something that used to belong to me and used it in a way I never wanted. I think artists should realize they can make music that's popular and is used in ads or they can make music that matters to people. It's not a two way street.
