Seven Songs for the Week #151 - 25th Feb 26

Last week, before I had put out playlist #150, I was on a day off and doing some domestic painting when I got a notification that U2 had just released a new six song EP for Ash Wednesday. I jumped onto Apple Music immediately. I was initially expecting more "reworkings" but no, it was six new tracks, or more specifically, five new tracks and a poem.

I had reached a point where I never expected to hear from U2 again. Larry's nebulous health problems, playing in Vegas without him, Bono's solo book, that terrible, terrible album of re-recordings, the odd Disney+ show with Letterman, the Bono live show on AppleTV. In 9 years there were two new songs - the ignorable Atomic City and the embarrassingly invisible This Song Saved My Life. Activity with very little substance.

To hit play on track one, American Obituary, and to realise it was an actual proper new U2 song, one with vim, was a thrill to be honest. I want them to be great. The Tears of Things is the second track on the EP and easily is the best thing they've done in two decades. YMMV.

For no reason except as an action to myself, I am listening to old RSD purchases. This album is one of them. Realised afterwards I was listening on the the first anniversary of his death. Doesn't this sound like Tangled Up In Blue? It's from about 5 years before TUIB.

Another RSD purchase. Field Music made one of my favouritest records ever with 2012's Plumb. I have not immersed myself in the rest of their catalogue but have a few other of their albums. I was struck in a recent Mojo that Field Music supplement their (lack of) income from the band by performing as a Doors tribute act. They don't seem to be too put out by the professional realities of this, but it is a pity as by my metrics Field Music are a far better band than The Doors.

Went to see Franz Ferdinand this week, and very good they were too. If Field Music don't have any money, then how much in debt are Franz support act Home Counties? A six piece who I'm guessing have been played on BBC 6Music because they sound like they've been genetically engineered for that channel. Their support set was not much, this was the only song I could recall. I don't think they'll travel further - one year on from their second album, they might need more traction than what they have already. Let's see.

Between the support and the appearance of Franz Ferdinand on stage, the music over the PA could only have been chosen by FF themselves. This was one of the tracks. It was nice to be reminded of it.

Another song from FF's pre-gig PA playlist.

At some point before Christmas, I pre-ordered the Quadrophenia Atmos/Surround bluray. It was in the back of my mind, then turned up on Monday, four days before its release date. I have Atmos speakers which can play Atmos music off an AppleTV box, but my bluray player doesn't output Atmos, only 5.1. So I listened in 5.1 and it sounds great. I have owned some version of Quadrophenia for about 35 years. This week might be the first time I sat down and listened to the whole thing almost uninterrupted. Which isn't to say that I don't know this record, I do, but it does benefit from attention and also from the surround. To me it sounded like a great mix, leaning into the sound effects and rear speakers. You'd forget that Quadrophenia has a title track, but it does.