Contentment on the horizon

Once a musician or group has achieved popularity or at least some sort of popularity and recognization, their music are considered mainstream.

The extremely popular group u2 started life as an underground punk group. Their music only appeal to certain small segment of listeners. Their early work, those seminal songs and albums from the 80's was still their best. Those who said their later or latest are their best either are too young to have listen to their earlier masterpieces or do not know how to differentiate between good and mediocre music.

As much as recent albums like "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and the last "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" had garnered positive and critical acclaim, at best they remain average albums on their own and mediocre compared to memorable gems like "The Unforgettable Fire", "The Joshua Tree", "Boy" and even "Achtung Baby".

Their upcoming "No Lines On The Horizon" has been getting good write-ups and preview even before the album is scheduled for worldwide release on March 2. Adjectives like "fantastically innovative", "some of their best work" and "sounds amazing" are now taken with a pinch of salt.

As a very old fan of the group from the 80's (yes, i'm that old), i had read the very favourable reviews of their last two albums- 'ATYCLB' and 'HTDAAB'. But frankly i found them a disappointment given the long time they spent in the studio making them. For the music they make which is rock music, they both are missing an important ingredient-passion. Good rock music requires fire and passion.

Also, their album's title seemed to get longer with every new release. Ego's reflected in the titles?

So, it's not hard to tell i'm no longer so excited they're releasing a new album. Would of course get the album but the thrill of anticipation is no longer there. In fact, the feeling of disappointment is higher.

Hate to say it but maybe they have come close to 'sell-by dates'. Maybe age has to do with it. People tend to become mellower with age. Rock music is youths' music in spirit but when you get older the spirit tends to fizzle out (at least a little). Also, they tend to run out of things to say. Their lyric evokes the "haven't i heard this before" feeling more often than not.

Or maybe not. Maybe it's just that i'd heard all that they have to say. maybe it's just me getting older; too old for this kind of music. I'd grown to liked 'mellower' and more 'emotional' music through the years. Apart from 80's music (New Wave music), rock music is my singular favourite kind of music. From The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd to U2 to Nirvana, used to lap up every kind of rock there were. But now, even Metallica and Guns N'Roses are not quite as appealing as previously. Heck, can't stand the high-pitched scream of Axl Rose the last time i listened to them.

Besides returning to new wave (or the much maligned 'retro') music and those 80's cantopop (from the likes of Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Jacky Cheung) Tsai Chin, Zhou Xuan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday has slowly become my staples. Maybe i'm really getting old or worse, feeling it. Feeling old is definitely worse than getting old. You tend to lose interest in things which you once find enjoyable. Things which make life worth living.

Just hope it's really the amazing, innovative and one of their best work after the last song had finished playing. In between now and then, there's still hope. But not too high a hope. Maybe it's time to move on but only for the memories. When music is put on a commercial pedestal in place of art and emotion, then it's not music anymore.