My take on U2’s new free album

“Songs of Innocence,” is by no means their best album, and in the 20 plus years since the amazingness that is Achtung Baby, they have had their shortcomings album-wise, but have always had a few gems here and there. I had hoped their previous album would be even more a return to form, for these four Irish lads, now middle aged men than many of the tracks on “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb,” were. It wasn’t as good as it could have been, but it did have a few really good songs, like Magnificent. But this album, the songs stay with me, I like most of them a lot, and it feels way less gimmicky than songs like Vertigo, or Elevation. Back is some of the simplicity found in their first album, the maturity of The “Joshua Tree” and the fuzzed out instrumentals of Achtung Baby. The band is as tight as ever on their 30 plus year run. Don’t complain to get an actual decent album for free. Best tracks: The Miracle(of Joey Ramone), Iris(Hold Me Close), the raga tinged songs of Volcano, Raised By Wolves, Cedarwood Road, Sleep Like A Baby Tonight.

Tea Drinking Music

So I had a feature on driving music, but what about music for any other daily activities. One activity that I make a habit of is tea drinking. If not at any other point in the day, I drink it in the morning to help me wake up, and at night to help me relax into sleeping mode.

I found myself waking up to some delicious darjeeling by tazo teas, chock full of antioxidants, and exotic flavor. And as I was going about starting my day, I put on the song Moonage Daydream, from Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” album, and continued to go through some of my favorite tracks in his catalog such as Man Who Sold The World, Aladdin Sane, and I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship. Darjeeling and Bowie= waking up, and starting the day happy.

And as my day wound down, after a long and highly stressful week at work, I found myself listening to the ethereal sounds of Icelandic Post Rock outfit, Sigur Ros. Most of the words being in a entirely made up language that uses only syllables with a full musical advantage, it is so easy to just zone out and find your calm, your clarity, to relax and just let the music become you, in a sense. And with that, I found myself drinking Equal Exchange Peppermint Tea, fair trade, yummy, and soothing much like the music.