U2 Surprises With Free ‘Songs’ On iTunes

U2's Songs Of Innocence
U2’s Songs Of Innocence

Did Bono just pull a Beyonce? Kinda. In an event on Sept. 9, in Cupertino, California, Apple unveiled the latest iPhone models and the eagerly anticipated Apple Watch. Yet, the biggest surprise of the day came from U2, who not only announced its first new LP in five years, but that it was already available and waiting for us to download for free exclusively on iTunes. The album, Songs Of Innocence, was immediately offered via iTunes to over 500 million customers, across 119 countries worldwide. The band also performed the first track, “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)” for the live audience and viewers streaming the event.

Although the record is free until its physical sales release on Oct. 13, Bono clarified that Apple paid U2 an undisclosed sum for the music.

“Because if no one’s paying anything for it, we’re not sure ‘free’ music is really that free,” Bono wrote on U2’s website. “It usually comes at a cost to the art form and the artist… which has big implications, not for us in U2, but for future musicians and their music… all the songs that have yet to be written by the talents of the future… who need to make a living to write them.”

While the album’s unprecedented release came as something of a surprise for many (persistent rumors aside), the previously-assumed delayed record has been in the works for at least four years.

It’s not even the first time U2 has offered its music for free on iTunes: Earlier this year, the band debuted its single “Invisible” during the Super Bowl, and offered the song for 24 hours to help raise money for the (RED) organization. Recorded in Dublin, Los Angeles and New York, Songs Of Innocence’s 11 tracks were produced by Danger Mouse, with contributions from Paul Epworth (Adele, Coldplay, FKA twigs), Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney and Flood. In addition Lykke Li guests on the album’s closing song “The Troubles.”

In the days after, the “gifted” record proved extremely controversial, from critics and fans and non-fans alike, who took offense at Apple and U2’s audacity to drop the album directly into users’ iTunes libraries without their permission. In an era where security and privacy on the Internet are hotly debated issues, this was a breach of trust for many. And as the massive backlash continued to grow, Apple unveiled an app that would help users permanently delete the songs from the computer and cloud.

But despite the controversy and the hype, is the music itself actually any good?

For a record that literally just appeared in my iTunes library out of the blue, Songs Of Innocence feels anything but immediate. First, look at that “minimalist,” “hand-stamped” album cover, with its chicken-scratch scrawl on a plain white LP sleeve, which mimics a bootleg album. It’s not lost on me that that retro aesthetic is tied to a release that was ported out digitally to half a billion people’s earbuds. So as much as U2 and Bono and Apple try to make it seem carelessly tossed-off two minutes before it went live (not unlike Kanye’s Yeezus CD-R cover art), it was likely a meticulously plotted, intentional decision made in a boardroom. But beyond the visual design, Songs Of Innocence has the sound of songwriting by committee, a long-delayed collection chasing the raw and fresh a few years too late.

There’s nothing inherently bad about any of these songs, or the glossy, sometimes excellent production from Danger Mouse and hit-maker Paul Epworth. But you cannot help but hear the influences from U2’s arena-sized disciples seeping in: Some Coldplay grandiosity in “Every Breaking Wave”; a little One Republic dance pop in “This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now”; maybe a touch of Bon Iver’s falsetto in “Iris (Hold Me Close).”

None of that is necessarily U2’s fault, but any record assembled and fussed-over for this long as this can fall short of intended epic-ness from a band known for transcendent moments. All that said, there are moments that 100 percent work for me, like the celebratory “California (There Is No End To Love),” a film montage-ready song with a chorus I’d love to hear fans sing along with in a giant football stadium someday.

And sure, in the album closer like “The Troubles,” there’s a little Edge guitar soloing that the end that recalls a hazy sex scene in an ’80s action movie. But this mellow song features an exquisite, memorable hook from Lykke Li that gracefully intertwines with Bono’s voice and some swooning strings that feels the most like Danger Mouse’s trademark thumbprint shining through.