Lanois/Eno Record U2 Masterpiece?

I’ve really got to quit writing about mega-bands. But first, this:

Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois have been busy working on the new record by U2. Having long ago lost interest in U2 (after the embarrassing Rattle and Hum) and the move to pandering stadium-shakers like Mysterious Ways (though One remains a great tune, brought to my attention by Johnny Cash), I recently popped The Unforgettable Fire onto the turntable and marvelled at what a unique-sounding smash record it is, with only a few dull moments, and a true about-face from the body-slam that was War.

Bono was no stranger to boasting, and said the band would be as big as Led Zeppelin around this time, a boast that became the truth. Of course following Fire came The Joshua Tree, where the Eno/Lanois partnership succeeded in creating a modern masterpiece that holds up to this day, and one I listened to repeatedly when it came out in 1987. Funny: I’ve never owned the record. I always listened to it as side A of a cassette (Crowded House’s debut record was on side B) given to me by a record store employee named Cathy when I was in high school. That tape has survived many a road trip and many a Walkman-play… but I digress, and poorly, at that.

The band was just finding its legs and hitting large-scale acceptance, like a kid hitting puberty and discovering sexual charm, when Eno and Lanois first came on board. The band is now much older and have received all the accolades, including all manner of ‘best band in the world’ awards. They are like the veteran stud of the horse stable, having won the career race and played all the right cards. They have used Eno/Lanois in various combinations for the majority of their post-War career.

Obviously, the combination is working. I was going to wonder here if Eno and Lanois could handle a band as big as U2 since the Vertigo Tour, and the answer is an obvious yes. The only question, I guess, then, is if the band can handle yet another sonic rearrangement – apparently this time, the record will be influenced by techno elements, which to me, makes we want to stick a very large “Beware of Techno” sign in their front lawn.

See, thing is, Lanois is claiming in Billboard that he and Eno are making a ‘masterpiece.’ Here’s the quote:

“We’re going to try and break new sonic ground and deliver a masterpiece.”

Bravado is never in short supply in the U2 camp, that’s for sure. Masterpiece is a word that, like brilliant, seems to be overused. So we’ll just have to hear what the record sounds like, and maybe my interest in U2 will be revived.