Next U2(s)? How about Verve, Radiohead, and Mansun?

Buzz Andersen ([email protected])
Wed, 19 Aug 1998 23:22:59 -0600

While I would certainly agree that there could never be another band quite
like U2, I think we have been too quick to dismiss Todd's excellent
discussion topic. Perhaps we should clarify what we mean by "the next
U2"--are we talking about "the next band that will sound and behave a lot
like U2" or "the next band that will capture peoples' imaginations and carry
music forward the way U2 has?" I vote that we discuss the latter, because
the former is pretty obvious (nobody).

I agree wholeheartedly that the Verve (who put on a wonderful show in my
town recently) and Radiohead are two of the best candidates we have right
now. They are the only bands that I have seen operating on the same scale
as U2 as far as musical ambition goes, and the only bands that I can see as
being a huge influence on future music...

That is, except for one--the British band Mansun (and I don't mean Marilyn).
I don't know how many of you have heard Mansun's music, but they make
absolutely brilliant, beautifully produced, atmospheric songs that are
difficult to pin down into a genre. They really remind me of the early U2
because of their experimental approach and their commitment to their
audience (they actually have a telephone number set up where you can leave a
message for Stove, their bassist, and get a return call--I know because I
talked to him the other night!). They are still starting out (their second
album, "Six," comes out early next month), but they are already very well
respected and I predict that someday they could play the same role in music
that U2 has played for the last ten years or so.

I'd love to hear what other people think, though...

Buzz Andersen
http://www.cs.du.edu/~landerse
[email protected]

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