Routledge The Sonic Signature of U2: Let Me In The Sound (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series)

What musical elements define the unmistakable, yet constantly evolving, 'U2 sound'? How is their enormously engaging music constructed? How have U2 maintained their prominent position in the ever-shifting world of popular music? Let Me In The Sound: The Sonic Signature of U2 addresses these questions in a three-tiered music-theoretical dissection of the band's unique sound. Endrinal begins by identifying the salient sonic characteristics that combine to form U2's distinctive musical autograph. With those characteristics established, the book examines the various approaches to formal organization found in the band's oeuvre. Finally, detailed analyses of several songs from across the band's career demonstrate how U2 construct songs and how each member of the band contributes his own unique musical perspective to these formal designs. Endrinal's analyses reach beyond the traditional focus on melody, harmony and rhythm, drawing on new computer assisted analytical techniques to explore texture, timbre and instrumentation. More than a study of one band, then, this book offers new analytical methods for the study of popular music. About the Author Dr. Christopher Endrinal is an Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Department of Music. He received his Ph.D. in Music Theory from The Florida State University, with a dissertation entitled '"Form and Style in the Music of U2'.