I write about random things a lot. I write a lot about random things. I'm not a journalist, that much should be more than clear by now. If I am anything, though, I can say that it is passionate about music which unfortunately means being as emphatic about the misses as I am the hits.

If there's anything I find frustrating about music, it is when bands become complacent about their craft and release music that is unquestionably sub-par. I don't mean that natural lifespan that sees bands lose their edge over time, but rather, the habit of some bands to get comfortable and straight-up phone it in.

I don't like to point fingers, but for the sake of honesty, U2 have been wholly disappointing for a long time. In their own words, they've been on a lifelong path of growth, learning from each album where their strengths and weaknesses lie, working the entire span of their career towards becoming the best they can be. But that just can't be true.

Formed in 1976 and signed to Island Records in 1980, U2 began refining their own sound through increasingly impressive albums, culminating in The Joshua Tree, released in 1987. Words can scarcely describe the impact this record has had on radio, an impact that continues on to this day - singles like With Or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Where The Streets Have No Name are still under regular radio rotation.

So by 1987, U2 had accomplished everything that most bands in the world strive to achieve - a signature sound, a record of legendary proportions, and the acclaim of critics and fans alike. In response, U2 did perhaps the most unlikely thing they could have: they decided to experiment with reinvention. Under such a guise, what we as listeners have actually witnessed is an unfortunate descent into mediocrity.

These days, songs like Get On Your Boots (from the album No Line On The Horizon, released back in February of this year) or even Vertigo (the lead single from 2004's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb) say it all, the band has begun recording music that is unspectacular in considerable ways.

It might be forgivable if the band were still releasing unique work, but no. Instead, they've recorded music largely below the quality of their catalogue, and their contemporaries. Had any other band in the world recorded Get On Your Boots, not only would the song not have been a success for them, it would surely have gotten them no attention at all.

Simply put, U2 seem to have allowed themselves to get comfortable over the years and produce music that is lamentably lacking. However, all isn't lost; looking on the bright side, the band still lend their talents to side projects in film and on stage. We can always hope that they return to the brilliance of their former selves; what goes around comes around. I'm out of words.