U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
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Free Music Notes for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Free Music Review: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb? With Love...
Hit: 5 Stars
What I think people don't understand about this album is that it is less political and spiritual than U2's previous albums and far more...*intimate*. This is a personal record, and singing about the intimately personal - familial relationships, in particular - is a new angle for U2. Although there have been love songs and songs about death before, never have these all been on a single album with the concentration that they are here. I think that what some here are upset about is the fact that intimacy and tenderness are sides of U2 that most of are not used to hearing; in short, it's not what people have been expecting.
Bono writes and sings as a father and a son on this album - and I am unaware of any other songs that reflect this (save "I Will Follow" from their first album "Boy", but these lyrics are about his father and they have a very different tone). "Original of the Species" is an ode to youth and its two-edged sword of optimism and naiveté - one that many of us, in looking back, can relate to. It is a song for Edge's daughter that Bono writes with the eyes of a father (it is a beautiful song). There are two songs about his own father on this album, "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own" and "One Step Closer". "Sometimes..." has some beautiful, beautiful lines in it: "It's you when I look in the mirror...You're the reason I sing, you're the reason the opera is in me..."
This isn't to say that politics and spirituality are absent from this album: they aren't. Songs such as "Vertigo" and "Love and Peace or Else" are intensely political: "Lay down your guns, all your daughters of Zion, all your Abraham sons" (from "Love and Peace or Else"). Furthermore, "Miracle Drug" and "Yahweh" are a wonderful marriage of the political and spiritual; from "Miracle Drug" we hear "Beneath the noise, below the din, I hear a voice - it's whispering - in science and in medicine, 'I was a stranger, you took me in'" (this quotation being a quotation of Christ). "Yahweh" is the unspeakable name of God from the Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Bible; from the song we hear "Yahweh, Yahweh, always pain before a child is born. Yahweh, tell me now, Why the dark before the dawn?"
Musically, this album is a mix of October-War and Achtung Baby, with a good bit of All That You Can't Leave Behind thrown in. In short, it is very U2. "Vertigo", if you haven't heard it, has a really boisterous post-punk edge; "Love and Peace or Else" has a very Oasis-esque feel. Of course, all songs are drenched with Edge's time-delayed, signature guitar sound; Larry's drumming is strong and Adam's bass sounds better on this album than it has ever sounded, I think. It is fun to hear the slide guitar used a good bit on this album. I think Bono's vocals are about where they were on ATYCLB; they seem weaker to me than they were in the late-90s, and I think he has a hard time hitting some of the higher notes. He does it well on "Sometimes..." and it is refreshing. But frankly, I think he needs to lay off the cigarettes. Like "Sometimes...", "Closer to Knowing" is a beautiful ballad with both acoustic and time-delayed electric guitars. "Yahweh" is a bit more song than psalm; it lacks the eloquence of "40" and "Grace" but it is still a great song - and prayer - to end the album with.
For those that are upset with the album and say that it is banal, I think that they are simply looking for a cookie-cutter band stuck in the 80s. This album isn't their loudest or their most political or spiritual. Is it their best? I don't think that question can be answered in any definitive way as they have had so many great albums. But, this is undoubtedly their most tender and intimate album to date. If you want to genuinely *listen*, then pick this one up. For this listener, it is a voice that is unexpected, but welcome and well worth the wait.
Free Music Review: Either you'll give it a chance or you won't...
Hit: 5 Stars
Sadly, I'll have to agree with many of the U2 fans who've reviewed this album here - it grows on you. It's unfortunate that it doesn't clobber the audience with a crashing right hook like Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. But then again, neither did All That You Can't Leave Behind.
On first listen, I didn't hear anything that really stood out on this one, except to some degree, Miracle Drug and Sometimes you can't make it on your own. Vertigo was somewhat disappointing upon first listen - not bad but not an absolutely amazing single either. However, after listening to the whole album four times straight I finally heard it. And then the songs really came to life.
Vertigo became the solid opener that it is. It reminds me most of Desire from Rattle and Hum - quick, harsh, and it rocks.
Miracle Drug and Sometimes you can't make it on your own showed varied qualities - anthemic and deep - maybe not along the lines of Where the Streets have no name or One - but still very strong and enough to keep me coming back to listen over and over. In my opinion, the two best songs on the album, followed closely by the closing three.
Love Peace or Else - initially I could tell it was a pretty good song but couldn't quite place it amongst U2's library. I think it's the kind of song that will be pretty hot live - akin to Bullet the Blue Sky. It doesn't have that's song's relevance or poetry - it's a bit too straightforward - but it comes pretty close.
City of Blinding Lights - this one was at first a big question mark but has really shown itself to be a great tune. It's anthemic, along the lines of Miracle Drug, a little different with the keyboard/piano work but it has tons of layers and definitely one of better written songs on the album. I can see this becoming a big hit with fans, especially in live shows.
A Man and a Woman - another one that really grew on me over time. It falls into the pretty good u2 song category -- similar to New York or In a little while on their last album, or Please on Pop. Admittedly, I wish it didn't take a few listens for me to take a real liking, but maybe that's the beauty of this album.
All because of you and Crumbs from your table - my two least favorite songs on the album. All because of you has the makings of real hit - great construction, solid lyrics, everything coming together until the chorus, which is mind-bogglingly awful -- the melody is just lost as if the fellas channeled some drunken show from 25 years back when Bono had no control over his voice. Not sure what happened because it really could've been a great song. Crumbs from your table - another one with pretty solid construction - it just didn't grow on me like most of the others did. The melody and lyrics are, for this album, just average.
One step closer, Original of the Species and Yahweh - along with Songs 2 and 3, these are the best on the album. Lyrically, all three delve into depths that most bands dare not go. Bono's not quite a poet - evidenced by his many forays into cheese - but he's capable of drawing from some pretty personal stuff without being pretentious, and that's a nice trick. These are quieter songs, but they really hit the heart of what U2's been about after the 1990 reinvention - more of the personal, the pains of the human heart. And while, to most songwriters, that seems to be about just their own pains, u2 manages to find a more universal voice - so the songs are about self, about family, about twisted experiences, about people.
On the whole - a pretty great album from start to finish. I'll suggest, as others have, that people really give it a chance. I've mentioned that to some friends who were less than enthused and they all agreed - it really works over time.
Free Music Review: one of their best
Hit: 5 Stars
U2 has once again blessed music with another masterpiece. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ranks up with U2's greats. Here is a simple breakdown of the songs.
Vertigo (9.5) - the best U2 opener since Where the Streets Have No Name from the Joshua Tree. Fast, powerful, and energetic. It is the absolute perfect way to start off an album
Miracle Drug (9.5) - upon first listen this one doesnt sound good after Vertigo but after a while you begin to realize that it is an all around beautiful song. The Edge's guitar work has never been better and the somber melody hits you in a way in which you appreciate it after it is over
Sometimes You Cant Make It On Your Own (10) - the best song on the album and one of the best of U2's career. Bono has never, in my opinion, sung with more passion and the lyrics match One as the most well written U2 song.
Love and Peace Or Else (9.5) - this is really the only politcal statement on the album. its a very different type of U2 song but using larry's thumping beats, the edge's hardcore guitar work, and the total production of Lillywhite, U2 once again manages to enter new ground to create a political masterpiece.
City of Blinding Lights (9.5) - i must admit that upon first listen this one did not strike me as all that great. but it grows on you and now i would rank it in the top 5 on the album. once again The Edge's guitar steals the musical aspect of the song but Bono's voice carries the number and makes it as exciting and fast paced a song as any U2 song ever
All Because of You (9) - after Vertigo you find yourself waiting for another fast paced hard rocker. when you reach track 6 it hits you like a ton of bricks. the hard driving rhythm guitar (supplied by Bono) is the foundation and its backed by a bass line thats to kill for.
A Man and a Woman (9) - once again U2 enters new ground. the boys go a little bit more acoustic and Larry provides a nice R&B beat. Bono's voice carries over into parrallel dimensions here and this is the song where you start to realize that these guys can basically tackle anything that comes their way.
Crumbs From your Table (8.5) - this song is an all around good song. its one you can just really rock out too. it wont be a hit single from the boys but it will give you just what your looking for in a U2 song. Edge's guitar work sounds awfully similar to that in Walk On.
One Step Closer (8) - the weakest song on the album and it wont hold the attention of some of you for long but I personally enjoyed it. it sounds a little bit unfinished and you can hear some parts that could have been better but the lyrics are incredible and the intro alone is worth the listen.
Original of the Species (9.5) - many people dont like this song however i find it to be one of the more rewarding tracks here. the chorus is simply masterful and the Beatle-esque melody is slightly humorous. Larry's drumming has never sounded better or more crisp.
Yahweh (9.5) - incredible upgrade for closing track from their previous closer Grace. this song gives us the religous aspect of U2 that we're all used to but in a much faster and guitar driven way. strip this song of Edge's guitar work and its nothing, although Bono's voice (especially in the chorus) is exceptionally powerful.
U2 has never sounded better. I feel that this album needs to be listened to more to be appreciated and in a few years it will be regarded as one of their best. You people giving it a bad name will be proven wrong in a few years. As with all of U2's great albums this one needs time to grow and to be realized as a truly great masterpiece. Thats what U2 wants. You haters need to look at that a little more closely.
Free Music Review: Excelent !
Hit: 5 Stars
Ever since the beginning of their career, U2 had a sense of purpose and played on a larger scale than their peers, so when they stumbled with the knowing rocktronica fusion of 1997's Pop -- the lone critical and commercial flop in their catalog -- it was enough to shake the perception held among fans and critics, perhaps even among the group itself, that the band was predestined to always be the world's biggest and best rock & roll band. Following that brief, jarring stumble, U2 got back to where they once belonged with All That You Can't Leave Behind, returning to the big-hearted anthems of their '80s work. It was a confident, cinematic album that played to their strengths, winning back the allegiance of wary fans and critics, who were eager to once again bestow the title of the world's biggest and best band upon the band, but all that praise didn't acknowledge a strange fact about the album: it was a conservative affair. After grandly taking risks for the better part of a decade, U2 curbed their sense of adventure, consciously stripping away the irony that marked every one of their albums since 1991's Achtung Baby, and returning to the big, earnest sound and sensibility of their classic '80s work. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the long-awaited 2004 sequel to ATYCLB, proves that this retreat was no mere fling: the band is committed to turning back the clock and acting like the '90s never happened.
Essentially, U2 are trying to revirginize themselves, to erase their wild flirtation with dance clubs and postmodernism so they can return to the time they were the social conscience of rock music. Gone are the heavy dance beats, gone are the multiple synthesizers, gone are the dense soundscapes that marked their '90s albums, but U2 are so concerned with recreating their past that they don't know where to stop peeling away the layers. They've overcorrected for their perceived sins, scaling back their sound so far that they have shed the murky sense of mystery that gave The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree an otherworldly allure. That atmospheric cloud has been replaced with a clean, sharp production, gilded in guitars and anchored with straight-ahead, unhurried rhythms that never quite push the songs forward. This crisp production lacks the small sonic shadings that gave ATYCLB some depth, and leaves How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb showcasing U2 at their simplest, playing direct, straight-ahead rock with little subtlety and shading in the production, performance, or lyrics. Sometimes, this works to the band's detriment, since it can reveal how familiar the Edge's guitar has grown or how buffoonish Bono's affectations have become (worst offender: the overdubbed "hola!" that answers the "hello" in the chorus of "Vertigo"). But the stark production can also be an advantage, since the band still sounds large and powerful. U2 still are expert craftsmen, capable of creating records with huge melodic and sonic hooks, of which there are many on HTDAAB, including songs as reassuring as the slyly soulful "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" and the soaring "City of Blinding Lights," or the pile-driving "All Because of You." Make no mistake, these are all the ingredients that make How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb a very good U2 record, but what keeps it from reaching the heights of greatness is that it feels too constrained and calculated, too concerned with finding purpose in the past instead of bravely heading into the future. It's a minor but important detail that may not matter to most listeners, since the record does sound good when it's playing, but this conservatism is what keeps HTDAAB earthbound and prevents it from standing alongside War, The Joshua Tree, and Achtung Baby as one of the group's finest efforts.
Free Music Review: Ring Those Bells Edge!!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Actual rating is 4.5
I've been a fan of this band for many years but I was really curious and cautious regarding the new U2 album considering all these 1 star reviewers (btw it seems most of them haven't written any other reviews for any other artists.....hmmmm)and people calling it a "sell out". U2 selling out??...Isn't this the same band that's sold 100's upon 100's of millions of copies of albums for the past 25 years??!!!?? And as far as I'm concerned the reasons for that go way beyond politics. I think the best way to "understand" this album would be to try to compare the ideas (similarities, differences) between the songs "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Surrender" in relation to their YOUNGER ideology (musical style included) compared to what they seem to focus on now. Anyway that aside, I'm still surprised by the negative response to this album. Like one reviewer said, it helps to understand that it would be impossible to please everyone when some already prefer their 90's poppy new wave material to their earlier anthemic more stripped down sound and vice versa. Even though I don't personally prefer one style over another I do know a good album when I FEEL it! Actually this is what I think ATYCLB should have sounded like. Not that that album was bad, far from it, but IMHO this is REALLY U2 returning to its roots, spiritually and above all musically. Yes, this is probably a version of U2 that we've all heard before, but isn't that what returning to one's roots is supposed to be all about???? I truly find these songs, lyrically and musically, to be among the most moving and spiritually inspirational pieces this band has ever released. Is it their best album??........no. That would have to go to Achtung Baby, for a few reasons, the production being one of them. But it certainly ranks right up there with the best of them. For some reason though it seems a lot of people are going by the numbers on this one, over analyzing this music, quantity over quality.....guitars tuned way up loud??.....logical opener in 6th position???!!....childish
"I'm around the corner from anything that's real,
I'm across the road from hope,
I'm under a bridge in a rip tide that's taken everything I've called my own....one step closer to knowing"
"True love never can be rent, but only true love can make beauty innocent"
"I'm alive, i'm being born,
I just arrived,
I'm at the door of the place I started out from and I want back inside"
"Where are we now?
I've just got to let you know
A house still doesn't make a home
don't leave me here alone
sometimes you can't make it on your own"
I would have to bet against the possibility of a "five year old" expressing these ideas let alone half of the other popular bands whose ambiguity is deemed today as being "original" and "creative". As far as the vocals, Bono sounds just fine to me. A bit raspy in places (miracle drug, all because of you) but to me that only adds to the bitterness and emotionality of the performence. As a sidenote the album does come with the passing of Bono's father and is dedicated to his memory. That in itself makes it hard for me to believe that power, greed, and fame were the only things on his mind when he was making this album. All in all it sounds like.....a-hem.....an older and WISER U2 to me echoing back to an earlier simpler time. So I guess all of us "rebels" can put down our white flags, for now anyway. Listen with your heart as well as your ears!!