U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
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Free Music Notes for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Free Music Review: A grower to be sure -- but revolutionary in a whole new way
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm finding the debate over the "quality" of U2's new album really interesting. Like many, when I first listened to it I was incredibly disappointed -- deflated, angry, frustrated at Bono for all the recording studio misinformation and hype. But you know what? I should have trusted them, as repeated listenings have revealed this to be the masterpiece it truly is.
A band like U2, whose sound and canon have now become iconic, cannot reinvent its sound on every new studio recording -- that kind of epochal shift can only happen once or perhaps twice in a band's career. We definitely saw that with Achtung Baby, and there appears to be consensus around that point. Every step since then has been evolutionary, not revolutionary. In terms of pure sound, U2 (as Bono has said of the Edge), owns a particular part of the spectrum. There will always be an essence that is U2, and that is a fact that can provide limitless consolation to many and endless frustration for some.
How I gauge a U2 album is simply this: how true to that essence is U2 on this release? Sometimes that happens fairly quickly (AB, ATYCLB), and sometimes it takes much longer (POP, Zooropa, etc.). But, at the end of the day, you must strip your expectations bare -- live the album, not force it comply to a standard or defined shape. After "living" with HTDAAB several times, I stopped trying to love it -- and then I loved it. It all sounds very cliched and hokey, but U2 is really asking its listeners to engage on a totally different level. It's one requires the listener to deliver the goods, too -- openness, a sense of discovery, a willingness to hear for the first time.
Where I do think the band is forging new ground is not so much in the area of sound, but in the area of genre. All the trademarks and conventions may be in place, but I, for one, have never heard them deployed the way are in, say, Original of the Species -- the song structure, the Beatlesque melody, and the sheer joy in Bono's off-melody vocal performance. There's real innovation there, and like every great artist, they are defying expectations by taking their essence and molding it into new shapes. More than that, though, for U2 it's NOT an intellectual exercise -- somehow, and I'm not sure how, they manage to be radical within a known universe, without violating the foundation of their musical, emotional or spiritual identity. That is truly special, and that is, at least for this listener, what makes them revoltionary in the the history of rock.
So give yourself over to this album... the rewards are huge, and you won't forget the experience.
Free Music Review: U2 Doing What They Do Best
Hit: 5 Stars
Any U2 record takes at least a week before conclusions can be drawn. A couple hundred people here jumped the gun.
"Vertigo" - Their best single in a long time - probably since
"One"
Miracle Drug - Great hooks and lyricism. "Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head." If you have never had a child or a baby brother/sister, you wouldn't understand.
"Sometimes..." - A remarkably mature song about the complications of growing up with a dad. The falsetto was a bit off-putting at first, but grew on me. Excellent bridge saves the song from falling asleep and makes it a winner.
"Love & Peace" - U2 meets bluesy Led Zep. How could THAT be bad?
"City of Blinding Lights" - My favorite so far. Wrings out all the emotion that was put into it. U2 does this well all the time (as any concert experience with them will bear out), but sometimes the transcendent emotion superconducts. Almost makes you want to move to NYC.
"All Because of You" - Beatlesesque hook. A great rock song as well as a great U2 song.
"Man and a Woman" - New sound but hearkens back to older stuff. Great song.
"Crumbs from Your Table" - Afflicting the comfortable into comforting the afflicted. Biting prophetic never sounded so good. Great guitar hook and good medicine for what ails us spoiled White Westerners.
"One Step Closer" - Mature song about dying from the same country that brought us "Danny Boy." Pretty tough sell on a rock album, but we tacitly acknowledge our own demise every time we look at a clock. Heidegger called us beings unto death and the Irish do death songs better than anyone.
"Original of the Species" - Transcendent song about that most mundane institution. Marriage is the toughest job you'll ever love and Bono has logged the years with Ali to earn a voice.
"Yahweh" - "But," said Moses to God, "when I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?" God replied, "I am who am." Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM (Heb. YHWH = Yahweh) sent me to you." (Exodus 3:14-15) More a Psalm than a song. This is a great compliment to "Grace" from ATYCLB and "40" from WAR.
BOTTOM LINE - Dave (Edge) returns to the Guitar with style, Paul (Bono) spills his guts in a way that is inspiring and not embarassing, Adam and Larry maintenance the bottom end with brilliant simplicity. This is the most consistent U2 record since Joshua Tree and best since Achtung Baby.
Free Music Review: Their names are Edge, Larry, Adam and Bono
Hit: 5 Stars
Besides Bono, how many people or fans even know who U2 are?
Allow me to explain, I would first like to start this review by asking if all the "real" U2 fans please make your presence known. I am not sure what happened over the past six or seven years, but all of a sudden we have "tons" and "tons" of U2 fans! Are these all-new fans? Or perhaps they are the fickle fans that dropped off the map for nine years! "Come on, you don't have to be shy about it". These are the same fans that were upset with U2's creative/experimental phase. This is the same phase that the band recorded "Achtung Baby", "Zooropa", "Pop", "Soundtracks 1" (recorded under the name Passengers, but still U2) and "The Million Dollar Hotel" soundtrack.
Many people were upset that this wasn't the "real" U2, they weren't sticking to their rock `n roll roots. I tell you what, if you want to hear the same band making the same album over and over again, listen to Aerosmith. So these "fake" fans buy all the concert tickets and keep real fans like myself from getting a seat. Sorry if I sound bitter, I saw U2 on their Pop Mart Tour back in '97, when nobody cared about them. Then all of a sudden in 2000 "Beautiful Day" came out, and everyone was a U2 fan again.
This now leads me to the album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", this album just like "All that You Can't Leave Behind" built UPON the band's creative/experimental phase, not against it. Songs like "Vertigo", "City of Blinding Lights", "Man and a Woman", "Miracle Drug" and "Original of the Species" all have the framework of the creative/experimental phase. Any U2 fan or person familiar with U2's music cannot deny it. Because their new work doesn't sound like "War" or "Rattle and Hum" or even "The Joshua Tree". There is a group of "so-called" U2 fans that think the band should have called it quits after "The Joshua Tree" was recorded!!
In addition songs featured on ATYCLB, such as "Elevation", "Walk On", "Beautiful Day" and "New York" all have the backbone of the creative/experimental phase. So does "The Ground Beneath Her Feet".
HTDAAB is a great album, moving, fast, slow, emotional and fresh. I have read many reviews stating that U2 is "good but no longer great", I don't think so. These guys have a talent most bands do not possess, they can morph. They can be a rock, pop, techno, mellow, electronic and other adjectives I'm leaving out. Every Grammy they won for this CD was well earned. I wish the band much success in the future. I wish poser fans would re-invest in their musical tastes and look up some U2 lore.
Free Music Review: A Solid but not Great Record
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a CD worthy of U2, though not quite as ambitious or groundbreaking as their several prior works. It may not be as good as their prior release, All That You Can't Leave Behind, for some reason it has spent a lot more time in my CD player than that acknowledged classic. It's because of Edge's guitar playing and the production which brings it to life. They sound like a rock band, like they do live, and that connects with any audience.
The sound of this record is mainstream U2. The experimentation of the 1990's is largely absent, as is the folk/country/blues sounds of Joshua Tree and ATYCLB. Here's a track by track review. I've included B-sides, because frankly they should've made the final cut.
Here are the tracks that are worth putting on your i-pod:
'Vertigo' (can you think of a better U2 rocker?)
Fast Cars (a hypnotic, flamenco influenced b-side that should've made the final cut). This is more of the experimental side of U2 that should've made it to the final cut.
'Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own' (Edge's guitar playing makes this ballad go).
'All Because of You' (a great rocking tune). Edge and Adam Clayton's ability to take a standard rock song and do interesting things with the bass and guitar sounds is what sets U2 and all the post-punk bands apart from mainstream contemporaries.
'Crumbs From Your Table' - very underrated. Showcases the band's sound. They should've repeated the 'cool down mama' part in the second verse, however.
'City of Blinding Lights' - a crowd favorite that packs the emotion and sound of the old U2 with the writing, production and guitar playing of today. A great track.
'Original of the Species' - hate the lyrics, and hate the version on this CD. The live version that appears on a DVD and also appeared on an ipod ad however, rocks. Download that one.
'Love Peace or Else' - reminiscent of Bullet the Blue Sky (though not quite as good). They created a great sound for Edge on this one.
'Yahweh' - reminscent of the Unforgettable Fire days. A nice song to sing along to. The live performances of this track are outstanding.
'Miracle Drug' - This one I initially liked but have grown tired of. 'Fast Cars' would've been a better choice.
'Neon Lights' - a b-side. A mellow, piano driven track that reminds one of the October days.
I've omitted some tracks, but in short, it's a solid, though not great CD. Yet, the sound of this record is fantastic and it makes you want to hear it more and more.
Free Music Review: The Crowned Jewel of U2
Hit: 5 Stars
U2 has released unbelievable music over the past 24 years and their newest album is one of their best. I understand why some hardcore U2 fans might be disappointed. U2 is constantly picking up fans as it trucks along through rock history. For some fans the anger of 'War' represents their U2. For others its the wild vibes of Achtung and Zooropa. And now a younger generation has latched onto the soulful pop senisibilties of All That You Can't Leave Behind. Every single group of fans is protective of and wants to re-live that moment in time when they lost their U2 virginity.
'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb' is the thesis of U2's long musical journey. As a result its the most eclectic and even collection of songs they have ever produced. Yes, such a sonic buffet sacrificies a consistent musical mood or an experimental B-Side to the album. Most of U2's albums read like a book from start to finish. But, within those books there were the filler chapters. The Refugee, 4th of July, & So Cruel are decent songs within the context of their albums, but little else.
After all epic opuses of the 80's and innovation of the 90's U2 just wanted to create and album of the best 10-12 songs possible. They tried, with some success on ATYCLB, but the 2nd half of that album fell flat on its face.
U2 has stepped up to the challenge this time and has done it. There is not a bad song on the album. It wreaks of vintage U2 from many different time periods, but is also totally original. They also manage to subtely craft the theme of 'the unseen bonds of the world that hold us together'. And it holds the great songs together. The uncertainty and fear of Vertigo and Miracle Drug. The mortality of Sometimes and One Step Closer. Sexual love in A Man and a Woman. And don't forget about the master of the unseen, Yahweh. The band isn't trying too hard to make the tracks this way, but instead it seems to have happened naturally.
Vertigo, Miracle Drug, Sometimes..., City of Blinding Lights, and Original of the Species are some of the greatest songs they have ever produced. A Man & A Woman, One Step Closer, Crumbs from Your Table, and Yahweh are growers,but will become instant classics to some listeners. Love & Peace and All Because of You are the only songs that have a hint of being forced, but are still excellent.
Its hard to re-create the magic of Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, but I believe in time this album will enter that pantheon.