U2 - No Line On The Horizon
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Free Music Notes for No Line On The Horizon
Free Music Review: Change of heart comes slow
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm a huge U2 fan - have been since mid 1980's. For 3 weeks prior to the release of NLOTH I'v read the blogs, listened to the 30 second clips and eventually full versions of the new songs on the web. That experience was underwhelming to say the least. U2 fans love it and people who don't like U2 hate it so the blogs ramble on predictably. Listening off the web via 30-sec clips or other sources is just no way to evaluate music - especially this album. So buying the album the day it was released and listening 2-3 times is the only way to go to judge before writing a (hopefully) helpful review.
Now, I am a huge U2 fan but I know (as U2 does) the 21 mllion albums sold and 15 Grammy's collected for All That You Can't Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb does NOT mean fans want to hear those albums again. In fact, its just the opposite. The Vertigo days are over. U2 had to make something vastly different to survive. So there is some pressure on this band to come up with something (very) new in their 33rd year of existence. I'm not sure any rock/pop act has ever had that type of pressure on them at that stage of their career.
True, they did start off with famed producer Rick Rubin. But U2 make it up as they go along and Rubin wants finished songs brought into the studio. So the band reached back for the folks that tolerate them: Eno, Lanois and Lillywhite. Eno is the mastermind behind Unforgettable Fire while Lanois was the primary guide through the Joshua Tree recording. Both helped out on Achtung Baby and All That You Can't Leave Behind. Lillywhite produced Boy, October and War.
NLOTH took a long time to record (possibly due to Bono's lack of attendance at recording sessions) but it was finished last year. And then Larry Mullen scrapped it and the band concluded after record execs heard the album that another 2 songs were needed. Some songs were dropped, others refinished and added. The track order was changed completely.
The results? I think the band is nervous about this one but NLOTH is grand. Most of the great U2 records are big and bold. This one is delicate, very fragile. That may be why the reviews vary so much. There's no Vertigo or Beautiful Day but if you LISTEN to Moment Of Surender or even Fez - Being Born you'll hear intricate and new U2 sounds. Yes, the songs on this album are as good - possibly better - than the U2 rock/pop singles we've heard through the years. And that's my point, this is a great album not a collection of Beatles-style hits. Think more Pink Floyd. That's why the most common critique is the album is a "grower". Its not the usual U2 album of flags and glory. Its authentically spiritual (there's been some articles written on this - already) and that was the intent and Eno and Lanois' job to make that happen. They did!
No Line on The Horizon leads the album - terrific opener with The Who/Who's Next feel. Magnificent follows and its a gem - the most immediate song on the record. This tune will be huge in the stadiums but in all honesty most of the songs on this record were made to explode in front of tens of thousands of people. Third is Moment of Surrender which features a Bono/Edge and Eno/Lanois chorus. In my view, its the best vocal performance of the entire U2 catalogue. Fourth is Unknown Caller where Bono/Edge and Eno/Lanois shout it out...an intensely spiritual song. That needs to be pointed out...Bono is not talking about himself with his lyrics. Love the french horn!
That's part 1 of the album. Bono's vocals and Edge's guitar are in peak form. Only the Joshua Tree opens this strong.
Part 2 goes in a different direction. The fifth song is "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" talking to the younger generations. Its a pop gem. The chorus brings memories of Ultraviolet (Achtung Baby) but Edge sweeps it in a different direction. That's a theme on this album. U2 give you their old selves at times on this record and then they throw you 20 years ahead in a matter of seconds. "A trick" as Edge says. Next is "Get On Your Boots". Lousy first single? Yes. But within the context of NLOTH it is immense. Sick! And that's the point, you need to listen to the album or you're lost. Continuing to rock on with the Whole Lotta Love guitar riffs by Edge through "Stand Up Comedy". Made for the stadiums. Bono may be talking about himself on this one. Why not. He's earned it.
Part 3 brings a song that has my favorite sound, possibly ever, of any U2 song. Interestingly, the Let Me In The Sound chant precedes it. Listen to the Edge's arcing guitar about 1.5 to 2.0 minutes in...a combination of Unforgettable Fire & Coldplay/Parachutes. Its immense. This song is timeless and my favorite on the record. You'll never hear this on the radio. Its fun to imagine the lights from the U2/360 stadium tour for this one. Next is "White As Snow" which is Lanoisesque. Like many songs on this album they appear a little flat on first listen but if you listen more closely they are immensely deep. The french horn appears again - its awesome, an awesome song. I mean awesome in the true meaning of the word.
Tenth is "Breathe". A rousing rocker. "Doorbell rings and man says if you want to live longer there's 3 things you need to know". Now do you want to know what those 3 things are?
Closing the album is "The Cedars of Lebanon" which sounds like something out of the Bourne Identity. You're up the creek, on your own with no answers. Can you stand it?
So there you go. A challenging, deeply musical and spiritual album. May not be their biggest seller but it very well could be their best album.
Free Music Review: A Classic
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a great album. I believe it is their best. I like U2, but haven't had a reaction like this after listening to one of their albums since the Joshua Tree. I know everyone raves about Achtung Baby, but I thought it was mediocre. This album is not. The songs have U2 DNA but break new ground, in a cohesive way. This seems like an album Radiohead always wanted to make but couldn't. Coldplay still has a chance. This is their reference piece. Not bad for guys who've been at it for 30 years.
If you are a U2 fan, you must buy this. If you are new to U2 and caught on since "All That You Can't Leave Behind", you will probably love this.
The opening track reminds me of Radiohead, but better than anything they did on Kid A or OK Computer (in my opinion). Kind of a different song for U2, but very up to date.
The second track, "Magnificent", is a classic U2 rock anthem, and one of the best on the album. I'm sure it will be a staple at the upcoming tour. "Where The Streets Have No Name" with a hint of "Discoteque".
The third track, "Moment of Surrender", is the highlight. Along the lines of "One" or "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own". A bit of gospel after some contemporary loops at the opening. Bono's voice out front and impassioned. The band singing backup in the chorus. This is U2 at their best, with everyone in the band hitting on all cylinders. This will also play well on tour.
The fourth track, "Unknown Caller" is also different for U2. Almost like Poe in "Hello", in that it references current technology (cell phones, internet, email). The opening reminds me of the music on Tiger Woods golf game (2008). Then comes Edge's signature guitar, Larry's drums, Edge singing "Sunshine, Sunshine", more emphatic Edge guitar and Bono singing Ohhh, Ohhh. Then the band seems to collectively bark out a cadence of tech instructions punctuated by Bono's Ohhhs. Edge's guitar carries the melody throughout and Adam plays a rhythmic bass that make this song grow on you with every listen.
The fifth track is pure pop and has irresistible hooks. If you liked "Walk On", you'll love this song. I'm sure this will be a single at some point and probably the highest charter. It's the candy on this record. Very likable.
The sixth track, "Get On Your Boots" is one of the weaker tracks in my opinion. Kind of 70's kitsch with that guitar riff. It seems irreverent and offers a nice change of pace at the midway point. I think it's a song people will either love or hate. No middle ground. If this is the only song you've heard so far from the album, I don't think it is representative of the album. Don't take a pass on the album based on this song.
The seventh song marks the point where the album seems to shift a bit, away from hooks and easy pop. "Stand Up Comedy" offers a nice guitar riff from Edge and lyrical clarity from Bono. This could easily fit on Pop in my opinion. It's not a bad song, but kind of meat and potatoes. You probably won't skip it, but you won't hit repeat much either. Kind of standard.
The eighth track probably takes the most listening to warm up to. "Fez: Being Born" has a trippy kind of opening with loops, samples from Bono, chanting and dreamy type music before it busts open with Edge's guitar. Has a bit of an industrial feel, almost like Nine Inch Nails, but Bono's voice provides a softer balance to the guitars and rhythm section, as do the keyboards in the chorus.
The ninth track, "White As Snow" has been much written about, mostly in a positive way. It is a slow ballad and brings the tempo of the album thus far way down. I guess most think it's a nice break. It is spare with Bono's voice carrying the tune. These types of songs are staples on U2 albums and offer something different. This is an okay song, but too slow for my tastes. I do like the strings as they ascend in the middle of the song, but this is a song I will occasionally skip. You just have to be in the mood (depressed).
The tenth song, "Breathe" has also been touted as one of the highlights on the Album. I don't agree. It is definitely an uptempo rocker, along the lines of "Bullet The Blue Sky", but a bit more polished. This song hasn't grown on me and seems lost in the plethora of songs that every rock band does and puts on an album. Nothing about it seems remarkable, new, or spectacular to me. I swear I've heard umpteen other bands do the same type of song.
The last song is one I skip. Depressing and boring, and the worst song on the album. I guess I just don't appreciate U2 doing this type of music. Slow and depressing. It should have been a B side or a rare collectible. If you like this song, I can't see how you like the rest of the album.
So, the first half definitely is the strength of the album and makes it a classic album. Perhaps the second half requires more listening to grow on you. Already, a couple have. As a whole, it is not a cohesive album (though the songs themselves are) like their previous efforts, but that's probably just as well for the iPod generation. This is the best rock album in a few years and U2's best, I think. Buy it without hesitation.
Free Music Review: Nearly there, a cohesive and spiritual reflection on the U2 of the past and look to the future
Hit: 5 Stars
It's more 4.5 stars on U2's scale, but definitely not as low as 4. It is most definitely a grower, much of it won't immediately jump out, but later on will stun you if you let it. I love how music fans nowadays laugh at U2 for making music that greatly influences many of their favorite artists (its evident in Radiohead, even if its not as blatant as with Coldplay). It baffles me that cynics can mock a band that cares about writing cohesive tracks with true emotion in them, and insult the members for using their fame for positive things in this world, wake up because there are more important things to worry about and you're missing out on an amazing experience with your cold heart.
Now to this project, the band that released one of the most epic sonic adventures in rock history with The Joshua Tree, threw out that sound and made one of the most influential alternative rock albums with Achtung Baby, two of the most complete "albums" I have ever heard, return for the first time in years. Here they go for the cohesiveness that was lacking in their last four efforts, which in spite of some memorable and moving songs didn't have the same magic as their earlier work, even for the most obsessed fan. They succeed at that goal, and at bringing a little of the experimental spark they were known for in the 90's, with beautiful production from Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. Even without commenting on the music itself you have to stand back and recognize the effort they brought that you don't see in the music industry anymore, for an album not a collection of songs and for the audio art behind the production.
The songs themselves manage to be an eclectic mix evident of the history of different U2 sounds (including a healthy dose of their signature sounds, Edge's chiming delay, Bono's passionate lifting chorus, Larry Mullen Jr's chugging military drum) and eras, as well as some new territory, and some clear influence from their surroundings and collaborators (the band along with Lanois and Eno composed much of the album in Fez, Morocco in 2007). From top to bottom the album travels from recognizing the wonder in the world, explores the implications of putting yourself out there for your spirituality and beliefs in the middle section (during the most rocking, radio U2 section of the album including the single "Get on Your Boots" and self-deprecating lyrics found in "Crazy Tonight", and "Stand Up Comedy", they poke fun at Bono's image while recognizing the importance of his personality) and concludes with some darker meditations on our time. At this point in the album we see a new side of Bono the lyricist, storyteller, in "White As Snow" he takes the perspective of a dying soldier, and in the quiet and powerful closer "Cedars of Lebanon" he imagines himself as a war correspondent, and he uses these musings to point our minds to themes very much relevant to the modern world. Bono's voice also sounds incredible, taking on different types of delivery for different moods, sounding reminscent of various periods but undeniably sounding better than he has in more than a decade (for my money this is his best vocal delivery on any effort besides the Joshua Tree).
For me it's also their most spiritual album, taking many different moods of religion, both in its storytelling songs, and its grandiose reflective songs, and even the unexpected modern gospel song of "Unknown Caller", God speaking and commanding you through a cellphone. The lyrics are never overt (especially in UC, many people will laugh at lyrics and not recognize the poignancy) which always has been their way of mixing in Christianity without spelling it out for you, there's never been more there but its never been more ethereal.
There is some recognizable effort to blend the different elements, and as fans can attest they have a tendency to second-guess and overcook some songs (some of the most interesting songs they've delivered this decade have gone unheard by the public) and fear rose when the release was delayed from last fall and they were back in the studio in December, but four of the songs were recorded in one take, and those that took the longest don't sound patched together. There's a majesty and a number of interesting influences evident in this song, it doesn't smash all expectations for them the way Achtung Baby did, but it manages to be fresh and deliver on what they do so well.
Word is the more experimental and ambient tracks are being reserved for a companion album at the end of the year.
Once again, they will enrapture many mainstream music fans who won't even notice half the things the attentive listener will notice, and their presence will just have to go to show the cynics what true emotion and beauty sounds like in rock music, and knock the world's socks off with another sure to be stellar tour.
Free Music Review: Start at the beach and end at a graveyard
Hit: 5 Stars
In the seventeen years (and counting) that I have been a fan of U2 I have noticed that all U2 fans do not stand united with regards to the style of music they enjoy to hear from U2. Allow me to elaborate, U2 music can fall into two different categories (and these categories have subtext and layers), rock and roll is the first category and outlandish experimentation is the second category. It is then a safe assumption to claim that there are two different types of U2 fans the ones that prefer straight up rock and roll or the ones who are totally open to musical experimentation. Of course there are the fans that don't care one way or the other what type of music U2 makes as long as it is good.
"No Line on the Horizon" is the twelfth album from these Irish boys and this collection of songs definitely falls into the category of musical experimentation. When I first listened to this album I felt mildly disappointed because it seems like there was no variations from one song to the next. Upon every listen afterwards I noticed that each song began to take life of its own. My pseudo-disappointment has now metamorphosis to a devotion of this album. I truly believe that this is the best work U2 has done in almost ten years and on it's way to becoming an all time classic.
Their last two albums All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb I loved, but I wasn't "in love" with them. In other words there were some classic songs, but I felt like the collections of work/albums had no theme. "No Line on the Horizon" has this thematic quality about it touching love, devotion, spirituality, death, silliness and satire. This album really falls into the same realm of Achtung Baby, Zooropa and even Pop. Now realm doesn't translate to "sounding the same", rather it is a step into musical experimentation, which all the prior listed albums represent. NLOTH leaves me tranquilized and energized.
As for the songs on NLOTH they fluctuate in sound. There is a rock and roll element to the music but there is also an "alternative-electronic" sound going on. Perhaps this is due to the production aid of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. Perhaps this is due to U2 wanting to shake things up. In addition, some of these tunes don't follow a typical song format, "Fez-Being Born" (amazing song) and "Cedars of Lebanon" are perfect paradigms of this. Another thing I like about this album is Larry and Adam are a force to be reckoned with on their performances.
"Cedars of Lebanon" has a "Love is Blindness"/ "If You Wear that Velvet Dress" feel to it, dark, moody and haunting. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, very deep and moving and features a sample from "Against The Sky" off of The Pearl. As for the lead single "Get on your Boots", I don't know why the reception to this song was so poor. I think this is a fun song in the same vein as "Vertigo" and "The Fly". However GOYB isn't a good representation of NLOTH, because the album really is very deep and thematic where GOYB is a silly electro-rock song. The song on this album that really showcases The Edge is "Magnificent", great guitar.
I have also read and heard lukewarm acclaim about NLOTH and I am not sure why. Do U2 fans really want this band to remake The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby or War? The day U2 starts repeating themselves is probably going to be the day they quit. After their last two albums, it was time for a change. If the band isn't challenged then what is the point of making music? U2 is much bigger a band that just pumps out radio hits. NLOTH took five years to make and I feel the wait was well worth it.
In conclusion, I want to make a reference about how Bono described the 1997 album "Pop" (I can't believe many fans hated this album). He said that the album starts at a party and ends at a funeral. This statement was made with regards to the album starting very jovial and ending very morose. So I would describe NLOTH as starting at dawn at a beach and ending at dusk in a graveyard.
Free Music Review: I should have known better.
Hit: 5 Stars
After the more than stellar Zooropa (1993) and excellent Pop (1997) albums were greeted and dismissed by many U2 fans as being far too weird and experimental for their tastes, U2 dialed it back a little bit and released 2 outstanding, sort-of-back-to-basics-but-not-really, albums in All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004), which were then greeted and dismissed as too safe and mainstream by many other U2 fans. After reading all the glowing reviews prior to this albums release and hearing it for myself many times and it's mix of very experimental songs with a few radio friendly anthems thrown in, I thought, "Finally, this will be the album that will satisfy almost everyone!" Seeing as this only has a rating of 3 1/2 stars on here I guess the band just can't satisfy everyone and I should have known better. Oh well, people have their own tastes.
Now to the album. The band collaborates once again with Brian Eno and Danny Lanois but this time allows them in on the songwriting as well as producing and this is no doubt another classic release that is strong all the way through.
No Line On The Horizon- This song blew me away from the first time I heard it and has every other time since. Excellent work by Larry and Adam and the atmospherics (provided by Eno I'm assuming)are outstanding. Bono writes from the POV of a character (something that he does for several songs on the album) that seems to turn up again in Fez-Being Born.
Magnificent- It took me a while to really get into this song but after a few listens I fully recognize it as a great U2 classic with a techno twist that could have done well on Pop. Great bassline from Adam.
Moment Of Surrender- A great song with a very strong Joshua Tree gospel feel to it. Another character song about a man who's ready to give up on it all because he has gotten himself and his wife into drugs. I don't quite think it's as great as maybe others do but it certainly is worth it's nearly 7 1/2 minutes in length.
Unknown Caller- Outstanding song. The same character from Moment Of Surrender appears here, this time God speaks to him through his cell phone and instructs him to "restart and reboot himself". Great drums by Larry and the use of the french horn near the end of the song and the following guitar solo is amazing.
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight- Less radical than the first 4 songs, this is just a great, poppy rock song with some great keyboards and strings throughout.
Get On Your Boots- Probably the weakest song on the album, but I've always dug it since I saw them perform it live at the Grammys. Excellent bassline from Adam and the "Let me in the sound" section is awesome!
Stand Up Comedy- A Jimmy Page like riff from Edge with a very funky bassline by Adam adds up to a great rocker. Bono's shot at himself, "Stand up to rock stars/Napoleon is in high heels/Josephine, be careful of small men with big ideas" is classic.
Fez-Being Born- I was underwhelmed (to say the least) when I first heard this one but it's really, really grown on me. Very strange intro leading into a breathtaking journey by the cop who first appeared in the title track, although I still feel it's a little light on the lyrics.
White As Snow- The character in this one is a soldier who is dying and looks back upon his life. Great, very subdued backing to this, with more epic french horn.
Breathe- Loved it since I first saw them do it live on Letterman. The character in this one is, well, Bono. Great rocker with more great use of strings and keyboards with a great solo by Edge.
Cedars Of Lebanon- Kind of a downbeat closer that instantly reminded me of Wake Up Dead Man, the great closer from Pop, with it's great rhythm work by Larry and Adam down to its rare curse that Bono throws in. Told from the POV of a war correspondent, it makes for a very effective closer.
All in all, this album is one of the (if not the most) diverse albums U2 has ever made and may very well be their best. I'll need some more time to decide exactly where it goes in the U2 canon but it's definitely top 3, right there with Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree.