U2 - No Line On The Horizon
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Free Music Notes for No Line On The Horizon
Free Music Review: A+ Solid Effort
Hit: 5 Stars
I agree with many fans that this is an album that may have to be listened to a few times before it grows on you. I had the same experience, but now, I can say this one of my favorite albums this year so far!
U2's back with "No Line on the Horizon" their new album. Bono's vocals are still great and never disappoint, The Edge delivers with solid play, and everyone else shining through (Clayton stands out with the bass on "Get on your Boots")! All these years the guys are still rocking on! Let me give you a quick rundown of the album:
No Line on the Horizon- The opening track gives a classic rock rough-edged style that really rocks!
Magnificent- Lives it up to its name, my personal favorite. Powerful vocals, rocking guitar, the song builds as it plays on. One of the best from the album.
Moment of Surrender- Simply beautiful song, Bono's voice really comes out on this one. One of the longer tracks, this one doesn't disappoint.
Unknown Caller- A song that has a unique style to it, sounds to me as an African inspiration. You'll find the song is catchy and fun.
I'll Go Crazy If I don't Go Crazy Tonight- A fun song, and another one of my favorites. Everyone is rocking and having a good time doing it on this one!
Get on your Boots- I wish they didn't release this as the first single, as other reviewers have said before, it gives some "false impressions" to the album. Still, this song is really good. Check out the mini-rap part by Bono, something different!
Stand Up Comedy- Quite a title. Another hard-rocker song that reminds me of the good old days, The guitar rifts in this song are absolutley awesome! I've read some people didn't like this song, but I'll let you be the judge. I found it pretty good.
Fez Being Born- Interesting title. Has some synth going and a "gloomy" feel to this song. I agree this is one of the weaker tracks, but still give it a listen.
White As Snow- Another beautiful song, slow, but I don't find anything wrong with that. The lyrics are from the heart and Bono sounds fantastic. A sad song, but it's very good overall.
Breathe- From the sad song to another rocker! This one brings out more of The Edge, who's playing is excellent. There's some synth/keyboard on this one, making this another favorite from the album.
Cedars of Lebanon- The closing song is a soft rock song with an emotional message from Bono. It's okay, but I didn't prefer it, maybe it's just because I like the rock songs more than the soft rock ones. Still, I found it a good closing song.
I know there are people out there who don't like this album, but this reviewer says it's not that bad, I say it's a solid work and well done. I recommend it to any U2 fan and any listener to pop/rock music. As I stated before, give a few listens and you'll enjoy it.
Free Music Review: skip the mundane and go straight for the gold with U2's new CD
Hit: 5 Stars
U2's latest album, No Line On The Horizon, really shows how great they are as a band. After so much time together they can still turn out a solid album that people want--and when you listen, you listen closely because it's all THAT good. Some people say that there could have been still more reworking; but any more revisions would be small in my opinion. I think they're outstanding; and this album is a "must-have" for U2 fans everywhere. Bono's singing couldn't be better, either.
The CD opens with the title track, "No Line On The Horizon." This rocks and you can clearly hear that signature U2 sound behind it all. "No Line On The Horizon" is a really solid number that I like a lot; and that guitar work makes it even stronger. In addition, I really like "Magnificent." U2 takes their time to make "Magnificent" a very good number; the guitars play wonderfully and they don't let go of a single superfluous note! Bono sings extremely well on "Magnificent," too. "Magnificent" lacks very little, if anything, musically, in my opinion; I could listen to this several times a day without becoming bored with it.
"Moment Of Surrender" has an interesting musical arrangement with some mighty fine musical effects to make it a stand-out of this album. "Moment Of Surrender" is another tune that U2 takes their time on to make it sound as good as they could ever get it to sound; and just one listen will shows it all off. "Moment Of Surrender" is definitely a major highlight of this album. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" gets the royal treatment from U2; they perform this with a lot of style, emotion and even a bit of humor as they wear their hearts on their sleeves.
"Get On Your Boots" rocks with some especially excellent guitar work and they handle complicated tempo and key changes very easily--as easily as if it were just breathing. Their talent really carries them through on numbers like "Get On Your Boots" and I'm very impressed. There's also a gem in "FEZ-Being Born;" how's about that percussion? The vocal effects work well for "FEZ-Being Born," too. Listen for "White As Snow;" this number is most memorable and U2 bats this straight out of the ballpark!
"Breathe" rocks hard better than most other bands ever could make a song rock; U2 really does a good job on this. The CD also ends strong with U2 performing the pensive and somewhat serious "Cedars Of Lebanon." "Cedars Of Lebanon" has excellent music to fit in with those lyrics and it makes a great ending for this album.
U2 is far from being finished, down, or out. They're still very relevant in today's music world and that's awesome. I love it! I like many different types of music; and THIS is definitely one of those types! I highly recommend this album for U2 fans; and people who are into rock and pop music will definitely want to get this album.
Free Music Review: Amazing!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
U2 has produced an incredible piece of work. I was unsure what to expect from the group, especially after 2004's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". Although a very good album, it wasn't clear that it was up to par with their previous efforts. But, WOW, was I shocked (in the best possible way!) when I heard this album! It's sonically interesting, and definitely new ground for U2. For that reason, it may take some getting used to by old and new fans alike.
I generally have at least one or two songs on any album that I can genuinely say I don't care for. But, try as I might, I can't do that with this album. It's solid, start to finish, and the type of album where your favorite song will change with each listen. Soncially, it's a complete work--not just a collection of songs. So, get the full album, as it's a journey!
The album starts out with new sounds (at least for U2) and interesting themes and characters in the first four songs. Of those, "Magnificent" and "Moment of Surrender" are instant standouts. But, as I mentioned, with each new listen, new songs surprise me. In this case, "Unknown Caller" has proven to be a song that with a few listens begins to amaze. The middle of the album is probably more familiar territory sonically. "Crazy Tonight", "Boots", and "Stand Up Comedy" feel like the U2 of this decade and stand somewhat apart from the rest of the songs on this album. "Crazy Tonight" was probably my original favorite. "Boots" has taken some criticism, but it's a great song and I really don't see what the fuss is about (especially for those that liked "Vertigo", as "Boots" has a very similar feel to it). "Stand Up Comedy" breaks down into a groove that is very "Beatlesque"--quality! But the more I listened to the album, the more I realized that for me, the real stars are the final four tracks. The four together have a perfect flow, and harken back sonically to the first four songs on the album (and lyrically to the middle three). "White as Snow" and "Cedars" are hauntingly beautiful and "Cedars" provides a brilliant finish to the album. "Fez" is another song that I almost overlooked the first couple of listens. Then suddenly I realized how brilliant it is. It's the song I want to drive home to in the evening after a long day at work. Indeed, it's a travel song, so very fitting. And "Breathe" is a song that I can't get enough of. It's soulful and bluesy. And it has that same uplifiting and insprirational spirit that U2 has become known for. But, it's not indulgent.
What makes U2 so good on this album is an impressive sonic depth, combined with themes that acknowledge the grit/dirt of life, while awaiting some form of surrender/redemption. But, perhaps most of all, this is also a FUN album, with FUN lyrics. You'll want to dance around a bit!
Buy this. You won't regret it.
Free Music Review: Dream Album
Hit: 5 Stars
People are so pre-ocupied with whether or not U2 will release another 'Joshua Tree' or 'Achtung Baby' that they are bound to miss it when they do. That's because if U2 releases an album that tries too hard to *be* another 'Joshua Tree' or 'Achtung Baby' everyone will bash them for churning out a rehash. Fine. But the "Is it another 'Joshua Tree' or 'Achtung Baby'?" question still hangs over anything they release even if they don't put out a complete rehash. "Is it another 'Joshua Tree' or 'Achtung Baby'?" Yes OR No there are going to be some people who will just be disappointed by this album... at least right now... for the next couple of months... while its still fairly new.
At some point though the sweet Beatles worthy "Good day Sunshine" vibe of the intro to "Unknown Caller" will start being recognized as an effortless bit of melodic beauty. People will stop bothering to complain about the techno geekery of that song's lyrics and just notice the wonderful plaintive vocal harmonies.
At some point people will stop grousing about whether or not "Moment of Surrender" is "epic" enough to live up to it's 7 minute length... and realize it's just a hell of a good song to have on when taking a long walk around a city thinking and meditating about anything that matters to you.
At some point... the knee jerk reaction to compare U2 to the impossibly high water mark set by U2 itself will disipate... and THEN people will start realizing that whatever way this album may have disappointed them when it first came out... and however it did or didn't play into their worst fears about Bono and his activism... regardless of how much it did or didn't sound like something U2 has done before... completely separate from all the pre-judgements and expectations and roles this record was supposed to play... it just happens to be ... a great album.
People already realize that I think... but because it isn't necessarily ... 'The Joshua Tree' or 'Achtung Baby' they are dismissing it as stuff U2 can do in their sleep...
Well an album full of songs from dreams might not be such a bad thing, and in fact this is a very dreamy sort of U2 album. It's not sleepy... parts of it are very active and energetic... but dreamy much the same. This is a flickering, sparking, twilight gleaming U2 album. It sounds like a U2 dream album.
Granted if you've never liked U2 this will not be a good thing. But if you have ever liked U2... then give this one some time. It may not immediately make itself clear, just the way some dreams aren't clear at first. But if you keep listening it will stay with you, and make for a welcome and wonderful soundtrack for that time and place you go to personally when you try to remember and make sense of your dreams.
Free Music Review: A work of power and beauty, give it a chance
Hit: 5 Stars
After U2 got snubbed for most of the key Grammy awards, the discerning music media then began to fawn over this album. "Most deserving" (but won't win best Rock Album), "a jewel", "the best album no one is listening to", "a masterpiece" - are some of the things printed more recently about the album. Rolling Stone's Grammy preview said, "It wasn't a huge hit, but U2's 13th album fused studio experimentalism with great pop song writing."
If you are a fair weather U2 fan (i.e., if it's not SBS, WOWY, WTSHNN, One or Bad you can't stand them), then you should pass. However, if you have a long-time appreciation for the band's willingness to take chances and overlay great lyrics with raucus, elevating musical etherialism, you will like, if not love, this album.
Since Achtung Baby it has taken me 3 or 6 listenings to really get in to U2 albums. NLOTH is no exception. However, after a few listens I found this album to be infectious. The opening track is powerful and raw, and was great in concert! "Magnificent" is, well, a great rock song (that would have been a bigger hit if accompanied by a video on par with the song itself). "I'll Go Crazy" is a classic U2 song that should resonate with everyone who loves "Beautiful Day", "Stuck in a Moment", and "Mysterious Ways". One review in RS stated that "Moment of Surrener" was U2's greatest ballad since "With or Without You". At over six minutes it was not radio friendly, but a stirring, melodious tune nonetheless. "Get on our boots" is just plan fast and fun, where Bono uses his lyrical prowess to string together lines that really sum up what they have been talking about their entire careers. "White as Snow" is a beautiful song, and "Breathe" is as inspirational as anything I've heard from U2 in a long time (and was a great opener in concert). While not as powerful as more recent closers ("Grace" and "Yaweh"), "Cedars of Lebanon" is a power memiore for our time.
As with most albums, there are a couple of weak spots. I'm still trying to figure out "Fez-Being Born", but even here, I do appreciate the musicianship of the track. "Unknown Caller" is a simple track, which has hints of "Zooropa", but again, the music is strong and is easy to listen to, even if not as strong as the first half of the album.
Finally, there is significant influence from Eno and Lanois on this album - they are even credited as co-writers on about half of the songs. For those who "loved" U2 of the 80's and early 90's - Brian and Danny were huge influences on those songs, and their craftsmanship and creativity only enhance NLOTH.
Buy it. Listen objectively several times. Love it forever.