by NEIL PITMAN
Artist: U2
Album: No Line on the Horizon
Our Rating: 9.0
Release Date: March 3rd
Stream the album at www.myspace.com/u2
U2 are back.
It has been 5 years since the last release from the world’s biggest band, and expectations are running high. But does No Line on the Horizon deliver?
Kudos to U2 for their patience. The band shelved sessions with producer Rick Rubin in 2006, even though enough material was recorded to release an album at the time, and instead started over, bringing back the legendary team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois (along with appearances by old friend Steve Lillywhite), resulting in an album that is a marked departure from their last two. Consider the album track by track…
“No Line on the Horizon”
Opening with a sound that is reminiscent of Achtung Baby, this straightforward rocker benefits greatly from Eno and Lanois’ touches. Bono’s voice sounds youthful and strong and the track is a fitting opener for the album.
“Magnificent”
The title says it all. A 45 second intro climaxes with trademark chiming guitar from the Edge. A well produced sound that is instantly memorable without being sugary. Look for this one to be big in U2’s live set in stadiums this summer.
“Moment of Surrender”
A beautiful, epic track that clocks in at 7:24. A journey of awakening that is strengthened by the length of time it has to develop.
“Unknown Caller”
More great Edge riffs here, and a nice chant-along chorus. Eno’s keyboards fill the bridge, and the song ends with a guitar solo, which is a somewhat atypical U2 arrangement.
“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”
The album puts on the brakes and does a u-turn with this track. This song is easily in the running for “Worst U2 Title Of All Time.” A pop offering that showcases Steve Lillywhite’s production for the first time on the record. Lyrically more accessible than the other tracks, it may be a big hit.
“Get On Your Boots”
An up-tempo rocker and the first single from the record. Big overdriven guitars and funky bass are pretty cool, but not too sure about Bono’s phrasing on the verses (“Wild, Wild West” anyone?). This will probably be a live staple.
“Stand Up Comedy”
The Edge channels Jimmy Page, Adam puts on the funk, Larry is syncopated, and Bono gets busy on the verses. Unfortunately, this is not as interesting as it could have been; U2 are not pushing as hard as they should be on this track.
“Fez-Being Born”
A magical track that sees U2 experiment while still running on all cylinders. The quirky first part segues into a great bass groove with strong yet ambient vocals, making this track a treasure.
“White As Snow”
Stripped down instrumentation makes this a moody piece. The Edge adds some great harmonies. One I keep coming back to.
“Breathe”
This rocker seems a bit out of place in the running order, but is still a strong song. A quintessential U2 sound here.
“Cedars Of Lebanon”
Bono’s vocals taken on a low spoken word feel (think “If You Wear That Velvet Dress’). A fitting closer that ties together war and the pride of the world.
The verdict? No Line On the Horizon is a brilliant record. There are many layers here; I keep getting more out of the songs with each new listen. If it wavers, it does so in the middle. The first and last parts of the album are its strength. “I’ll Go Crazy…” could be written by U2 in their sleep. Not to say that there are “bad” songs on the record, but that the layers and depth of most of the record leave some songs feeling a bit flat. Still, this may be U2’s best album since Achtung Baby; it combines many of the best elements of several of their former albums while still sounding fresh. No Line on the Horizon shows that U2 are still relevant and moving forward, even after 33 years.
P.S. If there was any uncertainty as to whether or not U2 holds the trademark for putting “oh oh oh” in a song, I do believe the argument is settled with this record.
Neil Pitman’s favorite opening act at a U2 show was Arcade Fire. His least favorite was Smashmouth.
February 27th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Hmmm…I’m not so sure I can hold this album next to Joshua Tree or or Achtung Baby…the lyrics are bit weak in my opinion. The music is good, but scattered; NLOTH has some hot singles, but U2 are still in search of the “great album” they have still have inside of them.
February 27th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Lyrically I think this record is a grower. At first I thought the same as you, but the more I listen the more I like Bono’s character sketches. The last 2 records were more autobiographical. I do agree that there is some fluff here, but as a whole I think it is a great direction for the band.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Looking forward to hearing it again. Need to listen to it more than once for sure. No songs jump out as enjoyable with the first listen as I had experienced on previous two or three albums. Definitely sounds like Achtung Baby in many respects. Too bad it took too long to produce.
I too like Arcade Fire’s music.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Oh yeah… Go THOR!
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I love get your boots on, as radio-friendly as it is. Moment of Surrender is a beautiful redemption tale. I love how they let loose on “Stand Up Comedy” (I guess I disagree with Neil on this one).
Finally, what the hell is with I’ll Go Crazy if I don’t Go Crazy Tonight? That’s not just in the running for worst U2 title ever, but worst U2 song ever period. Not impressed. It’s the only real flaw on the record, in my opinion. A shame that the flaw is an ENTIRE SONG.
March 5th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Ty - don’t agree. It’s not a great song, but its not terrible. These are pretty good lyrics:
“Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but a change of heart comes slow…
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me, or are you doubting?
We’re gonna make it all the way to the light…”
March 6th, 2009 at 1:27 am
“No Line on the Horizon” and “Moment of Surrender” are the only songs that I think will stand up well in the long run.
“Magnificent” and “Unknown Caller” are solid but second-tier types.
“SUC” and “Crazy” really detract from No Line becoming a cohesive record.
The lyrics are really hard to handle in places.
The response to this album has been very interesting, from Rolling Stones 5 stars to NOW Magazines 1 star and everything in between.
I think the “betweens” have it right on this one. The extremely high or low rating outlets seem to be driven by an agenda more than anything.
March 6th, 2009 at 8:26 am
I think it will be interesting to see how these songs translate live. Will the band be able to capture the ambience of some of these tracks in a football stadium? I think it would be amazing if Eno and Lanois played live with U2 at some point.
Here is an interesting tidbit…
http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/b102720_bono_even_more_new_u2_music_coming_soon.html
March 11th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
After listening to each song ~10-20 times, my previous thoughts have mostly been confirmed.
New reflections:
“Moment of Surrender” is the most soulful piece the band has recorded since “In a Little While”, and probably the best overall track on the album.
“No Line” (the song) is one of my top 5-7 U2 songs from this decade, which begs the question: What 15 tracks make the Best of 2000-2010? You know it’s coming. I’ll have to think about this one.
“Fez/Being Born”: Quality track. Highly interesting and well crafted.
“White as Snow”: Has help up nicely and has some unexpected melodic turns.
“Crazy”, “SUC”, “Breathe”: Great music - the band really put out some tight tunes, unfortunately, the songs lyrically and melodically aren’t up to the task on these takes.
When I hear this album, all I can think is…wow, they really need an editor (or in the music world: a producer). Oh wait, they have one (or three). I feel these producers have gotten too close and that a) they don’t have the objectivity to tell if something is good or not or b) that they ain’t willing to stand up to the band anymore.
March 12th, 2009 at 12:36 am
I made my list. Needless to say, I forgot AYCLB came out in 2000 and was already included on Best of 1990-2000. That doesn’t give me a whole lot to work with so hopefully the band will drum up a single or two for the release (aka Electrical Storm/Hands) and maybe a couple stellar tracks will emerge from the rumored release later this year.
11 songs
1 TBA
2 TBA
3 Vertigo
4 Magnificent
5 City of Blinding Lights
6 No Line on the Horizon
7 Crumbs from Your Table
8 TBA
9 Moment of Surrender
10 Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
11 TBA
March 30th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I am an unabashed U2 fan, from waaaaaaaay back (mid-80s). One thing their music has always had is power. This album is no exception.
The one thing that U2’s detractors can never claim is that the band has ever sold out to populism. They try / change / mix / shift / experiment like no other band, risking failure / death at every turn.
The fact that Bono (a man of great integrity, benevolence, feeling and conscience who lost his mother and grandfather in the same week, and his father 27 years later) is the best writer since Dylan makes U2 what they are.
From NLotH, I like:
Moment of Surrender (Eerie, soulful song, brought tears)
Magnificent (Uplifting, potential #1)
NLotH (classic get up, feel the energy)
Overall top 11 (and I hope I’m not showing my age here :-))
1 - Sunday Bloody Sunday (Lyrically, musically, spiritually best song ever by ANYONE, especially live)
2 - Tomorrow (Haunting recount of the worst day of Bono’s life)
3 - One (Need I say more)
3 - Wire (Bad, confused trip, gets the blood going)
4 - One tree hill (Best melody ever from U2)
5 - Moment of Surrender (See above)
6 - Miracle Drug (Desperation shows)
7 - Love is Blindness (soulful by the bucketload)
8 - Peace on Earth (tribute to Armagh’s worst day hits right note)
9 - SYCMIOYO (Trying to reach his distant father, but too late)
10 - Walk on (Inspirational)
11 - Kite (About his r/ship with older members, principally his father)
BTW, in case NE1 is asking what happened to CoBL, believe it or not, I don’t like it at all. I seem to be in the minority on this one.