I had intended to write a track-by-track review of the new U2 record, No Line on the Horizon, about a month ago. But with finals and preparation for my spring break trip (more to come on that, by the way), it kind of fell by the wayside.
And you know what also happened? I kind of stopped listening to it.
Alas, I feel the need to post a track-by-track review because, well, every track has something to say, and with U2's vast catalog, each of these songs deserves to be ranked fairly and accurately. Plus, this will calm my conscience; sometimes the crazy storm of music opinion racing through my head just needs to be cataloged neatly in order to justify itself.
Also, I should note my history with U2 (mostly because one's opinion of a band and that band's catalog always skews their review of anything new issued by that band; if you don't believe me, check out Rolling Stone's reviews of the latest U2 and Springsteen records, then read any other review of those records.)
My first knowledge of U2 and who they were came when they released All That You Can't Leave Behind in 2000; I really liked "Beautiful Day" (as a new drummer back then, I tried to wrap my head around how Larry could play two beats at the same time; of course, as a kid, I didn't realize that there was such a thing as a drum machine loop), but was victim to a constant barrage of U2 on the radio. Truth be told, I didn't much like anything on All That You Can't Leave Behind besides "Beautiful Day," and got sick of the band pretty fast.
I rediscovered U2 during my junior year of high school, about the same time I gave up on the crappy nu-metal I'd listened to during most of high school and started listening to more stuff from the 60s, 70s and 80s. I had just received the then-brand-new How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb for my birthday, and figured I'd dig deeper into this band that so many people were calling the "greatest band on earth." So I purchased Joshua Tree... and fell pretty hard (you may remember that it's my No. 3 favorite album of all time.)
Joshua Tree led to Achtung Baby, and Achtung Baby eventually led to Boy, October, War, and yes, All That You Can't Leave Behind (I still have significant holes in my U2 collection, most notably Unforgettable Fire.) Then, last summer, I read the U2 autobiography "U2 by U2," and spent the better part of a month listening to nothing but U2. So I'd say I now have a respectable opinion of U2, but not nearly the extensive opinion and knowledge of so many other (older) folks (I was a month-and-a-half when Joshua Tree was released, so, considering I don't have the perspective of having listened to this stuff when it was fresh, I usually defer to other people when seeking a U2 scholar.)
Okay, having rambled about all of this and giving you an idea of where I'm coming from, I now take a look at all 11 tracks of No Line on the Horizon:
1. "No Line on the Horizon": Opening with one of the heaviest guitar licks in the U2 catalog, this intro track finds Bono shouting verses above the buzz of the Edge's guitar, capping each with a nice little yo-yo of "oh oh oh oh ohs" before descending into a little bit more of a sober chorus (which just repeats the words of the song title.) Bono strains the vocal chords as he sings some existentially Bono-ish words about a girl (sample: "One day she's still, the next she swells/You can hear the universe in her sea shell/Oh yeah/Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh"). A heavy track and definitely a change of pace for the band, this is one of the album highlights. Does that say much? Read on to find out.
2. "Magnificent": The more blatant "worship" song on the album, "Magnificent" is a driving force of an ode to God, a passionate shout-out from Bono that throws together some of the Edge's jangly guitar, a synthesized something-or-other, and some heavier drums and bass, making this a high-flier rising quickly at the beginning to a rocking plateau that barely lets go. I'm just waiting for some DJ to back this song up with a throbbing dance beat and play it in the clubs. Just wait, it'll happen. Definitely another standout track, competing for my the position of my favorite track on the album.
3. "Moment of Surrender": Comparable to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (though miles and miles from that song's brilliance), "Moment of Surrender" is something of a mellow tune backed by an impassioned Bono yelp. At the start, with the sort of synthesized string bit and the Edge's reserved guitar strums, first impression suggests it will be a ballad; then, all of a sudden, Bono comes in from nowhere with those just-perfectly-tainted-by-cigarretes vocal chords. A passionate cry indeed, and again, a stand-out track (don't get too used to this, though; the first three are three of the album's four best songs.)
4. "Unknown Caller": So, you know how U2 is this huge arena band with tons of anthemic songs that thousands of concert-goers shout back at them in every show? Well, with "Unknown Caller," you'd think they were a band with no anthemic experience trying to put together their first go-around at a shout-along. And it's not good; melodically the song is strong, but the chanted lyrics from 1998 immediately destroy any kind of vibe the song creates (sample lyrics: "Force quit and move to trash," and "Restart and re-boot yourself.") It's a throwaway.
5. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight": Another example of a not-half-bad song made bad by stupid lyrics. As happens throughout a lot of this album, Bono pushes the boundary of what kinds of strange phrases he can get away with. Sigh.
6. "Get On Your Boots": What I didn't like about this song - the first single off the record - upon first listen was how much it reminded me of "Vertigo," the first single off of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. As with "Vertigo," "Get On Your Boots" makes me think U2 is trying to be younger than they really are, ratcheting up the energy and rock fluff in order to score new generations of fans. It worked okay for "Vertigo," but "Get On Your Boots" is too much of a throwaway, despite it's growing on me over the last several listens (I can at least appreciate a hard-rocking song when I hear one, even if I disregard it in the grand scheme of U2-things.)
7. "Stand Up Comedy": Starts with a fun sort of "Immigrant Song"-esque guitar lick before turning into another melodically-decent-but-overall-not-that-great song.
8. "FEZ - Being Born": This track is definitely a change of pace, for the record and band in general. I have a hard time even counting it, though, considering it's a sort of mish-mash of electronic sounds that becomes a very un-U2-like spacey song. It's not bad, but it just isn't... on line with anything I can compare it to. So... yeah.
9. "White As Snow": Whose idea was it to sing an "original" U2 song along with the melody of "O Come O Come Emanuel"? Was it you, Brian Eno? Seriously, dude, what the f@%$?
10. "Breathe": Finally, something to hold on to. "Breathe" is the track competing with "Magnificent" as my favorite on the record. The faux-rap thing that Bono does throughout the verses is a little strange, but it's a good, energetic flow that backs this adrenaline-fueled song well. The chorus is probably the best part of the song, though, an instantly-memorable sing-along that is incredibly catchy. Overall, a great track that stands up to some of U2's best (but if I had to place it on best-U2-songs-of-all-time list, probably wouldn't crack the Top 50.)
11. "Cedars of Lebanon": No idea what they were thinking here. No good melody, no good lyrics, nothing about it that screams, "Hey, listen to me! I have something to say, too!" A sort of crash-to-the-end album capper.
So there you have it, my track-by-track input for No Line on the Horizon. As you can probably tell, I don't think this album is going to be taking by storm any best-of lists anytime soon. It's a decent record at best, one that hardly compares to the some of the genius records U2 has released over the last 29 years.
Going back to my thoughts on "Get On Your Boots," I think U2 is just trying too hard to be "hip" and "relevant." They seem to be over-playing and over-producing their new material, when it might be time to scale back and aim for something a little more on par with Joshua Tree.
Word on the street is that U2 has another batch of songs ready for release later this year, leftovers from the sessions that produced No Line on the Horizon. I've heard the band say it will be the Zooropa to No Line on the Horizon's Achtung Baby, and if that's the case, count me out.
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