U2
No Line on the Horizon
I still remember hearing U2's Under a Blood Red Sky for the first time. I was in the 5th grade, during an indoor recess (it was January - too much snow to play outside in Ohio), and a friend had gotten it for Christmas. I still remember the magic - the Edge's brilliant chords shimmering - the band's passionate performance - the conviction with which Bono sang - the sheer ENERGY of it all. I've been an avid listener since - how could I not be?
That's not to say that U2 haven't had their disappointing moments. Zooropa had some moments, yes, but rarely has such an accessible band released such an inaccessible recording. And it's follow-up; Pop. The only U2 album I truly don't mind living without. Sure, I know that they were trying to record a tongue-in-cheek, cynical poke at pop culture - I got the joke - I just didn't enjoy listening to it all that much. The overwhelming cynicism shaded their usual Christ-inspired hope to a degree that seemed so dark that I could hardly bear it, even in it's brighter moments.
When U2 returned to classic form on All that You Can't leave Behind, it was a breath of fresh air for me. I was out of college, living on my own thousands of miles of where I grew up. It brought memories of the band's heyday. I drove my car, both windows down, speeding down the Atlanta Highway with "It's a Beautiful DAAAAAY" blasting from my windows. When they returned with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb I was pleased yet again. Though not the arena rock, anthemic gem that it's immediate predecessor was, it was pure, thorough-bred U2.
Reading the interviews leading up to the release of No Line on the Horizon, I must say that I was concerned. The band had already ditched two previous recording sessions, and was on their 3rd batch of songs - were they having a hard time focusing? There was a lot of talk about U2's "3rd phrase", which - apart from the brilliant Achtung Baby - was my least favorite era of their work. I heard the lead single, "Get on Your Boots", and though not entirely disappointed, was not convinced. Had U2 finally lost 'it'?
Well yesterday I heard
No Line on the Horizon in it's entirely at least 3 times through, and I can honestly say that not only have they not lost 'it', they have found more of 'it' than they've ever had before. The lead, title track, combines the My-Bloody-Valentine-esque layers of
Achtung Baby's "
Who's gonna ride Your Wild Horses" with the intense passion and conviction of
October's "
Rejoice" and a throbbing bass and rhythm section that brings to mind
the Cure's eerie "
Fascination Street". And the rest of the c.d. follows suit, combining the very best of their past, with some of the most experimental production, instrumentation, and performances of their career so far. In places they allow for the long, wide-open, intense instrumental intros of
the Joshua Tree, and in places the pure energy and drive of
War, but at the same time that places echo these old paths, they are most definitely not retreading the same old ground. In fact,
No Line on the Horizon is almost entirely unlike it's two immediate predecessors in every way. I'm not even convinced that I hear a clear radio hit. And that's fine with me.
What stands out the most with this release, however is Bono - WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS MAN? I have never heard him deliver vocals with this much intensity ever - period. He sounds as though every line is sung with his last breath - wailing as though his very life depended on it. If I didn't now better, I would think he were an artist just starting out - having not yet tasted the fame, nor grown cynical about life - he sings as though he still wants it, and were pursing it with everything in him. I have no idea was the producers did to draw performances like this out of the old man, or what new personal circumstances have lit this fire in his soul, but THIS is Bono's best vocal record. I get chills listening to him sing, here. To add to that, they make good use of the Edge's unique backing vocals - he is more 'present' here than I've notice him since the very early days.
As always, there is a dud: "Stand up Comedy" just doesn't seem to fit, both stylistically, and thematically, with the rest of the collection. Otherwise, No Line on the Horizon is a masterful release by a time-proven band. It appears to me, now, that there are no limits to U2's creativity.
Stand-out tracks: "No Line on the Horizon", "Moment of Surrender", "Breathe", and "White as Snow" as an honorable mention for it's creative use of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel".