Music Review: No Line on the Horizon

One of the other wonderful parts about my trip to Los Angeles was getting the chance to listen to the new U2 album with Pat and to discuss its relative merits. Pat is the single biggest U2 fan I know and we have had the pleasure of attending a U2 concert together.

While I had purchased and listened to the CD myself, and was already formulating my opinion about different songs and the album as a whole, I didn't feel I could commit any thoughts to the blog until I had discussed it all with Pat.

I think No Line on the Horizon is indeed a success, even if it's not an instant rock and roll classic like Joshua Tree. Not every album can rise to that level even when you're the greatest band in the world.

I have to confess to being a little worried when the first single, "Get On Your Boots" was released. It's a fine song, but I wasn't totally won over. And indeed, after listening to the album I think there are at least two other songs that would have been better first singles, but that's neither here nor there.

The title track, "No Line on the Horizon" starts the album off well - Bono's crescendo will be classic in the live performance. "Magnificent" and "Moment of Surrender" are, in my opinion, the two best songs on the album.  "Magnificent" contains the wonderful refrain, "only love can leave such a mark." The very first time I heard "Moment of Surrender" I was singing along with the refrain - it's just one of those songs that is destined to be sung by a football stadium full of people as only really happens at U2 concerts.

Despite some slightly cheesy lyrics, "Unknown Caller" is a pretty decent song; I appreciate it's attempt to comment on our society's self-deafening dependency on technology. Pat definitely helped me appreciate the finer points of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" - the refrain; "it's not a hill, it's a mountain as you start out to climb;" is particularly good, and the Edge gives us chords that are reminiscent of "All That You Can't Leave Behind."

The second half of the album is clearly the weaker half. "Stand Up Comedy" is a pretty good song - it too might have the chops for a decent single. I've got a long way to go on "Fez - Being Born," despite Pat's recommendations.

I like that "White As Snow" has the base line of O Come O Come Emmanuel. "Breathe" has grown on me considerably - I kind of like the rather staccato verses and Bono's delivery of them. But "Cedars of Lebanon," while a good song in and of itself, rounds the album out a little bit slowly for my liking. I'll have to keep working on appreciating this second half of the album.

 
I read a number of reviews in the days leading up to the official release and quite frankly I thought they were all over the place. For the best of these reviews visit Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times.

Overall, I give the album a high B+, low A- and look forward to bumping it up when I hear it performed live - God willing in Chicago on September 12th!