Released: 03/09

U2 can never be accused of being a lazy band; their new CD has 6 flapping parts with a melee of poster/booklet/film features, much to the delight of fervent fans. In my opinion you can’t knock U2 off the peak they’ve reached; they’re a band of incredible musical worth. However, I do think their new album pits itself against a lot of great contemporary artists and there’s a lot to live up to.

The first track No Line On The Horizon jaunts along quite mysteriously as the faint melodies tiptoe around the driving rhythms until Bono lets out some larger than life vocals, although the rest of the music doesn’t quite pursue as intensely. However, Magnificent does from the onset capture the band in full flow and the listening experience is vivid and somewhat epic in parts. Come on lads!

Unfortunately the next three tracks let down the pace and grandiose feeling. Moment Of Surrender is fairly drawn-out and the monotonous synths drown out the band rather than provide any delicate background and Unknown Caller carries on, the atmosphere becomes slightly lackluster and tedious. I’ll Go Crazy… is OK in the sense that it’s not your average soft rock pastiche and flaunts some well crafted instrumentals. Despite the band’s efforts to produce something fresh, ethereal guitar parts and resonant vocals have both been done many times before, and with much greater effect.

Not to worry, Get On Your Boots is indeed poles apart the first half of the album. Distorted riffs and strokes of techno, the 70’s fuzz meet 80’s dance brings out the psychedelic shades of Bono – go on then! The rock rolls on with Stand Up Comedy, which proves to be innovative and sharp. It starts to dawn on me here that a rehash of the song order may have yielded a more cohesive album. Oh well…

The next 4 tracks are all very different, which is in fact commendable; U2 never stick to one theme indeed! Fez-Being Born is appealing and showcases more instrumentals, played very fluidly with some diverse production effects. White As Snow is the classic U2 slow song with a calmer, more mature tone and Breathe highlights the pure class that makes U2 such an inviting band – for me this is a standout track, simple but done very well! Cedars Of Lebanon is the most stripped down song and in some ways provides a quaint display of the band’s unpolished abilities.

You might see something dazzling or not much at all, you just don’t know until you’ve had a look – there’s “no line on the horizon”.

www.u2.com

Richard Entwistle