Review: U2--No Line On The Horizon

As I've mentioned previously, for the most part I have given up doing full album reviews here on the Dynasty because I listen to so much new music all the time (often passed on to me by members of my readership) and I don't have the time to review each and every album I hear. However, this is U2, a huge part of my life, so I am going to take the time for a track-by-track breakdown of No Line On The Horizon, much like my friend Jimmy the K's review-- I reference Jimmy's review throughout my review since he is a fellow U2 fanatic and all-around music dork like myself.

What has been re-affirmed for me over the past couple months, with all the build-up to and subsequent release of the album, is that no band divides popular and critical opinion like U2. Simply put: you either love 'em or hate 'em and there is seldom indifference/middle ground. I don't remember as much anticipation for the release of an album in a long time--Coldplay's Viva La Vida was similar, but even it was not birthed into such a highly-charged environment as NLOTH.

It is imporant to clarify something from the outset: all this talk of No Line On The Horizon being a 'dramatic reinvention' for the band is simply not true. Is it more experimental and a departure from their last couple albums, where they were accused of 'playing it safe'? Yes, absolutely. Is it a brave album to make for a band of their stature at this point in their career? Without a doubt. So, without further ado, the long-awaited (by about 4 people maximum) track-by-track Dynasty breakdown of U2's No Line On The Horizon...

"No Line On The Horizon": The album opens with some kind of ambient buzzing before kicking in as a full-stomp rocker in the tradition of many U2 album openers. The main riff during the verses reminds me a lot of "The Fly" (from 1991's masterpiece Achtung Baby!). Lots of great guitar parts on this (a nice one through the headphones), sharp snare drum from Larry (wicked!) and some "interesting" Bono lyrics (a theme on this album, as you will see). A great opener and as Jimmy said, it's going to be a highlight within a live setting. I'm still trying to figure out if I can hear the universe in Caitlin's seashells...the jury's still out on that one.

"Magnificent": This song is, hands-down, one of the album's highlights for me. It is an unabashed anthem in the U2 tradition and it gave me the chills the first time I heard it. I could not disagree with Jimmy's assessment more ("Good song? Yes. Magnificent? Not so much."), but we are all entitled to our opinions. I love the spacey opening, the chord progression, the huge guitar that is so unmistakably The Edge, and the rhythm section's propulsive thump--totally awesome. U2's engine room of Adam and Larry has really gotten better further into the band's career. The song also can be noted for having some of the least "clunky" lyrics on the album. Additionally, huge thumbs up for The Edge's gorgeously articulated slide solo--he's a very underrated slide player and has always used it judiciously throughout the band's body of work.

"Moment of Surrender": Another album highlight, this song's seven minutes go by in a flash. A soul-type number, it features incredible vocals from Bono as well as solid backing vocals and harmonies from The Edge. I think this one is destined to be considered a U2 classic, though I hestitate to agree with people who have said this song is like another "One"--sorry kids, but not quite. Every member of the band is firing on all four cylinders during this number and Bono's lyrics are spot-on. A brilliant tour-de-force of a song from a band 33 years into their career! Oh yeah, sweet guitar lines from His Royal Edgeness--golden!

"Unknown Caller": This song was a bit of a slow-grower for me, not so much instrumentally, but rather because of the goofy computer-lingo inspired lyrics which are kind of chanted rather than sung. Like my friend Jimmy, I love the organ at the end of the song and consider it one of the album's highlights. I definitely enjoy this song far more now than I did when I first listened to NLOTH and the computer lyrics begin to make a lot more sense when you think about listening to them when you're in a daze online at 3:00 in the morning, as one reviewer pointed out.

"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight": Many reviews have essentially called this song 'revisionist U2', the kind of song that the band can churn out in their sleep. Yes, it sounds like a pretty 'classic U2' song, but I do not necessarily see that as a bad thing; it is a really fun cut and that it will be a great live song when they head out on tour. Both my wife and I think it's funny when Bono jumps up awkwardly into falsetto in the first line of the song, but I guess it kind of works (I would have preferred him to see the "crazy tonight" lyric in the same register, but a minor quibble). This is one of the more light and fluffy tracks on the album, but I definitely enjoy it far more than the first single (more on that in a second). Along with a few other cuts on NLOTH, it will get the people dancing in the sheds this summer!

"Get On Your Boots": I must admit that I did not like this song when I first heard it. However, it works better within the context of the album, as many people have noted, than it does as a single. Musically it's a catchy song and I love the riff, but for the first time ever I can honestly say that I think Bono's lyrics are ridiculous tripe that should not have made it past the proofreader! I think this is my least favourite track on the album.

"Stand Up Comedy": This track is kind of fun, but I would not consider it one of the album's standout cuts. There's a bit of Zep and a bit of the Chili Peppers here, but unfortunately U2 don't pull it off quite as well as those two bands do. U2 can be funky (hello, Achtung Baby!), but not so much the riff-heavy funkiness of the aforementioned groups. I would consider it one of the weaker tracks on NLOTH, but it might come off more kinetic and bouncy in a live setting than it does on the album.

"Fez-Being Born": I love the Eno-esque weirdness of this track and I think that it totally sets the scene for the rest of the album; very cool to have the "let me in the sound" sample right near the beginning and the key change directly after it. Larry's drumming is phenomenal after the transition to "Being Born", simple yet powerful. This song's structure reminds me of something you could have found on The Unforgettable Fire, as it's a bit of a sketch/sounscape like some of the tracks on that 1984 classic. This cut is one of my wife's favourites on NLOTH, she thinks it is remarkable.

"White As Snow": Borrowing the melody from the ancient hymn "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel", this is a highly meditative song with a very spooky opening and it screams of Daniel Lanois' influence throughout, as Jimmy pointed out. The vocal harmonies on this track are gorgeous.

"Breathe": The last rocker on the album, this song has it all: swagger, great guitar licks, and a huge vocal from Bono, perhaps his best on the album. I also love the obtuse lyrics, The Edge's uncharacteristically bluesy solo, and most of all the cello, which gives the song an almost Oriental feel when it's briefly exposed before the guitar solo. Edge's guitar tone is perfect with just the right amount of overdrive on the main riff. I am really looking forward to hearing this song live--I think it would be a great song with which to open a show, with that big riff and Bono's powerful, almost angry lyrics.

"Cedars Of Lebanon": I think I will let my friend Jimmy do most of the talking for this one because he sums up the song perfectly:

The album's closer is basically "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" - but more about loss than love. Again, you can really hear Lanois' songwriting credits coming through on this one in a great way, and the atmosphere is beautifully punctuated with Eno's little blips and samples. It's a stunning ending to a great album and I've got a hunch it'll be an excellent seque to the mellower companion album they're set to release later this year.

I really like the spoken-word quality of this song and it fits into U2's history of often having major 'downers' for album closers ("Mothers Of The Disappeared", "Love Is Blindness", "Wake Up Dead Man", for example). A very abrupt ending to the song leads to an unsettled finish to the album, which both my wife and I loved from the first listen.


Some people have gone so far as to say that this is the band's greatest album ever or on par with Achtung Baby!, which I think is going a bit too far in terms of praise, especially after having listened to Achtung Baby! three or four times this week (completely and utterly brilliant). No Line On The Horizon is a great album and I would consider it their best work since Zooropa, but it doesn't quite reach the lofty heights of either Achtung Baby! or The Joshua Tree. It's a brave album, but an album that is dense and not a particularly 'easy' listen, especially the first time around. However, I think that it has staying power and that many of the songs on it will be henceforth thought of as 'U2 classics'. I also think that it is an album that will tour well and that the songs will truly grow and flourish in a concert setting.

No Line On The Horizon was an album that took courage to make and we, as fans, have been rewarded. It is not a perfect LP, but it is an album of which the band can be justifiably proud as an artistic statement and it will stand up well beside other albums from their illustrious 30+ year recording career. Well done, boys, well done.