No Line on the Horizon: A Review

Today marks the official release of U2’s No Line on the Horizon.

I’ve been a pretty massive U2 fan since 1991’s Achtung Baby, so the fact that I’m about to give a positive review of the album should come as no surprise. However, not all U2 fans are the same. In my case, my fervor for the band probably peaked with 1997’s much-maligned Pop, and while I hold a fond affectation for the songs on All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), I never felt that those albums were transcendent in the way their best work has been.

So here are my obligatory thoughts on the new U2 album, after having listened to it a half-dozen times or so since downloading it (don’t worry, Mr. McGuinness, I’m still buying the physical copy for display):

Overall, the album is great. Really great. Maybe even transcendent. Certainly the mainstream press reviews have been excellent (Rolling Stone, Blender, Entertainment Weekly). Produced (and co-written!) by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, it is not the classicist’s U2 from their last two albums, but an assured, darker, looser band. Not many tight song structures or obvious hooks to be found here, and the album is better for it.

Thoughts on various tracks:

No Line on the Horizon: As I sat at my kitchen table, listening to this song the first time, I kept expecting the huge, chiming U2 from their last few albums to show up. Instead, I got this churning, layered song with an understated chorus and great bassline. My first reaction was a touch underwhelming, but repeated listens have really melted my initial feelings away. This song is an epic, swirling table-setting tune, like Zoo Station or Zooropa from their early 90s output.

Magnificent: Okay, HERE’S your classicist’s U2. Heck, this song might as well be Pride, 2009-style. It seems to me that this could be a massive single.

Moment of Surrender: This is my favorite song on the album to this point. For a band that spends 18 months recording and re-recording tracks, this is a song that they only performed once for tape. By all accounts, the moment was too magical to go back and tinker with, and I can’t disagree. It’s a song about giving in to something greater than ourselves, and it’s gospel-tinged chorus is the most moving moment on the album for me. It’s like a subtler version of One, recorded by a band uninterested in making it a hit.

Unknown Caller: This is an odd one. A chanted chorus reciting operating software shorthand sounds like a recipe for a Radiohead song, but in this case (unlike Radiohead) there’s a heartbeat at the center of the lyric, urging the listener to “shout for joy if you get the chance.” Despite the un-hummable melody, this song features a gorgeous (and extremely rare) extended guitar solo by the Edge, worth the price of the album for a Edge-o-phile like myself.

I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight – Remember everything I said about this album not stretching itself for a hit single? Well, ignore all that in the case of this song. This is a paint-by-numbers U2 single, with Bono belting out a set of charming non-sequiturs and a fat, happy chorus. I’ve already heard this on Cities 97, and I suppose that’s fine, but it isn’t one I’ll return to often.

Get On Your Boots – Read my thoughts on this song here. Within the context of the album, this song is part of a 3-song halftime party that just barely fits in with the rest of No Line on the Horizon.

Stand Up Comedy – Everything that I said about I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight probably holds true here, except for the fact that this song kicks ass. I love the hugeness of this song, and the cleverness of the lyric takes the edge off the preachiness. Apparently this song was inspired by an upcoming documentary film that featured the Edge woodsheddin’ with Jimmy Page – a listen to the first 15 seconds of the song bears that influence out.

White As Snow – This song sounds like an old western song, but from a backdrop of the Middle East. It’s a quiet, haunting tune, with excellent harmonies and backing vocals from the Edge and co-producer Daniel Lanois. As a matter of fact, this album features a softer, more delicate bed of harmony vocals than any previous U2 album.

Cedars of Lebanon – As U2 is wont to do, they wrapped up this album with a highlight. This sparse, haunting meditation is delivered in a gravelly whisper, and ends with an exhortation to “choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you.” This is the sort of disquieting tune that makes it difficult to step right back into your life once it’s over.

Like I said earlier, it’s too early to tell if this album is one of their best. Certainly, it’s excellent to an unprecedented degree for a band in its 33rd year of operation. Unlike their last few albums, it’s no collection of hits. Instead, it’s a challenging, cohesive slow-burner, beautifully performed and immaculately crafted. It’s definitely worth picking up and lingering over for a while.