U2\u2019s twelfth studio album, the follow-up to 2004\u2019s energetic but somewhat patchy How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, <\/i>ends up falling somewhere between Rolling Stone\u2019s fawning 5-star review and Pitchfork\u2019s largely cynical assessment of the legendary Dublin rockers. Overall, though, No Line On The Horizon <\/i>is a return to form, embodying the experimental spirit of Pop <\/i>and Zooropa <\/i>(though with a lot less techno and gigantic lemons this time around) and the soaring anthems of beloved Joshua Tree<\/i>-era U2. <\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s The Edge\u2019s chiming, stadium-ready guitar sound, Larry Mullen Jr.\u2019s driving backbeats or Bono taking a step back from being a larger-than-life rockstar punchline with reflective, encompassing lyrics throughout and rich vocals, this disc just reiterates exactly why U2 have been so treasured since the \u201880s. Their songs are catchy yet complicated and cathartic, reveling in creating soundscapes (aided greatly by longtime collaborators Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite, and Daniel Lanois) that challenge the listener and the band themselves. The instrumentation here in particular is refreshingly elaborate and still anchored in what makes U2 so familiar and resonant.<\/p>\n
Just check out the rising, moody intro to \u201cMagnificent,\u201d which finally erupts into an enveloping chorus of guitars and sweeping synths, or critically divisive first single \u201cGet On Your Boots,\u201d its its cheeky electronic burbles and chunky riffs backing lines like \u201cI don\u2019t wanna talk about wars between nations \/ Not right now!\u201d <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, tracks like the slow-burning, almost stilted \u201cFez \u2013 Being Born\u201d or the strangely lovely chilliness of closer \u201cCedars Of Lebanon\u201d are miles apart from what seemed to be a by-the-books reading of rock n\u2019 roll on Bomb<\/i>, simply a retread of what spiraled U2 to the top. \u00a0Penultimate cut \u201cBreathe\u201d is an instant standout, most in line with whatever you\u2019d pin to be classic U2. It launches out with a shivering violin sound before The Edge\u2019s ringing guitars kick in and Bono\u2019s crystal-clear vocals hit the rafters, drawing you in irrevocably as he wails, \u201cSing your heart out \/ Sing my heart out \/ I\u2019ve found grace inside a sound.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n
All the hallmarks come together on this album: the sonic exploration, the irrepressible energy, the songs that stick in your head and heart. Even Bono\u2019s ponderings on often trite themes (love, God, music itself) sound fresher here than they have in awhile — finally, no musings on how freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby\u2019s head! \u201cI Know I\u2019ll Go Crazy If I Don\u2019t Go Crazy Tonight\u201d belies the potentially cheesy nature of its title with that classic Edge guitar sound and Bono\u2019s sheer earnestness, and \u201cUnknown Caller\u201d veers the line between mechanized and organic, weaving in textured guitars and lofty synths with garbage phrases that embody our age of technology strangely well (\u201cRestart and re-boot yourself,\u201d \u201cPassword, you, enter here, right now\u201d).<\/p>\n
A new U2 release is nothing short of a worldwide event; ultimately No Line On The Horizon<\/i> seems to bypass both the massive hype and the other side\u2019s harsh, immediate critiques, emerges as a largely excellent in its own right. It\u2019s enveloping from start to finish, and establishes that beneath all the superstardom and potential for clich\u00e9, the band\u2019s human heart is still pumping strong, and hopefully will be for a long while.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":29779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5708],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-41388","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-u2","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/41388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/41388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=41388"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=41388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}