I really wanted to love the latest disc from U2. They occupy a certain place in my heart and always will because of how I basically grew up with the band. It was the winter of 1982 when I went in to the lunch room at my high school and boldly proclaimed to my friends that U2 were going to be bigger than The Who. Yeah right, they scoffed. I think it’s fairly safe to say that 27 years later I’ve been vindicated.
Just so you know where I’m coming from I rank “Achtung Baby!” their finest effort. There are those who could build a case that “War” or “The Joshua Tree” were the pinnacles of their long career but I stand firm that their 1991 effort boldly straddles anything even remotely traditional and some of the experimental stuff they have tried. But this isn’t about an 18 year old record. The topic at hand is No Line on the Horizon.
While I wouldn’t be so rash as to proclaim that U2 is ready for the oldies circuit I do think it is fairly obvious that they are on the downside of their career. There are parts of this latest disc that just sound downright boring. “Can this song plod any more than it currently is? Haven’t I heard this song before?” But then those sentiments are only a few seconds removed from some really quality melodies, riffs, vocals and such. I guess it is the classic definition of an inconsistent record.
I do wonder if this disc will continue to grow on me. To be fair I’ve only played it through a good dozen times so far. Some music takes a bit of getting used to before you can begin to realize how rich and textured it actually is. After the first couple of listens I was totally unimpressed but have stuck with it and it does seem to have gotten better. I’m not sure how this is possible? It makes me wonder if I just listened to Aerosmith a bit more maybe I wouldn’t feel like vomiting every time I hear Steve Tyler’s cackle.
“Unknown Caller” stands out as one of the better songs on the disc (And for the record I liked this song the first time I heard it.) with its with its minute long opening segueing into a perfectly executed Larry Mullen drum line. The vocals consisting of single note proclamations of a band stating its’ relevance. It’s classic U2. At six minutes long you can see them building a portion of their live show around this song. I can see the lights raising and lowering at certain points. Then again, if a rookie such as me can predict how a song will play out what does that really say about it?
There isn’t anything really fresh and/or edgy here. There are a few songs that sound more than tolerable but is that really what you should come to expect from the band of the 80’s? Remember U2 is only one record removed from the awkwardly titled “All that you can’t leave behind.” That strong disc opened with the fine “A Beautiful Day” and continued with many more gems. That wasn’t that long ago. Chances are they still have some fine music left it them. Here’s hoping we see it the next time around.