No Line On The Horizon

6.4/10

Best Track: Get On Your Boots

Worst Track: White As Snow (Could only find a sped up version, which is actually more fun then the original)

I’ve never been a big fan of U2. Not that I have anything against Bono and Co. but I’ve just never been able to count any of their albums among my favorites. It is true that they have a collection of songs that are incredible on any and all standards (ex. Pride (In The Name Of Love), Sunday Bloody Sunday), but I’ve always felt that they were a band that had seen their best days in the 80’s, and that were now of small importance as far as creativity and ingenuity in music goes. The type of band that see’s their albums reach #1 more for what they achieved in the past then for their efforts in the present. Their last album, 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, only served to further confirm my dogma about the Irish band. However, after listening to U2’s twelfth studio album, No Line on the Horizon, I can’t help almost feeling that I might be wrong. Almost.

If you’re one of those people who have a pretty much formed opinion about U2 at this point, this is certainly not the record that is going to change your opinion about them, and I even recommend not giving it that much attention. Hell, lord knows there’s a lot of stuff to listen to out there. However, if you are one of those “on the fence” people, this album might be just the small push you need to find yourself firmly standing on either side.

No line on the Horizon, like every U2 album since 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire, pays its production credits to renowned producer Brian Eno. (Eno is often credited as one of the inventors of ambient music, as well as having worked with influential artists like The Talking Heads and David Bowie). When listening through No Line, I was surprised at how this feels like their first album in at least ten years in which Eno’s production shows clearly and significantly. The best examples of this can be heard on the tracks “Fez – Being Born Again” and “Breathe”. The former is easily the boldest track in the album, sporting a highly layered and textured minute long intro where Eno employs distant voices, samples from other songs in the album, and small changes in time signature to transport the listener to Fez, Morocco, where part of the album was recorded. The latter, in the other hand, is a far more conventional track, which sees Eno employing some of the same tricks he used on another album he recently produced; Coldplay’s Viva La Vida (more specifically on the song Yes).

While No Line On The Horizon’s first single “Get On Your Boots”, does not quite pack the punch of their last album’s “Vertigo”, the fierceness of The Edge’s snarling guitar riff played throughout makes it a worthy addition to the U2 canon. The muffled drums and vocals in this tracks bridge, followed by the ensuing revitalized aforementioned riff, make for one of the albums definite highlights. “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” is another song that is sure to become a U2 live staple in the next few years, despite its awful title. This is one of those songs that feel like it was made to be played in a packed arena, and it would probably work a lot better in that setting then it does in this album. Also, this is easily the most traditionally U2 song in the album, containing all the characteristics that come to mind when thinking of the band, from the spacey shimmering guitar notes to the catchy, sing-a-long chorus.

Unfortunately, there are times when neither U2’s song writing or Eno’s production are particularly outstanding, and in those rough patches we find the albums low points. One such pitfall, “Magnificent” is found after the album’s stomping, opening title track. Although Eno’s production in this track is worthy of note, it does not manage to make listening to this track an altogether pleasant experience. The follow up track, “Moment of Surrender” is dragged down by its own unnecessary length, making it a wearisome listen at well over 7 minutes long. The album only hits rock bottom, however, with the horrible “White As Snow”. With lyrics like “Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not” Bono aims for introspective, but hits plain boring instead.

Whether you love them or hate them, you’ve got to hand it to U2: few bands stick it out together for as long as these guys have, and even fewer of those manage to put out a record as good as this one after being around for 30 years (their first release, “Boy”, dates back to 1980). If you think about it, it's no wonder younger bands like The Killers have gone on record stating they want to be the “next U2”. Unfortunately for The Killers though, No Line On The Horizon makes it pretty clear that Bono and co. aren’t ready to let other bands fill in their boots just yet.