last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
I'm very happy some people hate U2 because otherwise it would be impossible to get tickets to the live shows
Sadly, all the other people who don't run their mouths so to the shows and make it difficult to get tickets.
NLOTH Album Reviews Pt 3
- Thread starter Irishteen
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Sadly, all the other people who don't run their mouths so to the shows and make it difficult to get tickets.
best review of nloth ever!
yeah, i've read the best review. And it is up in my head and now i am writing it here. (otherwise you would not open this thread
the album is perfect!! i just do not know how somebody can not like it.
Somehow, i started listening to it from "fez-being born" and i understood that u2 is trying to find something that would please it's fans. I have listened to it from that song and i realised that at last we have something that is comparable to achtung baby, best album to date.
I think that almost in all songs bono tries to say something (ironic, funny, serious, impressing, inspiring) to all real fans, who have been there from the beginning.
Just listen: "I'm here 'cause I don't wanna go home" (he could do it, by the way..)
"Time is irrelevant, it´s not linear
Then she put her tounge in my ear" (very ironic and funny and sexy)
"Stand up, this is comedy
The DNA lottery may have left you smart" (please do something instead of critisism)
A speeding head, a speeding heart
I´m being born, a bleeding start (bono describes himself)
"Restart and re-boot yourself
You´re free to go" (advice to you all)
"There's a part of me in chaos that's quiet
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot" (can you tell me what you want from bono u2 at all?...)
"Every day I have to find the courage
To walk out into the street
With arms out
Got a love you can’t defeat" (this is Bono is 4 lines)
I know that always we need to compare an album to somebody's else work (radiohead and coldplay ruled the world in 2008 with their best albums), but i think that every u2 fan get much higher blood pressure when he realises that album is leaked and it is somewhere where you can touch and listen it. And coldplay, radiohead and killers are not still contenders to the biggest band after this album, while u2 is around.
Real u2 fan tries to get it as soon as possible and make his judgement. And everybody likes it from first listening, but after that they do their decisions based on their cynism (or other bad features) that they got through years after joshua tree was released. But is anybody of you still optimistic as bono is?
Really, i do not like (or even have hate feeling) at those who will not give this album 4,5 or 5 stars.
U2 needs all of you. And they needs you all of the time, just i think that you do not appreciate sometimes. I like Rolling stone review, because it says that bono would be only a big mouth without his band, because he tells a lot through his lyrics, but he needs all the fans to be supportive of him, and i do not understand how somebody can say that bono should shut his mouth and concentrate on music. If he saved even one life and have not killed somebody, he is a hero already. I believe that he saves thousands of them and this fact makes him one of my ideals. An optimistic person with irony.
U2 is creative and they have a gift. A gift to make you all happy, deppresed, lifted, considering, but they always are optimistic. And that is a lot these days.
Sometimes I wonder how fans who adore achtung and joshua tree (and does not appreciate everything after that) uses internet. I thought that you all prefer wire telephons and you hate communicating with each other through forums, skype, etc. I think that you need to understand that to look at he past is always good, but you need to be creative in the future and take best things from it. This is whas u2 does, and this band never dissapoints me. I cannot say, that i liked htaab, but all men have their middle life crisis when they are trying to be the best. It is natural, and u2 have passed it already. They released an album with no expectations ("it is album we always wanted to make"), and they are back!!!
They always care about real fans and they are nervous about what you will think.
There are a lot things that i would like to say, but i would like to hear your opinion on what i said.
u2 played a big part of formating my view to the world and they continiue to do this, and i would like to thank them a lot!
Stand, this is comedy!!
yeah, i've read the best review. And it is up in my head and now i am writing it here. (otherwise you would not open this thread
the album is perfect!! i just do not know how somebody can not like it.
Somehow, i started listening to it from "fez-being born" and i understood that u2 is trying to find something that would please it's fans. I have listened to it from that song and i realised that at last we have something that is comparable to achtung baby, best album to date.
I think that almost in all songs bono tries to say something (ironic, funny, serious, impressing, inspiring) to all real fans, who have been there from the beginning.
Just listen: "I'm here 'cause I don't wanna go home" (he could do it, by the way..)
"Time is irrelevant, it´s not linear
Then she put her tounge in my ear" (very ironic and funny and sexy)
"Stand up, this is comedy
The DNA lottery may have left you smart" (please do something instead of critisism)
A speeding head, a speeding heart
I´m being born, a bleeding start (bono describes himself)
"Restart and re-boot yourself
You´re free to go" (advice to you all)
"There's a part of me in chaos that's quiet
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot" (can you tell me what you want from bono u2 at all?...)
"Every day I have to find the courage
To walk out into the street
With arms out
Got a love you can’t defeat" (this is Bono is 4 lines)
I know that always we need to compare an album to somebody's else work (radiohead and coldplay ruled the world in 2008 with their best albums), but i think that every u2 fan get much higher blood pressure when he realises that album is leaked and it is somewhere where you can touch and listen it. And coldplay, radiohead and killers are not still contenders to the biggest band after this album, while u2 is around.
Real u2 fan tries to get it as soon as possible and make his judgement. And everybody likes it from first listening, but after that they do their decisions based on their cynism (or other bad features) that they got through years after joshua tree was released. But is anybody of you still optimistic as bono is?
Really, i do not like (or even have hate feeling) at those who will not give this album 4,5 or 5 stars.
U2 needs all of you. And they needs you all of the time, just i think that you do not appreciate sometimes. I like Rolling stone review, because it says that bono would be only a big mouth without his band, because he tells a lot through his lyrics, but he needs all the fans to be supportive of him, and i do not understand how somebody can say that bono should shut his mouth and concentrate on music. If he saved even one life and have not killed somebody, he is a hero already. I believe that he saves thousands of them and this fact makes him one of my ideals. An optimistic person with irony.
U2 is creative and they have a gift. A gift to make you all happy, deppresed, lifted, considering, but they always are optimistic. And that is a lot these days.
Sometimes I wonder how fans who adore achtung and joshua tree (and does not appreciate everything after that) uses internet. I thought that you all prefer wire telephons and you hate communicating with each other through forums, skype, etc. I think that you need to understand that to look at he past is always good, but you need to be creative in the future and take best things from it. This is whas u2 does, and this band never dissapoints me. I cannot say, that i liked htaab, but all men have their middle life crisis when they are trying to be the best. It is natural, and u2 have passed it already. They released an album with no expectations ("it is album we always wanted to make"), and they are back!!!
They always care about real fans and they are nervous about what you will think.
There are a lot things that i would like to say, but i would like to hear your opinion on what i said.
u2 played a big part of formating my view to the world and they continiue to do this, and i would like to thank them a lot!
Stand, this is comedy!!
sue4u2
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Seems the Independent liked Moment of Surrender, but that was just about all.
Next up is 'Moment Of Surrender', which for me is by some distance the best song on the album. A seven-minute gospel-tinged epic in which it all comes together: the terrific rhythm section, Edge's soulful slide guitar, the church-like organ, Bono's curious vocals about a drug addict's spiritual epiphany on the New York subway, and Eno and Daniel Lanois' mercurial production... It's one of U2's best songs.
No light on the horizon for U2 - Music, Entertainment - Independent.ie
nkelly@independent.ie
Next up is 'Moment Of Surrender', which for me is by some distance the best song on the album. A seven-minute gospel-tinged epic in which it all comes together: the terrific rhythm section, Edge's soulful slide guitar, the church-like organ, Bono's curious vocals about a drug addict's spiritual epiphany on the New York subway, and Eno and Daniel Lanois' mercurial production... It's one of U2's best songs.
No light on the horizon for U2 - Music, Entertainment - Independent.ie
nkelly@independent.ie
nirniva
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Isn't there a thread for fan reviews?
Isn't there a thread for fan reviews?
It was merged.
I know this Stephen Dalton from the time he was a reviewer for the NME. He wrote the review for POP and gave it an 8 but the review was on big egotrip with a lot of words and very little substance. If Led Zeppelin were crap then the Beatles were never succesful. In other words, this guy doesn't know what he is talking about but that is no surprise.
rihannsu
Refugee
This guy has pretty much summed up my feelings on the album. Great review.
BLOG: No Line On The Horizon is U2's finest hour | musicradar.com
Dana
BLOG: No Line On The Horizon is U2's finest hour | musicradar.com
Dana
AtomicBono
ONE love, blood, life
thanks to us
I reviewed it under like 5 different names. I think the campaign failed though once we realized n00b reviews have like no weight, so 50 newly registered people giving it 5 stars barely makes a dent.Thank you. Actually, I think Pop is perfect. It's annoying to see people say that we're "mindless Pop worshipers." Um, maybe we legitimately love the album? I mean, is that so hard to understand? There's nothing mindless about it. Pop is the album that got me into U2 when I was only 9 years old. Those songs are a part of who I am, they've been with me over a decade, they've helped me through dark times ... it's an emotional thing, I'm not gonna argue that it's more of a classic than AB or JT, but to me it's their best album and my favourite.
That is a good review
Anyone get the MOJO review yet...?
Slapnutz
Refugee
Not sure if Greg Kot's (Chicago Tribune) review has already been posted. Here it is anyway.
U2's 'No Line on the Horizon': First impressions
U2 return March 3 with "No Line on the Horizon" (Interscope), their 12th studio album. Until then, the album is already all over the Internet, and available on the band’s MySpace page for a free preview (U2 on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads).
The good news up top: the band’s sense of adventure is back. The blatantly retro feel of the Irish quartet's previous two albums, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” (2000) and “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” (2004), takes a back seat to a more ambitious and certainly more esoteric approach. What’s lacking are the immediate melodies that defined those previous albums.
Longtime collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois are more intimately involved, not only as producers but as songwriters and musicians. “Meet me in the sound” is the album’s key lyric, taken from the single “Get on Your Boots.” It suggests an album more about atmosphere and sonics than songs. Steve Lillywhite, another longtime collaborator, was brought in for a couple of tracks, presumably to provide a stadium-rock safety net. His contributions are my least favorite moments on the album.
Here’s a quick rundown of the songs after a few days of listening (I’ll have a more comprehensive review on this blog later in the week).
No Line on the Horizon: Love the introduction. Makes me feel like U2 have stopped with the pandering and mean business. Fond memories of “Achtung Baby”-era aggression and menace with overdriven instruments, and Bono wailing torn and frayed about the limitlessness of imagination in all human endeavor, including the erotic. More like this, please.
Magnificent: Electronic percussion breaks into a gallop with Edge’s guitar ringing out. So far, Adam Clayton is having a great day at the office with his bass lines. Simple statement of purpose: Love leaves you batter and bruised, but it’s why we were born. Best candidate for a radio hit on the album.
Moment of Surrender: Hovering organ, speaker-rattling bass, Bono doing his soul-singer wail. Seven minutes long. Gospel feel on the chorus with layered harmonies. A song about disconnection. He sees his reflection in an ATM machine, and doesn’t recognize it. Hypnotic.
Unknown Caller: The vaguely stoned, exhausted narrator returns. Rumbling percussion . The wordless vocal. A horn fanfare. A heroic-sounding Edge guitar solo. And then just when I started to enjoy things, some silly lyrics: “Restart and reboot yourself.” Oh, jeeez. A promising start that overstays its welcome.
I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Crazy Tonight: U2 could write this song in its sleep, and, in fact, it has on its last two albums. The most blatantly buoyant pop-sounding tune yet, with Steve Lillywhite handling production. Bono tries to convey breathless urgency with falsetto leaps, but the song feels forced and obvious. Bring back Eno.
Get On Your Boots: A curious choice for a first single, though I like the rhythm-heavy approach. “Meet me in the sound” is the relevant lyric. But the melody got dropped somewhere on the way to the final mix.
Stand Up Comedy: A more pronounced groove with Edge riffing heavy on guitar. U2’s version of funk. Stop laughing. Gets more than a little self-referential when rock’s very own Napolean urges, “Stand up for rock stars, Napolean in high heels.” A sense of self-deprecating humor not heard since the Zoo TV tour?
Fez—Being Born: The title references the Moroccan city in which some of the album was recorded. An extended introduction as if we’re listening to a city awakening from the next block, with Bono referencing “Get On Your Boots” when he intones, “Let me in the sound.” Then a pulsing splash of electronic percussion, chiming Edge guitar, and a wordless Bono wail. Impressionistic seascape lyrics: “Atlantic sea, cut glass/African sun at last/Lights flash past/Like memories.” A melody enunciated on keyboards finally is spread atop the rhythmic churn like a string of tiny white Christmas lights. This is Eno/Lanois at the top of their game.
White as Snow: Another low-key song with Bono musing in a relaxed voice. He’s a soldier dying in Afghanistan and these are his final words. The melody is borrowed from the 12th Century hymn “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel.” A chilled stunner that probably should’ve ended the album.
Breathe: All coiled tension, relieved by some guitar power chords. Another would-be stadium-rocker, with the ham-fisted Lillywhite at the producer’s wheel. Edge gets bombastic on guitar, tries to play the blues, and sounds clumsy doing it. Bono tries to channel Patti Smith and babbles on about “JuJu men.”
Cedars of Lebanon: Ending with a whimper. It feels like 3 a.m., and everyone is asleep, including most of the band. Bono’s voice is muted, conversational. He’s trying on his Sinatra “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” voice. He’s also impersonating a journalist, a war correspondent looking for redemption where none is forthcoming. As unpromising as it sounds.
Turn It Up - A guided tour through the worlds of pop, rock and rap | Chicago Tribune | Blog
U2's 'No Line on the Horizon': First impressions
U2 return March 3 with "No Line on the Horizon" (Interscope), their 12th studio album. Until then, the album is already all over the Internet, and available on the band’s MySpace page for a free preview (U2 on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads).
The good news up top: the band’s sense of adventure is back. The blatantly retro feel of the Irish quartet's previous two albums, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” (2000) and “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” (2004), takes a back seat to a more ambitious and certainly more esoteric approach. What’s lacking are the immediate melodies that defined those previous albums.
Longtime collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois are more intimately involved, not only as producers but as songwriters and musicians. “Meet me in the sound” is the album’s key lyric, taken from the single “Get on Your Boots.” It suggests an album more about atmosphere and sonics than songs. Steve Lillywhite, another longtime collaborator, was brought in for a couple of tracks, presumably to provide a stadium-rock safety net. His contributions are my least favorite moments on the album.
Here’s a quick rundown of the songs after a few days of listening (I’ll have a more comprehensive review on this blog later in the week).
No Line on the Horizon: Love the introduction. Makes me feel like U2 have stopped with the pandering and mean business. Fond memories of “Achtung Baby”-era aggression and menace with overdriven instruments, and Bono wailing torn and frayed about the limitlessness of imagination in all human endeavor, including the erotic. More like this, please.
Magnificent: Electronic percussion breaks into a gallop with Edge’s guitar ringing out. So far, Adam Clayton is having a great day at the office with his bass lines. Simple statement of purpose: Love leaves you batter and bruised, but it’s why we were born. Best candidate for a radio hit on the album.
Moment of Surrender: Hovering organ, speaker-rattling bass, Bono doing his soul-singer wail. Seven minutes long. Gospel feel on the chorus with layered harmonies. A song about disconnection. He sees his reflection in an ATM machine, and doesn’t recognize it. Hypnotic.
Unknown Caller: The vaguely stoned, exhausted narrator returns. Rumbling percussion . The wordless vocal. A horn fanfare. A heroic-sounding Edge guitar solo. And then just when I started to enjoy things, some silly lyrics: “Restart and reboot yourself.” Oh, jeeez. A promising start that overstays its welcome.
I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Crazy Tonight: U2 could write this song in its sleep, and, in fact, it has on its last two albums. The most blatantly buoyant pop-sounding tune yet, with Steve Lillywhite handling production. Bono tries to convey breathless urgency with falsetto leaps, but the song feels forced and obvious. Bring back Eno.
Get On Your Boots: A curious choice for a first single, though I like the rhythm-heavy approach. “Meet me in the sound” is the relevant lyric. But the melody got dropped somewhere on the way to the final mix.
Stand Up Comedy: A more pronounced groove with Edge riffing heavy on guitar. U2’s version of funk. Stop laughing. Gets more than a little self-referential when rock’s very own Napolean urges, “Stand up for rock stars, Napolean in high heels.” A sense of self-deprecating humor not heard since the Zoo TV tour?
Fez—Being Born: The title references the Moroccan city in which some of the album was recorded. An extended introduction as if we’re listening to a city awakening from the next block, with Bono referencing “Get On Your Boots” when he intones, “Let me in the sound.” Then a pulsing splash of electronic percussion, chiming Edge guitar, and a wordless Bono wail. Impressionistic seascape lyrics: “Atlantic sea, cut glass/African sun at last/Lights flash past/Like memories.” A melody enunciated on keyboards finally is spread atop the rhythmic churn like a string of tiny white Christmas lights. This is Eno/Lanois at the top of their game.
White as Snow: Another low-key song with Bono musing in a relaxed voice. He’s a soldier dying in Afghanistan and these are his final words. The melody is borrowed from the 12th Century hymn “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel.” A chilled stunner that probably should’ve ended the album.
Breathe: All coiled tension, relieved by some guitar power chords. Another would-be stadium-rocker, with the ham-fisted Lillywhite at the producer’s wheel. Edge gets bombastic on guitar, tries to play the blues, and sounds clumsy doing it. Bono tries to channel Patti Smith and babbles on about “JuJu men.”
Cedars of Lebanon: Ending with a whimper. It feels like 3 a.m., and everyone is asleep, including most of the band. Bono’s voice is muted, conversational. He’s trying on his Sinatra “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” voice. He’s also impersonating a journalist, a war correspondent looking for redemption where none is forthcoming. As unpromising as it sounds.
Turn It Up - A guided tour through the worlds of pop, rock and rap | Chicago Tribune | Blog
AtomicBono
ONE love, blood, life
HE DOESNT LIEK SEDIRS OF LEBONON I HAIT HIM 
it is kinda funny that he's not crazy about my two favourite songs (Cedars and UC)
Not a bad review, good to see he likes most of it He wasn't the one that totally trashed HTDAAB, was he?
it is kinda funny that he's not crazy about my two favourite songs (Cedars and UC)
Not a bad review, good to see he likes most of it
He wasn't the one that totally trashed HTDAAB, was he?Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Yes, he's the one that wrote that huge anti-Bomb piece and then took it straight to Bono in a follow up debate over it. And before anyone jumps on that, he's been one of the bands biggest/closest supporters since they first touched down in the US. He just thought the Bomb was the sound of a band that at best had run out of inspiration, at worst was too full of calculation. He wanted to know which it was, and it seemed to throw Bono a bit.
AtomicBono
ONE love, blood, life
wow, that's interesting. Do you happen to have the bit where Bono followed up? I'd be curious to read it.
I'm glad he likes No Line then
What are your thoughts Earnie? I don't remember if I've seen them considering there's approximately 3874835946 posts of people reviewing the album.I'm a fan of Greg and Jim DeRogatis' radio show "Sound Opinions", so I was anxious to hear their thoughts on the album. I'm glad to hear Greg is mostly positive, although I'd encourage him to replay 'COL' and 'Crazy' a few times and then get back to us. Both deserve a few more plays.
Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
you've outlined a good reason why taste is so subjective. if you love Pop, more power to you. but it seems that the reason why is more due to you and what you found to love rather than the objective merits of the album, which i think are almost indisputably less than JT, AB, and likely NLOTH.
wow, that's interesting. Do you happen to have the bit where Bono followed up? I'd be curious to read it.
I'm glad he likes No Line then
Secondhand U2 -- chicagotribune.com (HTDAAB Album Review, Nov 21, 2004)
U2's march of the tired warhorses hamstrings fine ensemble effort -- chicagotribune.com (Vertigo Tour Critique, May 5, 2005)
Transcript of Bono interview -- chicagotribune.com (May 13, 2005)
Bono: 'We need to talk' -- chicagotribune.com (May 22, 2005)
Actually, Mr Kot bashed the band's performance in Chicago and that's what prompted Bono response (it was NOT about the Bomb review). Of course, it was obvious by the band's 2nd leg stop in Chicago what was missing: more 90's songs. (long live the bias in critics)
Kot didn't get what Bono was saying in the response though.
Kot didn't get what Bono was saying in the response though.
inztantkarma
Babyface
Ok… Rolling Stone gave it 5 out of 5, Q magazine 4.5, and Spin 3 but at last here is my review.
First impression of listening to the album as a whole is that this is a grower. Bono is roaring his vocals, pushing his range, Eno is all over the record, and there a few killer tracks that will be monsters live. It’s feels like it’s not in the league of Achtung Baby or Joshua Tree but it is a brave record for a band this deep into their career. It definitely feels more Enoesque than Lanois while the last 2 records felt the other way around.
Track by track review:
No Line On The Horizon
A filthy title track that builds with its Fly-like riffs and walls of crashing sounds. This will be an epic live track. A song with a little nod to their punk leanings and a wink to the Kings of Leon. This is abrasive rock U2 style. A wall of noise stains for you attention and the subtle chorus floats around in your head long after the song ends. Sets the scene for a record of Eno bleeps, squeaks, and his zany junkyard of sonic trinkets. Bono is letting fly right from the start.
I still think I like the alternate version of this - even with the Bono on helium vocals. That said, I love the way it builds in a sonic wash but never takes off fully.
I'm hatching some plot, scheming some scheme Oh yeah
Magnificent
Nice modest, humble U2 title but yes it is worthy of the title. This will turns those stadiums into night clubs. Builds like Streets live. In fact it reminds me of the end of Streets live in the Popmart era. The song that means the lads can afford the down payment on another mansion in the south of France. Some nice guitar that years along with Bono.
“Only love can heal such a scar.”
Moment Of Surrender
Looks like Mr Eno was all over this one. It didn’t get me a first but is growing on me. The rhythm has me thinking of So Cruel. When was the last time a band had such epic, long, ambitious songs to kick off an album. Almost a gospel soul ballad. Bono again taking off in an existential mode. Watch the trainspotters point out the technical “error” in “ATM Machine”.
Some people are calling this the One of this album but for me its not quite in that league but it may be in the minor leagues hoping for a call up to the big time.. Beautiful melody in the chorus but I’m not sure about how Bono roars into this at the start. My wife on first listen to the record at this point said “he seems to be shouting a lot”.
All sorts of Biblical allusions tumble by at - least I’m guessing that’s what they are given my obvious lack of knowledge in this area. Not for the last time it sounds like there is a choir of Bonos and Edges here
“I did not notice them, they did not notice me”
Unknown Caller
A lot of people seem to be loving this one but I can’t seem to find my way into it. Maybe it is just that the whole “reboot yourself” slogan style feels like it has all been done before. This is Radiohead OK Computer territory, or even U2’s own Numb.
Birds recorded in Fez at the intro?? A Morroccan drone. Some kind of technophobe nightmare, “you know your password, key it in.” Something about making it out alive. “3:33 in the morning and the numbers dropped off the clock face”
An urgent sounding church organ, a horn section?? Double layered lead vocals. To me it just feels like they have thrown too much into an idea that all feels a little 1996. But you can imagine it with some mad visuals live and the whole song will change again. Love the shush now line and the solo at the end.
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
The lads finally pull off that feeling of pure joy they have been chasing. Has to be a single despite the title giving DJ’s an aneurism as they take a big breath and launch into “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight the new single from U2 off the new record No Line on the Horizon”. Larry would hate this title as it won’t fit on a t-shirt.
Bono hits high notes but they feel a little out of place. A live sing-along moment with “Baby, baby, baby ultraviolet… oops” chorus. Will absolutely kill live.
“Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot”
Get On Your Boots
Perfect spot on the record for this track to shake things up.
Has grown on me despite some of the shade wearing messiahs worst, throwaway lyrics ever. Seems to have the “fans” jumping on the hate wagon and has received a fairly tepid response on radio. Tries to pick where Vertigo and Elevation finished but is a sad, distend, Tasmanian cousin to them.
I saw an interview with Bono where he talks about this song being about a family during war times going to the local fair to escape their troubles. He (as only Bono can) called it something to the effect of earnest throwaway. Sorry B man but you really do have to come from a long line of travelling salesman to make sell us on that one. To those of us not quite in Bono’s head space it just sounds like rubbish lyrics. That said I love the guitar line and the “let me in the sound” parts but the lyrics stop me truly loving it.
And Elvis Costello must be smiling too, humming 'Pump It Up' under his breath as he dials his lawyers and wonders what sort of settlement to demand.
Stand Up Comedy
GOLD!!
Bono in self deprecating mode and pure anarchy. Led Zepplin like riff and not like any other song in the U2 canon. This is fast becoming my favourite track and another lock for being a monster track live.
Crunchy, funky, hip swaying guitar with some brilliant melodic lines. Stealing some Michael Stipe-like lyrics. Some brilliantly self deprecating lyrics about small men in high heels. Love it. You got to respect someone brave enough to liken their ego to that of a small child trying to cross an 8 lane highway.
“Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady”
Fez / Being Born
U2 at their most experimental. Very Eno like intro (you can imagine this as the first song of an encore with some made visuals and the “let me in the sound” on loop). Then Being Born kicks in like something lifted off of Unforgettable Fire. A militaristic shuffle with no discernible hook but instead weaves a sound, layers of keyboard and chiming notes. Totally out there. This is the band cutting the chord and floating out to where we have always hoped they would go..
White As Snow
A lot of people are loving this little delicate tune but I am struggling with it. It almost feels like filler to my ears. In some ways it almost sounds like a little Irish ditty or Nick Cave. Maybe I still have the stadium filling rockers in my head and there is no space for a country warble. Then again if I think about Heartland, Running to Stand Still, and First Time maybe this will grow on me like those tunes did.
Breathe
Wants to be a huge stadium rocker but the version on the record just comes up short for me. Another moment of U2 doing REM better than REM has in the last 4 years. Only Bono could fit in a line about a “cockatoo”.
"I'm running down the road like loose electricity while the band in my head plays a striptease"
Cedars of Lebanon
Only U2 could get away with a title this pretentious. Bono in narrating mode again as a war correspondent. I hope this doesn’t require a wardrobe change ala Britney on tour. Reminds me a little of Velvet Dress in the vocals. Bono takes a swipe at journalists with the line “the best of us are masters of compression” GOLD! Has a film noir vibe but just doesn’t work for me.
“Squeezing a complicated life into a simple headline”
My ears have wrapped around the horizon a few times now. I can say I love parts, and I want to love other parts. There is plenty of spirit in there, Bono is in fine form but seems to push too hard too soon in the songs. The songs just don’t build and soar like the band at their best. Hard to see some of these songs being played on the radio in 10 years time. Then again one of them might do for NLOTH what Viva La Vida did to Violet Hill.
It’s good but I’m not sure it is great. Then again it could grow on me more. I would give anything for this band to go into the studio for no more than 4 months. Record something raw, on the fly, minimal production recorded in the “band room” and released quickly without the hype. Dream out loud on that one.
First impression of listening to the album as a whole is that this is a grower. Bono is roaring his vocals, pushing his range, Eno is all over the record, and there a few killer tracks that will be monsters live. It’s feels like it’s not in the league of Achtung Baby or Joshua Tree but it is a brave record for a band this deep into their career. It definitely feels more Enoesque than Lanois while the last 2 records felt the other way around.
Track by track review:
No Line On The Horizon
A filthy title track that builds with its Fly-like riffs and walls of crashing sounds. This will be an epic live track. A song with a little nod to their punk leanings and a wink to the Kings of Leon. This is abrasive rock U2 style. A wall of noise stains for you attention and the subtle chorus floats around in your head long after the song ends. Sets the scene for a record of Eno bleeps, squeaks, and his zany junkyard of sonic trinkets. Bono is letting fly right from the start.
I still think I like the alternate version of this - even with the Bono on helium vocals. That said, I love the way it builds in a sonic wash but never takes off fully.
I'm hatching some plot, scheming some scheme Oh yeah
Magnificent
Nice modest, humble U2 title but yes it is worthy of the title. This will turns those stadiums into night clubs. Builds like Streets live. In fact it reminds me of the end of Streets live in the Popmart era. The song that means the lads can afford the down payment on another mansion in the south of France. Some nice guitar that years along with Bono.
“Only love can heal such a scar.”
Moment Of Surrender
Looks like Mr Eno was all over this one. It didn’t get me a first but is growing on me. The rhythm has me thinking of So Cruel. When was the last time a band had such epic, long, ambitious songs to kick off an album. Almost a gospel soul ballad. Bono again taking off in an existential mode. Watch the trainspotters point out the technical “error” in “ATM Machine”.
Some people are calling this the One of this album but for me its not quite in that league but it may be in the minor leagues hoping for a call up to the big time.. Beautiful melody in the chorus but I’m not sure about how Bono roars into this at the start. My wife on first listen to the record at this point said “he seems to be shouting a lot”.
All sorts of Biblical allusions tumble by at - least I’m guessing that’s what they are given my obvious lack of knowledge in this area. Not for the last time it sounds like there is a choir of Bonos and Edges here
“I did not notice them, they did not notice me”
Unknown Caller
A lot of people seem to be loving this one but I can’t seem to find my way into it. Maybe it is just that the whole “reboot yourself” slogan style feels like it has all been done before. This is Radiohead OK Computer territory, or even U2’s own Numb.
Birds recorded in Fez at the intro?? A Morroccan drone. Some kind of technophobe nightmare, “you know your password, key it in.” Something about making it out alive. “3:33 in the morning and the numbers dropped off the clock face”
An urgent sounding church organ, a horn section?? Double layered lead vocals. To me it just feels like they have thrown too much into an idea that all feels a little 1996. But you can imagine it with some mad visuals live and the whole song will change again. Love the shush now line and the solo at the end.
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
The lads finally pull off that feeling of pure joy they have been chasing. Has to be a single despite the title giving DJ’s an aneurism as they take a big breath and launch into “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight the new single from U2 off the new record No Line on the Horizon”. Larry would hate this title as it won’t fit on a t-shirt.
Bono hits high notes but they feel a little out of place. A live sing-along moment with “Baby, baby, baby ultraviolet… oops” chorus. Will absolutely kill live.
“Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot”
Get On Your Boots
Perfect spot on the record for this track to shake things up.
Has grown on me despite some of the shade wearing messiahs worst, throwaway lyrics ever. Seems to have the “fans” jumping on the hate wagon and has received a fairly tepid response on radio. Tries to pick where Vertigo and Elevation finished but is a sad, distend, Tasmanian cousin to them.
I saw an interview with Bono where he talks about this song being about a family during war times going to the local fair to escape their troubles. He (as only Bono can) called it something to the effect of earnest throwaway. Sorry B man but you really do have to come from a long line of travelling salesman to make sell us on that one. To those of us not quite in Bono’s head space it just sounds like rubbish lyrics. That said I love the guitar line and the “let me in the sound” parts but the lyrics stop me truly loving it.
And Elvis Costello must be smiling too, humming 'Pump It Up' under his breath as he dials his lawyers and wonders what sort of settlement to demand.
Stand Up Comedy
GOLD!!
Bono in self deprecating mode and pure anarchy. Led Zepplin like riff and not like any other song in the U2 canon. This is fast becoming my favourite track and another lock for being a monster track live.
Crunchy, funky, hip swaying guitar with some brilliant melodic lines. Stealing some Michael Stipe-like lyrics. Some brilliantly self deprecating lyrics about small men in high heels. Love it. You got to respect someone brave enough to liken their ego to that of a small child trying to cross an 8 lane highway.
“Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady”
Fez / Being Born
U2 at their most experimental. Very Eno like intro (you can imagine this as the first song of an encore with some made visuals and the “let me in the sound” on loop). Then Being Born kicks in like something lifted off of Unforgettable Fire. A militaristic shuffle with no discernible hook but instead weaves a sound, layers of keyboard and chiming notes. Totally out there. This is the band cutting the chord and floating out to where we have always hoped they would go..
White As Snow
A lot of people are loving this little delicate tune but I am struggling with it. It almost feels like filler to my ears. In some ways it almost sounds like a little Irish ditty or Nick Cave. Maybe I still have the stadium filling rockers in my head and there is no space for a country warble. Then again if I think about Heartland, Running to Stand Still, and First Time maybe this will grow on me like those tunes did.
Breathe
Wants to be a huge stadium rocker but the version on the record just comes up short for me. Another moment of U2 doing REM better than REM has in the last 4 years. Only Bono could fit in a line about a “cockatoo”.
"I'm running down the road like loose electricity while the band in my head plays a striptease"
Cedars of Lebanon
Only U2 could get away with a title this pretentious. Bono in narrating mode again as a war correspondent. I hope this doesn’t require a wardrobe change ala Britney on tour. Reminds me a little of Velvet Dress in the vocals. Bono takes a swipe at journalists with the line “the best of us are masters of compression” GOLD! Has a film noir vibe but just doesn’t work for me.
“Squeezing a complicated life into a simple headline”
My ears have wrapped around the horizon a few times now. I can say I love parts, and I want to love other parts. There is plenty of spirit in there, Bono is in fine form but seems to push too hard too soon in the songs. The songs just don’t build and soar like the band at their best. Hard to see some of these songs being played on the radio in 10 years time. Then again one of them might do for NLOTH what Viva La Vida did to Violet Hill.
It’s good but I’m not sure it is great. Then again it could grow on me more. I would give anything for this band to go into the studio for no more than 4 months. Record something raw, on the fly, minimal production recorded in the “band room” and released quickly without the hype. Dream out loud on that one.
cjboog
Refugee
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
^ Yes Q gave it 5.
And can we PLEASE keep fan reviews out of this thread and make a fan review thread again? This is getting annoying. This thread is chaotis. We have so many threads in this forum where fans can comment on the album and/or review it. We should have a thread solely for press reviews.
Mostly good reviews, but I wish the Irish Independend would make up its mind. I think they've written about 3 album reviews so far, always with different outcome. I honestly don't understand the feeling that this album is supposed to be "disjointed", to me it feels exactly the opposite. And "no light on the horizon" is a crappy title for a review, how original.
It's puzzling to me how contradictory many of these reviews are, sometimes you feel they talk about a wholy different album. Still I don't see any real "bashing", unlike in some German reviews, people here just hate on U2 and some of the articles make me sick.
What does MOJO say? I cannot find it on the website.
And can we PLEASE keep fan reviews out of this thread and make a fan review thread again? This is getting annoying. This thread is chaotis. We have so many threads in this forum where fans can comment on the album and/or review it. We should have a thread solely for press reviews.
Mostly good reviews, but I wish the Irish Independend would make up its mind. I think they've written about 3 album reviews so far, always with different outcome. I honestly don't understand the feeling that this album is supposed to be "disjointed", to me it feels exactly the opposite. And "no light on the horizon" is a crappy title for a review, how original.
It's puzzling to me how contradictory many of these reviews are, sometimes you feel they talk about a wholy different album. Still I don't see any real "bashing", unlike in some German reviews, people here just hate on U2 and some of the articles make me sick.
What does MOJO say? I cannot find it on the website.
cjboog
Refugee
Mojo has a HORRIBLE website. I don't think they've put out their review yet.
Mojo gives the album 4 stars. I haven't had chance to read it yet but it names Unknown Caller, Crazy Tonight and Cedars of Lebanon as the key tracks. There also appears to be a mini interview with Adam.
I'll try & put up a scan or a transctipt this afternoon if nobody does before me.
I'll try & put up a scan or a transctipt this afternoon if nobody does before me.
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
^ 4 stars, not bad.
Crazy Tonight as key track
I'm sorry.
It's amazing how different all these reviews are.
Crazy Tonight as key track
I'm sorry.
It's amazing how different all these reviews are.
Aardvark747
Blue Crack Addict
^ 4 stars, not bad.
Crazy Tonight as key track
I'm sorry.
It's amazing how different all these reviews are.
No joke. This is the song I rated last.
catlhere
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
What "power" of a "grand anthem" does Stuck In A Moment have that Magnificent doesn't?
rihannsu
Refugee
MrBTH
War Child
Sunday Times, UK & Ireland gives 4/5 - A very brief review. Says it's tbeir best since Achtung & Zooropa, that U2 are finally just going with their instincts and not trying to second guess everything and that there's only one "dud" and that's "White as Snow"...
Of course White As Snow is one of my favourites on the album but it goes to show what an amazing album this is that just about everyone has a different take on what are the best tracks....
Of course White As Snow is one of my favourites on the album but it goes to show what an amazing album this is that just about everyone has a different take on what are the best tracks....
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
Strangely, many reviews say White as snow is one of the best tracks while most other tracks are not so great.
Go figure. Everyone can take out of these reviews what they want. The more reviews you read, the less you know about the album in the end.
I read a German review from a Berlin newspaper today saying the album is their bast since AB and that Eno did some sound magic on it.
Go figure. Everyone can take out of these reviews what they want. The more reviews you read, the less you know about the album in the end.
I read a German review from a Berlin newspaper today saying the album is their bast since AB and that Eno did some sound magic on it.
Similar threads
