Some personal thoughts on No Line On The Horizon, 6 months after release

[Zoots]

I didn't know where to put this because there seem to be appreciation/discussion threads for each song but not one for the album as a whole. Sorry if I missed it and it's buried deep in there somewhere. Besides, I wanted to express my own feelings in a separate thread. Anyway...

I really like this album and feel that U2 have definitely bounced back after the somewhat average Atomic Bomb but there's still a few things dragging it down, in my opinion: 1. A very Vertigo-ish "been there done that" first single in Boots, although it does rock harder. But the problem is that it doesn't seem to fit with most of the material here. 2. Crazy Tonight and Stand Up are good but just don't seem to be on par with most of the other songs. Crazy Tonight has got a great melody but an awful title. Stand Up has odd lyrics but I do enjoy the music. Both will probably fit well on Bomb. But they'll be the best songs there! 3. Unknown Caller verses are amazing but the chorus is I think very ordinary. Kicking solo to end the whole thing though!

No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Moment Of Surrender

Perhaps best opening trilogy since Pop? Maybe JT? MOS is just sex set to music.

Fez

Candidate for most perfect U2 song this decade? I cannot find anything wrong with this song. I have tried. Lyrics, Music, Vocals... just perfection!

White As Snow

New territory! Beautiful country-ish tones with some.. is that backwards guitar I hear in the intro? Very cool, U2! And just a great song lyrically too.

Breathe

Kickass intro with REM/Stipe-ish singing style (Departure?) and definitely some joyful noise happening in that lead guitar here! Just a great rock song overall. Wish I had the chance to hear it live.

Cedars

Perfect closer! When was the last time they had such a perfectly moody closer? Bono's vocals here are perhaps the best on the album, though he doesn't push his limits here like in the opening trio.

Winter

Sounds promising but doesn't sound album ready enough.

So I guess, bottomline is that I do like this album... at least 8 songs out of 11 if not more. But maybe they could've included an instrumental with some Moroccan instruments or something? Something atmospheric along the lines of MDH or Passengers which would fit better with those 8 songs than say, Boots or SUC? Ahh I could go on all night. Thanks for reading.

Spoiler

All contents of the above post represent my opinion only and are in no way being stated as FACT!

 

[65980]

I just can't get excited about NLOTH. I find it another inspired, solid U2 album, but there's not one song there that makes me bust a nut.

I think "Magnificent", "Unknown Caller", "White As Snow", and "Cedars of Lebanon" are all 2nd-tier U2 songs, and those are my favorite songs on the record. The title song, "Moment of Surrender", "Fez-Being Born", and "Breathe" are all right, but they don't excite me any more than, say, "The Refugee" on War. Meanwhile, "Stand Up" and "Get On Your Boots" are entirely forgettable and, as you say above, completely out of place on the album, and I think "I'll Go Crazy" is the single worst U2 song I've ever heard.

By comparison, I think "Vertigo", "Miracle Drug", All Because of You", "City of Blinding Lights", and "Yahweh" are all 1st-tier U2 songs. So in other words I think Bomb is brilliant and NLOTH is sort of average by U2 standards.

I think what a lot of people are (positively) responding to on NLOTH is the subtler textures, the European influence, and the less bombastic nature of the whole record. I do understand the appeal of that -- I rate Unforgettable Fire in my top 3 or 4 U2 albums -- but for some reason that wintry, Euro-tone doesn't appeal to me on this year's album.

I think what it always boils down to, for me, is the individual songs. I don't think the individual songs are strong enough on NLOTH (I mean, by U2's standards, which are higher than almost anyone's) to justify a 5-year wait. What I'm saying is, for me NLOTH would be warmly appreciated as a Zooropa-type of album -- as an addendum to a larger, more focused project -- than as a stand-alone record.

I do think that wiping all the arena-rock sounds (mainly "Boots" and "Stand Up") off of the album and replacing them with even more of the Euro/wintry style would have helped the album. At least then I could say: they didn't care about sales, and just put out a mood-piece. But including them is a sort-of obvious pitch to the stadium-rock beast lurking inside them.

Anyway, to me NLOTH is a tasteful water-color abstract painting, but it just isn't entirely interesting.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I like NLOTH... a lot

 

[UberBeaver]

MOS is just sex set to music.

Like you're qualified to make a statement like that.....

 

[Zoots]

By comparison, I think "Vertigo", "Miracle Drug", All Because of You", "City of Blinding Lights", and "Yahweh" are all 1st-tier U2 songs.

I really don't see how you can love Vertigo and not love Boots. They seem to be knit from the same cloth... rap style vocals, check.. catchy beat, check.. sound turned way up to give an added illusion of rocking, check.. silly lyrics in parts, check.

I think what a lot of people are (positively) responding to on NLOTH is the subtler textures, the European influence, and the less bombastic nature of the whole record.

I don't know about european influence but definitely a big part of my appreciation of this album is due to the subtler feel and less bombastic nature of the album. Atmospheric rock is what U2 do oh so well.

I do think that wiping all the arena-rock sounds (mainly "Boots" and "Stand Up") off of the album and replacing them with even more of the Euro/wintry style would have helped the album. At least then I could say: they didn't care about sales, and just put out a mood-piece. But including them is a sort-of obvious pitch to the stadium-rock beast lurking inside them.

Agreed 100%

 

[Peterrrrr]

10/10
No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Moment Of Surrender
Fez
White As Snow
Breathe
Cedars Of Lebanon
IGCIIDGCT

8/10
Unknown Caller
Get On Your Boots

5/10
Stand Up Comedy

 

[redhotswami]

I don't know why the fuck Stand Up (Comedy) is on there. It's no coincidence the abbreviation is SUC.

 

[U2girl]

Very good album. Maybe not as experimental as they (aka Daniel Lanois) said, but I'm impressed. Best since AB easily. Even the worst song on it is better than the worst song on the 4 albums before NLOTH.

The two things that bring it down a bit is a) not thematically as strong as U2's absolutely best work and b) could use some more fresh sounds - Edge in particular could get away from the "classicisms". Everyone else in the band is in good shape on NLOTH, especially Bono.

 

[super fly guy]

I love this album,the only song i tend to skip is cedars. But i still like the song though!

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

I still can't understand the love about Fez - Being Born, really

The rest of the album is

 

[digitize]

NLOTH is my second favorite U2 album. By contrast, Bomb is my second least-favorite.

 

[No spoken words]

Stand Up Comedy is their worst song in a very long time, in my humble opinion.

 

[thelaj]

Whenever I think SUC is bad, I just remember ABOY

 

[U2DMfan]

I haven't shared many thoughts on NLOTH in a while. So I guess, here it goes...

I'm pretty happy with it, the first four songs are easily some of their best work this decade, additionally Fez would be in that mix.

I think they screwed up with the first single but I don't think it really would make a big difference. This is a period where it is 'cool' to hate U2, while the previous period (2000-2005) was a period where it was 'cool' to love them. Both with regards to mass pop culture, be it trendy mainstream fucks or trendy hipster fucks.

Stand Up Crapedy is an embarrassment. Crazy Tonight is a good pop song, but it's just the fluffy crap that plagued them since re-making The Sweetest Thing in '98. Again, a good song but nothing remotely remarkable. I personally feel like U2 could write an album of 11 songs of this nature in about a month and it would be just as good as Crazy Tonight, good pop music that you feel like you've heard before many times.

White As Snow and Cedars are nice touches, finally good to see some understated songs that aren't ruined by being too overwrought. Boots is a pretty good rocker but on the heels of Vertigo, was not a great lead single choice nor was it a particularly brave creative choice. It's like Crazy Tonight with bigger balls and a better groove. So yeah, it's good but nothing fantastic to write home about. I do like it, though. Breathe, another good rocker but yet another (haven't I heard this before?) moment. Bluesy milquetoast rock, although good, is not all that interesting to me. Plus, it's too slow. Just because Bono is singing a laundry list doesn't mean the groove isn't a little sluggish. Great chorus though, fantastic. SO that's two songs, that I see problems with that I still really enjoy, this is an improvement, for my tastes at least.

I really love the first 4 + Fez though, which makes this my favorite U2 album (easily) since POP and perhaps even since Zooropa (time will tell). Title track is a great groove and somehow, remarkably not ruined by going to the 'all too obvious' place. Magnificent is just 'perfect' U2, in the vein of being the child of Pride and Gone. It just hits the mark, totally, for me. (I have considered Bono's more obvious lyrics to be a 'given' from here on out). Moment of Surrender captures the band at their finest, and also at their most ballsiest since POPmart ended. Just letting that song fly, putting it on the record in the #3 slot, a great modern gospel song with no discernible hook, all this entails...that shows me they've still got 'it', whatever 'it' is. Unknown Caller is incredibly divisive, which means it fucking works. This isn't a song for the Happy Joy crowd who want 11 'Beautiful Day'-like tracks on an album. It's not a happy song at all but it feels optimistic. That's the old U2 trick, it has been a while.

Fez is the natural progression where they should have went all along. Instead of having an ego crisis and trying to recapture the bullshit of "biggest band in the world" they should have went further down the rabbit hole. No, you don't need 11 similar tracks, which often turns into a wankfest. You need some combination of great U2 classic sonics (Magnificent) a great modern gospel, harmonic turn as the 'pop songs' (Unknown Caller, MOS) rock and roll that isn't obvious and doesn't browbeat a hook (Title track) and fill ion the cracks with some interesting sonics (Fez) and perhaps just a few understated, sweet tunes (White as Snow, Cedars)

Really, a pretty damn good album. I don't know how anyone could see it any other way, unless the 'brand' of U2 you like is that of the Bomb-era flavor.

 

[AEKU2]

I haven't shared many thoughts on NLOTH in a while. So I guess, here it goes...

I'm pretty happy with it, the first four songs are easily some of their best work this decade, additionally Fez would be in that mix.

I think they screwed up with the first single but I don't think it really would make a big difference. This is a period where it is 'cool' to hate U2, while the previous period (2000-2005) was a period where it was 'cool' to love them. Both with regards to mass pop culture, be it trendy mainstream fucks or trendy hipster fucks.

Stand Up Crapedy is an embarrassment. Crazy Tonight is a good pop song, but it's just the fluffy crap that plagued them since re-making The Sweetest Thing in '98. Again, a good song but nothing remotely remarkable. I personally feel like U2 could write an album of 11 songs of this nature in about a month and it would be just as good as Crazy Tonight, good pop music that you feel like you've heard before many times.

White As Snow and Cedars are nice touches, finally good to see some understated songs that aren't ruined by being too overwrought. Boots is a pretty good rocker but on the heels of Vertigo, was not a great lead single choice nor was it a particularly brave creative choice. It's like Crazy Tonight with bigger balls and a better groove. So yeah, it's good but nothing fantastic to write home about. I do like it, though. Breathe, another good rocker but yet another (haven't I heard this before?) moment. Bluesy milquetoast rock, although good, is not all that interesting to me. Plus, it's too slow. Just because Bono is singing a laundry list doesn't mean the groove isn't a little sluggish. Great chorus though, fantastic. SO that's two songs, that I see problems with that I still really enjoy, this is an improvement, for my tastes at least.

I really love the first 4 + Fez though, which makes this my favorite U2 album (easily) since POP and perhaps even since Zooropa (time will tell). Title track is a great groove and somehow, remarkably not ruined by going to the 'all too obvious' place. Magnificent is just 'perfect' U2, in the vein of being the child of Pride and Gone. It just hits the mark, totally, for me. (I have considered Bono's more obvious lyrics to be a 'given' from here on out). Moment of Surrender captures the band at their finest, and also at their most ballsiest since POPmart ended. Just letting that song fly, putting it on the record in the #3 slot, a great modern gospel song with no discernible hook, all this entails...that shows me they've still got 'it', whatever 'it' is. Unknown Caller is incredibly divisive, which means it fucking works. This isn't a song for the Happy Joy crowd who want 11 'Beautiful Day'-like tracks on an album. It's not a happy song at all but it feels optimistic. That's the old U2 trick, it has been a while.

Fez is the natural progression where they should have went all along. Instead of having an ego crisis and trying to recapture the bullshit of "biggest band in the world" they should have went further down the rabbit hole. No, you don't need 11 similar tracks, which often turns into a wankfest. You need some combination of great U2 classic sonics (Magnificent) a great modern gospel, harmonic turn as the 'pop songs' (Unknown Caller, MOS) rock and roll that isn't obvious and doesn't browbeat a hook (Title track) and fill ion the cracks with some interesting sonics (Fez) and perhaps just a few understated, sweet tunes (White as Snow, Cedars)

Really, a pretty damn good album. I don't know how anyone could see it any other way, unless the 'brand' of U2 you like is that of the Bomb-era flavor.

Unknown Caller is the best song theyve done in almost 18 years. Listening to the material live confirms that this album is up there with JT, AB. Not as out there as Zooropa. Maybe the next one will be.

 

[alanah]

I NLOTH.

 

[rjhbonovox]

Unknown Caller is the best song theyve done in almost 18 years.

Yep I agree with that. Unknown Caller has also got the best intro and best guitar solo of any U2 song that I can remember (since The Fly) and top that off with a superb chorus. It is the best song they've done since The Fly. I was concerned the live version wouldn't be a patch on the studio but having seen it and heard it live at Sheffield it is very powerful live. Been listening to UC for a good year now since the beach clips which reminds I must dig them out and give that version another listen.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

By comparison, I think "Vertigo", "Miracle Drug", All Because of You", "City of Blinding Lights", and "Yahweh" are all 1st-tier U2 songs. So in other words I think Bomb is brilliant and NLOTH is sort of average by U2 standards.

oh no

To each their own, of course. Everytime i wonder how a potential "best of" for this decade would sound, im suprised at how much i fear songs like the above mentioned would ruin it for me. I liked HTDAAB when it came out, but now (along with ATYCLB before it) i shudder to think of the tracklisting of the future "Best of 00-10" if it is chock full of 2000-2004 "hits"

To me NLOTH has somewhat redeemed this decade. Along with Electrical Storm and some other unreleased tracks that we supposedly know exist. As others have mentioned, the first four tracks off of NLOTH are fucking brilliant. The album does sort of go down hill after that, but it bounces back nicely with the last three songs i think.

The earlier albums (ATYCLB & HTDAAB) had some fine moments but what i remember most now is crap like "grace", "a man and a woman", "love and peace", and "yaweh" (fast cars should have been the album closer).

And u218 was practically ruined by WITS, and Saints, but especially the god awful WITS. WTF!

Of course fair play to those that say NLOTH was ruined by horrible promotion and poor lead single in GOYB. They are correct.....but we all know GOYB does not speak for this entire album. If it did i probably wouldnt be here.

 

[No spoken words]

oh no

To each their own, of course. Everytime i wonder how a potential "best of" for this decade would sound, im suprised at how much i fear songs like the above mentioned would ruin it for me. I liked HTDAAB when it came out, but now (along with ATYCLB before it) i shudder to think of the tracklisting of the future "Best of 00-10" if it is chock full of 2000-2004 "hits"

To me NLOTH has somewhat redeemed this decade. Along with Electrical Storm and some other unreleased tracks that we supposedly know exist. As others have mentioned, the first four tracks off of NLOTH are fucking brilliant. The album does sort of go down hill after that, but it bounces back nicely with the last three songs i think.

The earlier albums (ATYCLB & HTDAAB) had some fine moments but what i remember most now is crap like "grace", "a man and a woman", "love and peace", and "yaweh" (fast cars should have been the album closer).

And u218 was practically ruined by WITS, and Saints, but especially the god awful WITS. WTF!

Of course fair play to those that say NLOTH was ruined by horrible promotion and poor lead single in GOYB. They are correct.....but we all know GOYB does not speak for this entire album. If it did i probably wouldnt be here.

Startlingly, I agree with 99% of this post.

 

[AtomicBono]

Wow...NLOTH has been out for six months already? That's crazy. It doesn't seem all that long ago that I was constantly glued to Interference/Pirate Bay/diditleak waiting for that sucker to leak!

It's been a little while since I've listened to the album straight through, but play counts for individual songs range from 94-177 ... so you could say I like the album pretty well I'm very pleased with how the songs are sounding live and can't wait to see them - only 17 days and 22 hours!! I'm especially looking forward to the Crazy Tonight remix. I like the version on the album, but the remix is so much fun.

i might listen to the album sometime later and post more thoughts, but for now I'll just say that the first four are an extremely strong start, Cedars is a beautiful closer, and SUC is one of the weaker tracks but it doesn't suck nearly as much as you all seem to think it does

NLOTH may be my favourite album of the decade...it's certainly my favourite U2 album of the decade.

 

[ultraviolet353]

I just can't get excited about NLOTH. I find it another inspired, solid U2 album, but there's not one song there that makes me bust a nut.

Agree 100% (especially after 5 years). When I listen to a new U2 record, I expect to be in a trance like, drool ridden state on at least 3-4 songs. For the first time, I cannot say this about any of the songs on this record. There are some very good to great songs on the record, but nothing drool worthy--add to that, the two worst songs they've ever done, SUC + Crazy, and you have their worst (relative term) record in the post JT era.

 

[redhotswami]

Breathe makes me bust a nut, and I don't even have testicles.

 

[redhotswami]

NLOTH may be my favourite album of the decade...it's certainly my favourite U2 album of the decade.

et tu, atomicbono?
please tell me you at least prefer dunkin donuts to tim's.

 

[dan_smee]

This album lacks identity in that it tries to do too much. The 'each-way bet' section in the middle does disrupt the flow. It doesnt mean i dont think the songs aren't fantastic. I actually quite like CT, GOYB and SUC. I would have preferred them to pop a few more fez like songs on there and saved those 3 for a later prject.

Having said that, id rather them be on NLOTH than SOA, and not taking more atmospheric songs off the shelf for NLOTH means SOA will be a better album..

 

[LemonMelon]

One of my biggest issues with Bomb was its lack of dynamic, A+ material. So much of it felt perfunctory, B-grade. There weren't as many tracks on the album that, as a U2 fan, made me blush as there were on, say, ATYCLB or October, but the peaks were few and far between, and even those were unimpressive in comparison to the rest of U2's canon.

NLOTH, for all of its faults (such as its highly diplomatic, aisle-reaching variety of moods and sounds), at least aims for the stratosphere from start to finish. If NLOTH is going to have a moody track, it's going to take you on a journey. If NLOTH is going to have a blatantly obvious commercial single, it's going to be loud, shiny, and scatterbrained (or, in Crazy Tonight's case, oozing with sap). I appreciate that, and it clearly sets the album apart from its immediate predecessors, even though the album itself is far from perfect.

 

[Zoots]

Great post, U2DMFan! Agreed with a lot of it!

Agree 100% (especially after 5 years). When I listen to a new U2 record, I expect to be in a trance like, drool ridden state on at least 3-4 songs. For the first time, I cannot say this about any of the songs on this record.

It's mind boggling how music moves different people differently because.. for the first time (since Pop) I have reached that trance like, drool ridden state just from the NLOTH opening trilogy, Fez and Breathe. Honest question: Do you prefer Atomic Bomb?

 

[U2girl]

This album lacks identity in that it tries to do too much. The 'each-way bet' section in the middle does disrupt the flow.

Yes...all the previous albums had a goal or a theme if you like.
Boy - adolescence, October - faith, War - (lovers in the time of) war, UF - atomic bomb, JT/Rattle and HUm - exploring America, AB - entering European sounds and more introspective lyrics, Zooropa - the media sensory overlaod, Pop - crisis of faith/materialism, ATYCLB - the pop "joy" album, HTDAAB - the retro U2 album.

NLOTH, while being hyped as innovative, really isn't for the most part. Once again, as with the previous album, most of (Edge's) sounds can be traced to one or another era in U2's past. It was only really present on Walk on, Elevation and maybe Kite on ATYCLB, (it was obvious on Electrical storm) it was the whole point on Bomb, but it's getting stale now. Bono and the other two delivered, now it's his turn.

If they're serious about trying to go for it (or die trying) for the 3rd masterpiece - and have a credible 4th era - they need more inspiration and work with non Lillywhite/Eno/Lanois producers.

 

[standrums]

The album is a cracker.

Funny how it's been met with such resistance because of the first single choice. When I went to see them last week with a few mates they'd written the album off as crap only after hearing Boots - I felt like a salesman that day..."come on, listen to other tracks and then make your mind up!"...real shame that people are so close-minded.

Anyway, it's a top 3 album for me ... up with Zooropa and UF - perhaps it will go down as a "flawed" masterpiece like those two albums...perhaps that's why I like it so much.

Possibly...but I gave it a break for a few weeks, put it on the other day and I can really see it's a fantastic album. It just sounds so great coming out of my speakers again

 

[cobl04]

I like NLOTH... a lot

same. i just very, very strongly dislike magnificent, unlike all y'all.

 

[alanah]

Breathe makes me bust a nut, and I don't even have testicles.