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"Edge's creative pulse is so Zen you can hardly hear it. He makes less noise than me and there's less damage to the people and buildings around him." -- Bono, 2004 |
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"Edge's creative pulse is so Zen you can hardly hear it. He makes less noise than me and there's less damage to the people and buildings around him." -- Bono, 2004 |
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Column: off the record..., vol. 9-349
@U2,
March 08, 2009
Flipping heck. This is the sort of week that makes being a U2 fan unbeatable. I don't care how easy it is to find digital files online or how early we can get them, there's nothing like that new album smell. I'm a bit of a U2 CD junkie. I get every official album, single, promo, movie, EP, whatever disc I can find. I keep them, along with their inserts, covers, etc., in a giant CD binder. I got to add a new album to the mix this week, and the albums are what make it sweet. The way my CDs are set up, U2's ongoing catalogue is like a book that keeps on having new paragraphs and chapters written for it. It makes for a really satisfying way to be able to look back on what they've done, where they are now, and all the space they've yet to fill. As everyone knows, No Line on the Horizon came out this week, at least here in the U.S. For me, the stand-out songs are the title track, "Magnificent," "Unknown Caller," "Fez-Being Born," "Breathe," and "Cedars of Lebanon." I'm not going to go too in-depth as I'm not looking to review it here, but I've got a few impressions after having had some time to digest it. I think the vocals in "No Line on the Horizon" are some of the best Bono has given us in ages. When he starts bellowing out, "I'm a traffic cop, Rue du Marais. The siren's wailing but it's me that wants to get away," it makes me pay attention every single time. He gives the words such an energy, such an urgency. I have to stop what I'm doing and pay attention every time I listen to it. This is the song that I'm most anxious to hear live, especially after seeing this. It's a little rough but after it's polished and in the setting of a stadium, it'll be brilliant. "Shush now" is one of the most awesome lines U2 have had in awhile. The idea of a disembodied, compelling voice calling on a cell phone and telling me to shut up just makes me laugh, especially as it's presented in a rock song. So much of U2's humor and personality are exemplified by that simple command. I love it. It sounds to me like the spiritual successor to "Miracle Drug." "Fez-Being Born" is the most interesting song the band has made since Pop, maybe even Passengers. I wouldn't have minded if the album had skewed a bit more in this direction rather than the more generic "Crazy Tonight"/"Stand Up Comedy" vein. It's a song that takes some mental work to figure out but it's so rewarding in that fact. The pacing of Bono's singing, the slot-machine transition between the two parts, the choral backing vocals that we haven't had since Zooropa, it all adds up to something to dissect. The best U2 songs are the ones that reveal more and more the deeper you pick them apart. I'm also a fan of U2 albums ending on a down note, so "Cedars of Lebanon" really suits me. Those last four lines are devastating every time I hear them. So, do I think this is their next five-star masterpiece? No, not really. Regardless of how en vogue it is these days to bash their last two albums, I am still in awe of the masterful song craft on All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. They were demonstrations of what the band can do with a melody, some vocals, and some instruments. In my opinion, they released some of the best songs of their careers on those two albums. However, No Line on the Horizon marks the reawakening of their adventurous side. It may not talk to the heart quite as much but it gives the head so much to work with. How lucky are we that we get to be fans of a band that refuses to be pigeon-holed? As the new album rolls out, so does the promotional machine. We got a roof-top performance at the BBC and a week of U2 on The Late Show in New York. I was kind of worried about the band live after the shaky Grammy and Brit performances of "Get On Your Boots." After the past week, though, I'm as excited to hear them live as I ever have been. "Magnificent" sounded better than I could have possibly imagined, and "Breathe" has an entirely new life being played live. Then we get the early word that the new show is going to be all stadiums (YAY!), will still have the general admission in the U.S. (YAY!), will feature a 360-degree stage (YAY!), and will have tickets at $30 and $55 (YAAAYYYYYY!). There is no way Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Coldplay, the Eagles, the Rolling Stones, or any other musical act in U2's price league would come up with something like that for the best seats in the house. Now we just get to see if U2.com will actually let us have access to any of those tickets in the presales. I am a Coldplay fan, but Bono calling Chris Martin a wanker and a cretin was one of the funniest things I've read in awhile. According to a certain Coldplay lead singer, Bono may have had hair transplants, but at least he's not completely dysfunctional. And he said it all on the BBC live broadcast! Awesome. Can you believe how much fun the next year or two are shaping up to be? I can't wait.
See ya next time... © @U2, 2009.
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