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U2
No Line On The Horizon
U2 assumes the title of world’s biggest rock band without much dispute. This is probably due to not taking their celebrity seriously, but instead taking their music very seriously. True to their status, getting a new album from this Irish quartet is an exercise in patience, as the band apparently labors over each aural document like Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. The hype that immediately surrounds the street date is initially guarded and then quickly turns into a flurry of words, expectations, and buzz all gone amuck. Prior to the release of this one, the early words were "experimentation" and there were references to the shocking musical departure that was Achtung Baby! I probably wasn’t the only fan to thus approach No Line On The Horizon with a certain amount of trepidation. Achtung Baby proved they could tilt the world at their chosen angle and do it with gusto and excellence; but if the band cared about my little list of demands, they wouldn’t shake up their successful recipe too much.

After my first listen, I’m trusting my ears (the music) more than my eyes (the critical reviews and press hype). This is one great listen that flows from beginning to end – the pulsing title track, with its building crescendo reminiscent of "Until The End Of The World" and the exploding cadence (like "Where The Streets Have No Name") in "Magnificent" to a couple of tunes that almost stop for introspection, like "Moment of Surrender" (a la "In A Little While") and "Unknown Caller" (akin to "Crumbs From Your Table") to the bouncing throb that exhorts us to walk the talk of "Get On Your Boots" all the way to the fairly ambient electronic storyline hymn ("White As Snow") that tips its notes to "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and the ending, almost spoken word ballad, "Cedars Of Lebanon," that could’ve been lifted from a Johnny Cash session. Instead of leaping off a cliff for a savage musical departure, it’s more like they inserted all the songs from All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb and hit "blend." The albums should come with a consumer advisory sticker that says: "No Fear." [Interscope] Doug Van Pelt


DVP rating: 4.5




This album review was originally published in the May/June Issue (#137) of HM Magazine. Order the Print Version to read tons more reviews. You can order the Print Version of this issue online or find this issue on newsstands. You can NOW read this entire feature in the online edition of HM Magazine. If you're a subscriber, you get a free online/digital subscription with your print subscription. You can purchase a single online/digital edition (which includes access to back issues) for only $1.99. A one-year digital-only subscription can be had for only $6.




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