Reviewing No Line on the Horizon, U2’s Latest Album
On March 3, 2009, U2 released their 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon.
It’s been a while since their last release, 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, but it was worth the wait.The album, with 11 tracks, contains classic U2 music.
The Irish rockers get back to basics with their strongest offering in years. It was recorded in Dublin, New York, London and Fès, Morocco. And the good news is that Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite all helped to produce the album. But I don’t think this is the best U2 album since Eno and Lanois first worked with the band on 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire.
Magnificent, with its drum crescendos, trademark guitar riffs, and a soaring Bono vocal, is easily the best song on the album and is the second single to be released.The first release, Get On Your Boots, is a good song; this is the single the band performed at the Grammys on February 8.Get on Your Boots is a fun, foot-tapping track. However, Boots only hit No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Breathe is a great song, and it suggests that the band’s classic approach can still sound contemporary. The album ends with a sad, thoughtful song, Cedars of Lebanon, a track about war and violence. Lyrics like “the right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear” in the song I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight, show that the band still has a sense of humour.
Unfortunately, sales have not been as high as expected since the release of the album. No Line sold just 484,000 copies in its first week of sales. There probably aren’t many musicians who would consider that number a disappointment. But U2 is not just any act. The Irish band’s last album, 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, sold 840,000 copies in the first week.
However, I think that besides from a couple of the tracks being too long, the album is definitely worth adding to your collection.
For more musical reviews and information, visit the Nostalgia Guy Music blog.
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