"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners."
- Psalm 146:3-7
Monday, March 16, 2009
U2's No Line On The Horizon has been with us for two weeks now, and I've listened to it quite a few times over the past 14 days. I think I'm ready to give a more thorough explanation of the album and where I think it falls within the U2 canon. Here are my thoughts, track by track, along with some of my favorite lyrics from each song:
"No Line On The Horizon" -- A four star song that makes for a strong title track and a welcome introduction to U2's new sound. Bono's screaming vocals chilled my spine when I first heard this song. At this point, I have no idea what it's about.
I know a girl who's like the sea/I watch her changing every day for me/Oh yeah/Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
"Magnificent" -- Another four star song that dips its toe into the pool of U2 greatness. With time I may see "Magnificent" as one of their best songs ever; it's a hard rocker that speaks deeply.
I was born/I was born to sing for you/I didn't have a choice but to lift you up/And sing whatever song you wanted me to/I give you back my voice/From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise ...
"Moment Of Surrender" -- A masterpiece. Like "One," and "Where The Streets Have No Name," it's a flawless song that resonates with me on so many levels. It's a five star track, and if my iPod had a sixth star available I'd throw that at it too. Listening to the first 60 seconds of this song almost makes me want to cry. Really.
I was speeding on the subway/Through the stations of the cross/Every eye looking every other way/Counting down 'til the pain would stop/At the moment of surrender/Of vision over visibility/I did not notice the passers-by/And they did not notice me
"Unknown Caller" -- This song is another one that speaks to me. On a personal level I feel like in many ways the "I" in "Unknown Caller" is a reflection of myself. I can see myself saying the things he says, feeling the way he feels. I've heard that the song is about a conversation between a despondent man and God, with God sending him techy messages on his cell phone. Cheeky perhaps, but effective as far as I'm concerned. Four stars.
Restart and re-boot yourself/You're free to go/Oh, oh/Shout for joy if you get the chance
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" -- A fun rocker that doesn't knock my socks off, but certainly is enjoyable to listen to. Three stars.
It's not a hill, it's a mountain/As you start out the climb/Listen for me, I'll be shouting/We're gonna make it all the way to the light/But you know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
"Get On Your Boots" -- Four solid stars. I like this song more and more every day, and even though I can't figure out what the heck it's about, it's still a joy to listen to.
Here's where we gotta be/Love and community/Laughter is eternity/If joy is real
"Stand Up Comedy" -- Another three star rocker. A good song, but nothing to write home about.
Stand up, this is comedy/The DNA lotto may have left you smart/But can you stand up to beauty, dictator of the heart
"FEZ-Being Born" -- A three star artsy song that reminds me of some experimental stuff from the Zooropa days. It's a chilled out song.
I'm being born, a bleeding start/The engines roar, blood curling wail/Head first then foot/Then heart sets sail
"White As Snow" -- This song is powerful. From the melody taken from "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," to the deep, poetic lyrics, it's a a four star song that's full of Christian imagery while set in the land of Islam. Very deep.
Once I knew there was a love divine/Then came a time I thought it knew me not/Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not/Only the lamb as white as snow
"Breath" -- Four stars. Another rocker, and perhaps the best rock song on the album.
Every day I have to find the courage/To walk out into the street/With arms out/Got a love you can't defeat/Neither down or out/There's nothing you have that I need/I can breath
"Cedars Of Lebanon" -- A slow, emotional song that showcases Bono's story-telling abilities. Bono's in persona in this song as some sort of foreign war journalist with a sobering perspective on life, war, and God.
Now I've got a head like a lit cigarette/Unholy clouds reflecting in a minorette/You're so high above me, higher than everyone/Where are you in the Cedars of Lebanon?
About the album as a whole, while I don't think the album is up there with Achtung Baby or The Joshua Tree, it's certainly destined to become a classic album and my initial reaction is that it's U2's best effort in the past ten years. I give the album four stars. "Moment Of Surrender" alone is worth the price of admission.
Trackbacks:
Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/5306.
Comments on "A Deeper Look At NLOTH":
2. nhe
- 03/17/2009 1:59 pm CDT
I agree with your take Eric....I bought it and have listened about the same amount....I've noticed though that sales at this point are at 50% of HTDAAB.......could just be the economy?
Word on the street is that it doesn't have radio play type hits other than "Get on Your Boots".
My assessment is similar - except that I don't hear any "Where the Streets Have No Name" type tracks - no ***** ........closest is Unknown Caller for me.......though I think tracks 2 through 4 are all ****, along with White as Snow, Crazy, and Stand Up Comedy.
4. Crossbow
- 03/17/2009 3:35 pm CDT
I read once where The Edge said Get On Your Boots was about how men have messed up the world and women need to take over the leadership. Don't know if he was joking or not.
But Stand Up Comedy rocks... four stars at least!
5. Crossbow
- 03/17/2009 3:40 pm CDT
BTW - I had an iTunes gift card, so I splurged for the Deluxe edition. It came with a bonus song, No Line on the Horizon 2, which I like a little better than part 1. Also, there is this weird movie that came with it, nothing to write home about, but the soundtrack of the movie has one unreleased U2 song called "Winter" which is pretty cool.
6. Jason_73
- 03/17/2009 6:28 pm CDT
I really like the record. I didn't think I would at all. I was prepared to dislike it.
My stand out songs are "White as snow" and "Unknown Caller". I think if they would have kept in this direction instead of the HTDAAB songs like Crazy & Sexy Boots it would have broken into the JT and AB level. The funny thing is I can totally break this son into the songs Lillywhite produced and the ones Eno and Lanois did and I like the Fez stuff most...
P.S. I've heard from Daniel Lanois that "Sexy Boots" is about a family that is going to a carnival and choose to have fun even though a war is going on. Totally makes sense. In the same article he says "Magnificent" is about a musician like Charley Parker writing music. If you think about that it kind of makes sense too. Which takes away from the Christian excitement a bit.
7. Bird
- 03/17/2009 11:31 pm CDT
I've noticed though that sales at this point are at 50% of HTDAAB.......could just be the economy?
I don't know about album sales, but the stadium tour dates are selling out within minutes.
In the same article he says "Magnificent" is about a musician like Charley Parker writing music. If you think about that it kind of makes sense too. Which takes away from the Christian excitement a bit.
I'm not sure that any U2 song is ever really about one, and only one, thing. I think lines like "Justified until we die/You and I will magnify/The Magnificent" speak clearly enough to the song's Christian imagery.
8. Manders
- 03/17/2009 11:33 pm CDT
A lot of the power of "White As Snow", for me, comes from the fact that I keep expecting the melody to go to "Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come..." But no, there's no rejoicing here. It's like what my church does during Advent--we'll sing the verses to "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", but not the chorus, because we're waiting for Jesus to come and heal our brokenness and death and sin. I think "White As Snow" captures that somewhat, even if it wasn't necessarily where they were going with that.
9. nhe
- 03/18/2009 1:59 pm CDT
Bird - U2 is like the Rolling Stones - they'd sell out concert dates instantly even if they hadn't put out an album in 10 years.........I went to the Vertigo concert in Atlanta, and I'll see every tour from here on........some of the best money I have EVER spent.
10. Bill
- 03/18/2009 3:54 pm CDT
"U2 is like the Rolling Stones"
BITE YOUR TONGUE!!!
I mean, yes, they are like the rolling stones, except U2 is awesome (I'm not a huge fan, but I know quality) and the Rolling Stones are the MOST OVERRATED BAND IN THE HISTORY OF THE COSMOS>
IMO ;-)
11. Bird
- 03/19/2009 7:51 am CDT
Bird - U2 is like the Rolling Stones - they'd sell out concert dates instantly even if they hadn't put out an album in 10 years
They sure as heck didn't sell out the Popmart Tour. Not even close. I think that's part of why the opted for arena tours in the subsequent Elevation and Vertigo tours -- the lack of sale outs in the Popmart tour was too embarrassing.
Leave a Comment:
Good analysis.
I'm not the U2 scholar you are, but I agree that it's a really, really good album. Definitely an early contender for album of the year (in my own head).
U2 will probably never replicate the brilliance of The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, but they've consistently shown that they're still capable of that kind of brilliance, if only in glimmers.
It's incredible that they've been doing it for so long. I've watched so many bands come and go, and they've been doing it since before I was born. And it's even cooler that they've still got their mojo.