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 has 11 songs that feature the best of 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 the song U2 performed at the Grammys on February 8, and I think it is a good song and really like it.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. A song about war and violence, Cedars Of Lebanon ends the album on a sad, thoughtful note. The band still has a sense of humour with lyrics such as “the right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear” in the song, I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight.
Unfortunately, sales have not been very strong since the release of the album.No Line on the Horizon only sold 484,000 copies during the first week of sales. These days, not many acts 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.
But in my opinion, apart from a couple of the tracks being a bit too long and the cover art being a bit boring, the album – over 54 minutes – is a worthy addition to U2’s collection.
For more reviews, go to the Nostalgia Guy Music blog.
[review pros="U2 Always Makes Great Music" cons="None to speak of." score=85]
