No Line On The Horizon - Take Two

Well here I am five days after the U2 album release, having had the chance to listen to it many times and for me to really sink into it (great description Captain, hope you don't mind me pinching it!) And , as expected, a lot of my views have changed.

Still love NLOTH, unbridled is the word that comes to mind when I think of it. The energy of it, music pounding away relentlessly, the way Bono's impassioned vocals soar - especially like the bit where he sings softly and then, wham, in comes the music full force, brilliant!

Magnificent too is still a favourite. It's much more classic U2 than NLOTH, but there's nothing wrong with that! I really like the intro building up to the vocals. This would be a good second single as non-avid-fans would easily like this song.

Another long intro for Moment of Surrender, and this is a song that has grown on me a lot. Love Edge's fab guitar solo that is a totally new style for him, lovely. Bono's voice is amazing on this and he's written some of the best lyrics on the album for this song. The sadness it evoked in me still is there.

Number four on the album, Unknown Caller, still is my least favourite. It doesn't capture me in any way. Edge's guitar and Bono's voice is there during the verses, but I don't like the chorus of male voices where Bono only just discernible, it doesn't feel like U2 for me.

I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, God what a convoluted title! As I thought this song has grown on me as well. As I've listened to it I kept thinking "What song does this remind me of?" and then yesterday I realised, Original Of The Species, especially the chorus, but I feel this is a much better song. We'll all be singing along to this at the concerts! Again Bono is singing his heart out brilliantly here.

Again I'll miss GOYB, I've said all I can about that song.

Rockin' guitar on Stand Up Comedy, Edge almost going heavy metal! LOL! Great bass line and drumming, this song will really rock live. Not amongst my top five of the album, but I don't dislike it either.

For me the biggest surprise has been how Fez - Being Born has grown on me. I'm really loving the unusual rhythms within it, mixing east with west, and it's experimental nature. It's great that U2 are willing to put something like this on an album, this is them exploring music is a truly creative and open way. I admire any artist that is able to do this when it would be so easy to stick to a winning formula.

I liked White As Snow from that first listen last Monday, the purity of Bono's voice and the all pervading sadness is what struck me then. I still find it very evocative, sad and yet strangely beautiful. Bono has said this song is about a soldier dying in Afghanistan and the length of the song is the time it takes him to die. Yet even without knowing that, the overall feeling is of sadness. It also feels very intimate, like Bono's singing into your ear, you can hear each breath he takes -which considering the song's subject matter is quite poignant. I find it a very moving song, I just know I'll be crying if they play this live!

Breathe has continued to grow on me, good rocker, not sure if it'll be high in my top U2 songs list but I like it much more than I did.

Cedars of Lebanon is another song that hasn't grown on me much, good lyrics, but it hasn't really done it for me.

So quite a few changes in my views of No Line On The Horizon - as I knew there would be. I find it fascinating how snippets from songs from their past have crept into the new music. Moment of Surrender - the oh ohs at the end from Stay. Unknown Caller the hypnotic few guitar notes right through the song reminiscent of Bad. Crazy, touches of Original of the Species and some Ultraviolet "Baby's". Wonder if that was done on purpose, kind of reaching to their past, where they have come from with one hand, whilst taking the future firmly in hand with the other.

I feel really proud to be a U2 fan at the moment!