Let Me in the Sound

Pop is universally recognized as the worst album in the U2 catalogue. The album was a little too polished and they thought they would be tongue in check with their Village People homage for the first Discothèque but the whole world just never got the joke. Even the accompanying tour when over like a lemon; literally as the band descended onto the stage in the oversized fruit that was more Vegas than arena rock.

The thing about Pop is that it still better than ninety percent of music ever made. If God Would Send His Angels hits the emotional chord the band is known for., Please is a heart wrenching plea, Staring at the Sun is right up there with anything on Achtung Baby. And if you don’t take it too seriously, Discothèque is the most danceable, fun song from a band not known for those traits.

With that said, No Line on the Horizon is not a bad album compared to other music that has been released this decade; it is just not a good U2 album. Part of that is for a band that is constantly reinventing themselves, we have heard some of these songs before. First single Get on Your Boots sounds like the first single from their last album, Vertigo, but with The Edge making his guitar more fuzzy (and a funkier baseline from Adam Clayton) and really sticks out like a sore thumb at number six on the track list. While Magnificent sounds like a couple of songs of off How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Then when the band tries something new, like on organ, French horn mix of Unknown Caller, it just doesn’t work with the weird chanting chorus. But I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t go Crazy Tonight is one of those absurd idea the band comes up with that actually works when they actually law it down. Stand Up Comedy will be the early stand out live song on their upcoming tour. And Cedars Of Lebanon continues their streak of quasi-religious songs closing out their albums and ends up being one of the album’s best as it is a haunting end to the album especially the last two lines Bono sings. But the rest of the album really misses that emotional investment that every other U2 album has.

Of course this being U2, they do know how to iron out songs on the road with songs like The Fly and Origin of the Species, as well as most of Pop, not the best studio of songs, end up get better in front of live audiences. So hopefully by the end of their upcoming tour, some of these tracks from No Line on the Horizon would make for killer live album additions.

Song to Download – Stand Up Comedy

No Line on the Horizon gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.