Since most of you have lives, and couldn't follow my thoughts in real time as I listened to No Line on the Horizon through my Twitter Feed, I took the time to compile them here. If you have yet to buy the album, and aren't a purist like me (i.e. don't care about CD design, liner notes, tangible evidence of album ownership...) you can pick it up for a mere $3.99 over at Amazon - a steal if you ask me. Not sure how long that sale will last, but go for it if you're so inclined.
Also included will be all of the replies (and my responses) that I got from my friend Ben Avery, who is a big (probably bigger than me) fan of the boys from Dublin. Keep in mind, at the point I was writing these thoughts down, I had only heard two cuts from the album, since Get on Your Boots was released weeks ago, and they played Breathe on Letterman Monday night. So basically, these are initial thoughts that are subject to change on repeat listening.
#U2 - listening to No Line on the Horizon for the first time. Thoughts to follow, track by track, if I can listen in one sitting.
# #u2 - No Line on the Horizon - title track - seems to remind me of Zooropa more than anything else.
# #u2 - it's got a very ethereal feel to it, much like Zooropa. Edge's guitar work is astonishing, as usual. 4/5.
# #u2 - Magnificent - shades of Joshua Tree in there, but it's very Achtung Baby in it's approach. Also has the feel of Yahweh from HTDaAB.
# #u2 - Magnificent may be the first one I'll want to put on repeat and sing along to. Beautiful song, not surprising.
# #u2 - not to mention, it's got the spiritual feel of other heavily Christian influenced U2 – 5/5
# #u2 - Moment of Surrender - Some of Bono's best vocals, IMO - he shows off his register in this song, for sure.
# #u2 - it's got elements of U2's spiritual side, for sure - soulful, when Bono and the Edge start to sing together, it sounds very choiresque.
# #u2 - the music itself is very experimental, something that U2 does astoundingly well. Reminds me a little bit of Miss Sarajevo. 4/5
# #u2 - Unknown Caller - starts off strong, Edge brings the digital delay back in full force, but I found myself getting drowsy.
# #u2 - don't get me wrong, it's still a beautiful tune, but not as "rocking" as I would hope. It'll probably grow on me.
# #u2 - but, as of first listen, I have to give it the weakest grade of all of them so far – 2/5
# #u2 - I'll Go Crazy...I'm not going to put the long title in my Twitter.
# #u2 - I like this one. It's got a nice melody, and a normal hook. Not as experimental.
# #u2 - but, I have to admit, the "gang vocal" thing is getting a little tired after a couple of songs.
# I like when Bono and The Edge harmonize, but I'm not digging the yelling with each other, it's...meh. I still dig the song though - 3/5
# #u2 - Get on Your Boots - I honestly wasn't impressed with this on first listen.
#u2 - but to be honest - I kind of like it now. Reminds me of Jacob's Trouble's LovingKindness, which was on their self titled album.
#u2 - which is cool, because JT's self titled album was their Achtung Baby.
#u2 - So, after originally being unimpressed, I think I'll give Get on Your Boots a 4/5
#u2 - Stand Up Comedy - This has a very sixties vibe to it. Maybe the Beatles, but there's something else that I can't quite place.
#u2 - Yeah - it's the Beatles I think. Sgt. Pepper Beatles, but with a modern groove.
#u2 - also digging The Edge's guitar work, and the effects are perfect.
#u2 - One of the things I appreciate about U2's more experimental music is that the effects are well layered and not overpowering.
#u2 - This is my second favorite song on the album – 5/5
#u2 - FEZ - Being Born - interesting title.
#u2 -it's starting off very bizarre, like a cut off of the Beatles White Album. Let's hope Bono didn't hook up with Yoko Ono or something.
#u2 - Very Miss Sarajevo. All it's missing is Pavarotti, and unless they dug him up or kept a secret recording of him, I doubt he'll show.
#u2 - Maybe could get that blind guy to fill in - Andrea Bocelli?
#u2 - Not a very sing along song, but FEZ is absolutely beautiful. 5/5
#u2 - White as Snow - Has the feel of an old hymn - like Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel. Love the simplicity of the open. Gives me chills.
#u2 - a very dreamy tune. Bone chillingly beautiful. 5/5, yet again.
#u2 - could the "B-Side" of this disc be better than the "A-Side"?
#U2 - Breathe - They did this song last night. I LOVED IT THEN.
#u2 - I love it even more now. Very Beatles-esque.
#u2 - I absolutely love the music to this. The lyrics and vocals take a backseat for me. The Edge is at the top of his game.
#u2 - Brian Eno is an amazing influence on u2 - I've heard there was talk of him being the 5th Member at one point, and I wouldn't mind.
#u2 - Definitely a 5/5. Awesome tune, and I'll probably want to sing along at some point.
#u2 - Cedars of Lebanon - Traditionally the last cut on a u2 album is the dreamiest, most experimental.
#u2 - definitely continuing that tradition. And continuing Bono's crusade for peace in the Middle East.
#u2 - They've never been afraid to politicize their music, and while most celebrity causes grate my nerves, I don't mind when Bono does it.
#u2 - it's probably because I can tell he's legit - he doesn't grab onto political causes because they're "hip" - and that's cool.
#u2 - and I really like Cedars. It's not as good as, say, Yahweh, but good nonetheless – 4/5
#u2 - Final Grade for NLotH? 46/55, or an 84% - which works out to a B. It's not the strongest effort by my favorite band...
#u2 - but it has a lot of strong tunes. The B-Side could have been it's own record - the songs fit together nicely
#u2 but as @whisperingloon says, bad U2 is better than most music, and I'm inclined to agree.
Also included will be all of the replies (and my responses) that I got from my friend Ben Avery, who is a big (probably bigger than me) fan of the boys from Dublin. Keep in mind, at the point I was writing these thoughts down, I had only heard two cuts from the album, since Get on Your Boots was released weeks ago, and they played Breathe on Letterman Monday night. So basically, these are initial thoughts that are subject to change on repeat listening.
#U2 - listening to No Line on the Horizon for the first time. Thoughts to follow, track by track, if I can listen in one sitting.
# #u2 - No Line on the Horizon - title track - seems to remind me of Zooropa more than anything else.
# #u2 - it's got a very ethereal feel to it, much like Zooropa. Edge's guitar work is astonishing, as usual. 4/5.
# #u2 - Magnificent - shades of Joshua Tree in there, but it's very Achtung Baby in it's approach. Also has the feel of Yahweh from HTDaAB.
# #u2 - Magnificent may be the first one I'll want to put on repeat and sing along to. Beautiful song, not surprising.
# #u2 - not to mention, it's got the spiritual feel of other heavily Christian influenced U2 – 5/5
# #u2 - Moment of Surrender - Some of Bono's best vocals, IMO - he shows off his register in this song, for sure.
# #u2 - it's got elements of U2's spiritual side, for sure - soulful, when Bono and the Edge start to sing together, it sounds very choiresque.
# #u2 - the music itself is very experimental, something that U2 does astoundingly well. Reminds me a little bit of Miss Sarajevo. 4/5
# #u2 - Unknown Caller - starts off strong, Edge brings the digital delay back in full force, but I found myself getting drowsy.
# #u2 - don't get me wrong, it's still a beautiful tune, but not as "rocking" as I would hope. It'll probably grow on me.
# #u2 - but, as of first listen, I have to give it the weakest grade of all of them so far – 2/5
# #u2 - I'll Go Crazy...I'm not going to put the long title in my Twitter.
# #u2 - I like this one. It's got a nice melody, and a normal hook. Not as experimental.
# #u2 - but, I have to admit, the "gang vocal" thing is getting a little tired after a couple of songs.
# I like when Bono and The Edge harmonize, but I'm not digging the yelling with each other, it's...meh. I still dig the song though - 3/5
# #u2 - Get on Your Boots - I honestly wasn't impressed with this on first listen.
#u2 - but to be honest - I kind of like it now. Reminds me of Jacob's Trouble's LovingKindness, which was on their self titled album.
#u2 - which is cool, because JT's self titled album was their Achtung Baby.
whisperingloon@jszehr interested to se your thoughts on Cedar and White as Snow
jszehr@whisperingloon I'll get to those soon - they're in a few tracks. :)
#u2 - So, after originally being unimpressed, I think I'll give Get on Your Boots a 4/5
#u2 - Stand Up Comedy - This has a very sixties vibe to it. Maybe the Beatles, but there's something else that I can't quite place.
#u2 - Yeah - it's the Beatles I think. Sgt. Pepper Beatles, but with a modern groove.
whisperingloon@jszehr There's at least three songs that sound feel like they digitally sampled the spirit of the Beatles#u2 - Dare I say it - is Bono rapping a bit on this song? He's not singing the verses - it's got a G-Love rap vibe going for it.
#u2 - also digging The Edge's guitar work, and the effects are perfect.
#u2 - One of the things I appreciate about U2's more experimental music is that the effects are well layered and not overpowering.
#u2 - This is my second favorite song on the album – 5/5
#u2 - FEZ - Being Born - interesting title.
#u2 -it's starting off very bizarre, like a cut off of the Beatles White Album. Let's hope Bono didn't hook up with Yoko Ono or something.
whisperingloon@jszehr i love the beginning of Fez -- and where the album goes from there#u2 - Definitely can sense the Brian Eno influence in this track. Sparse lyrics, music is dense yet simple. Liking Bono's vocals on this.
#u2 - Very Miss Sarajevo. All it's missing is Pavarotti, and unless they dug him up or kept a secret recording of him, I doubt he'll show.
whisperingloon@jszehr Passengers is a favorite of mine -- I compared this to that album last night
jszehr@whisperingloon can you believe I don't own Passengers? I would totally dig it, I'm sure, since Zooropa is my second favorite U2 disc.
#u2 - Maybe could get that blind guy to fill in - Andrea Bocelli?
whisperingloon@jszehr RT #u2 - Maybe could get ... Andrea Bocelli? Have you heard the version of Miss Sara where Bono does the opera?
jszehr@whisperingloon yes - I heard them do it live when I went to see them on the HTDaAB tour in Buffalo. BEAUTIFUL.
#u2 - Not a very sing along song, but FEZ is absolutely beautiful. 5/5
#u2 - White as Snow - Has the feel of an old hymn - like Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel. Love the simplicity of the open. Gives me chills.
#u2 - a very dreamy tune. Bone chillingly beautiful. 5/5, yet again.
#u2 - could the "B-Side" of this disc be better than the "A-Side"?
#U2 - Breathe - They did this song last night. I LOVED IT THEN.
#u2 - I love it even more now. Very Beatles-esque.
#u2 - I absolutely love the music to this. The lyrics and vocals take a backseat for me. The Edge is at the top of his game.
#u2 - Brian Eno is an amazing influence on u2 - I've heard there was talk of him being the 5th Member at one point, and I wouldn't mind.
whisperingloon@jszehr Brian Eno WAS the fifth member
jszehr@whisperingloon Yes - but never "officially". :)
#u2 - Definitely a 5/5. Awesome tune, and I'll probably want to sing along at some point.
#u2 - Cedars of Lebanon - Traditionally the last cut on a u2 album is the dreamiest, most experimental.
#u2 - definitely continuing that tradition. And continuing Bono's crusade for peace in the Middle East.
#u2 - They've never been afraid to politicize their music, and while most celebrity causes grate my nerves, I don't mind when Bono does it.
#u2 - it's probably because I can tell he's legit - he doesn't grab onto political causes because they're "hip" - and that's cool.
#u2 - and I really like Cedars. It's not as good as, say, Yahweh, but good nonetheless – 4/5
whisperingloon@jszehr do you have the deluxe version, w/ the remixes?
jszehr@whisperingloon of NLotH? I got the standard version from Wal*Mart. No Remixes for me.
whisperingloon@jszehr the Get on Your Boot remix is better than the actual song . .
jszehr@whisperingloon Not surprising. I actually kind of dug Get on Your Boots, without the video, which seemed over the top and self indulgent.
#u2 - Final Grade for NLotH? 46/55, or an 84% - which works out to a B. It's not the strongest effort by my favorite band...
#u2 - but it has a lot of strong tunes. The B-Side could have been it's own record - the songs fit together nicely
#u2 but as @whisperingloon says, bad U2 is better than most music, and I'm inclined to agree.
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