No Line on the Horizon--The Official Review

At last, after a week of pure hell in terms of work, we have come to this, the ultimate guide to No Line on the Horizon, the latest U2 album that has reached #1 status in 30 countries. It topped the Billboard Charts here in America, selling nearly half a million copies in its first week. This marks the seventh time a U2 album has reached #1, tying them with Led Zeppelin for third most ever. (they are still behind The Rolling Stones [9] and The Beatles [19]).

Now a few things of note before we get into this. For one thing, this is going to be very in-depth as this means a lot to me, so I hope you at least read it all and amuse me. Secondly, it would be very, very helpful and make more sense if you're listening to the album/song as I write about it. I'll be referencing particular lyrics, instruments, and even more minor nuances that affect the overall song that are nonetheless important. So if you don't have a copy of the album, go and buy it! You won't be disappointed. Alright, here we go...

This album MUST be listened to more than one time. I'm telling you. You won't like it on your first complete listen, or probably your second, and maybe even the third. But, please give it 4-5 listens and the songs will begin to show themselves as emotionally deep, different, complex, and powerful. It's not nearly as accessible as their previous two works, which gave us such comfortable, radio-friendly songs like "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day." This was done intentionally. Bono's said recently that music isn't like movies, which you see one or two times. Music gets under your skin and it's something that you (hopefully) listen to your entire life. At least that's how music used to be. With this album, they tried to really make a complete record, meaning an idea from start to finish. The result is such a great success that it is something that they haven't been able to fully do since The Joshua Tree in 1987. I'm not saying that this is the best album since then, but their most complete in terms of imagery. In other words, when you listen to the album from start to finish, there is a clear picture in your head of what the band wanted to get across. For me personally, the recording sessions they had in Fez, Morocco really shine through, and I'll try to point out those Middle Eastern/African influences as I go song-by-song.

1. No Line on the Horizon

The album opener is my favorite (at the moment). You immediately hear the freshness and energy in both the music and Bono's voice. Speaking of which, he's really reaching into the stratosphere, almost yelling, but completely in control. His voice hasn't been this strong since 1993, which is a pretty big accomplishment for a near-49-year-old. The rush of Bono's voice and the funky guitar riff is reminiscent of "Zooropa" (the song) from '93. Towards the end of the song, it really just explodes:

I'm a traffic cop,

Rue du Marais

My siren's wailing,

But it's me that wants to get away

It's very similar to the latter half of "Zooropa" after it sort of slows down and then...BANG, everything explodes from the instruments to the ambience to Bono's voice:

And I have no compass

And I have no map

And I have no reasons for reasons to get back

Anyway, this is a great opener that really lays out how the rest of the album will unfold. It's the type of song you'll want to blast through the stereo with the windows down. Well done, boys.

Best lyric:

I know a girl with a hole in her heart

She said infinity's a great place to start

Time is irrelevant, it's not linear

Then she put her tongue in my ear :)

2. Magnificent

The drone that begins this song is similar to the darkness that was portrayed on their 1991 album, Achtung Baby. However, it quickly turns into a much more positive effort, with Edge's classic ringing guitar notes echoing throughout the song. To me, this sounds like a mix of "Discotheque" and maybe "Zoo Station" and "Mysterious Ways." It's got a synth-like dance beat in the buildup at the beginning and may become the biggest hit from the album. It's going to be the next single and is actually already #73 in the Billboard Hot 100 (anyone know how this is possible? Isn't the Hot 100 based on physical sales??) Whatever, I'll take it. The chorus, after a couple listens, may certainly become a classic U2 hook:

Only love,

Only love can leave such a mark

But only love,

Only love can heal such a scar

Justified till we die

You and I will magnify

The magnificent

Bono shows off his falsetto which HE STILL HAS right before Edge's solo. It seemed for a while that he'd lost it from about 1997-now (partially due to a small operation he had on his throat and his smoking habit, which I believe he's quit). The following is a great guitar solo from the Edge that isn't too over the top and actually quite subtle with the slide guitar. It's really nice and adds a further dimension to the song. 

Best lyric is the chorus...because it's true!

3. Moment of Surrender

This is what I'd describe as a gospel song and may well have fit on the band's foray into American music (1988's Rattle and Hum). It's a slow burner, at least for me, but proves to be a beautifully constructed number. Once again, Bono's showing off his pipes, really reaching high up in register in each of the verses. The song slowly starts to build with an organ, indicating the song's solemnity--it happens to be about a drug dealer who sacrifices everything, including his family for his addiction, ultimately leading to desolation:

Playing with the fire 

Until the fire played with me

This man goes so far that he gets to the point where he can't even recognize himself:

I was punching in the numbers

At the ATM machine

I could see in the reflection

A face staring back at me

I'm not too sure, but I think he redeems himself, as Bono sings the chorus:

At the moment of surrender

I folded to my knees

I did not notice the passers-by

And they did not notice me

In the sense that the guy is realizing his faults and surrendering to them. It is really a nice, moving song that's sort of an anti-ballad, in that the subject matter certainly isn't "romantic," but the music in the background indicates a softer emotion. And emotion is a key word for this song, it being the album's most emotional for me. Surprisingly this song was done in ONE TAKE in Fez. Bono said that he has no idea how he was able to sing this high and attributes it to really getting into the character about which he wrote. You'll note the chorus is truly a chorus of people. This, I think, is where the Moroccan influence partially rears its head, although this can be discerned more easily in the next song...

Best lyric:

We set ourselves on fire

Oh, God, do not deny her

It's not if I believe in love,

But if love believes in me...

Oh, believe in me

4. Unknown Caller

This song is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. The band recorded in an open courtyard in a riad they rented in Fez. At the beginning, you can hear birds chirping, which were not added later, but were completely natural sounds of the surrounding atmosphere. The horn-like sound is also reminiscent of Middle Eastern music, in my opinion. In comes Edge's guitar, which provides a really great melodic opening, perfectly reflecting the "Sunshine...sunshine" he sings soon after. You can almost imagine the sun rising/shining over the city of Fez. 

The song is different than what we're used to, especially the chorus, which doesn't repeat the words, but maintains the same melodic structure throughout. Again, the voices almost chanting the chorus emits the Moroccan themes they explored:

Go, shout it out

Rise up

Escape yourself 

And gravity

Once again showing their dimension, U2 employs some French horns before another great guitar solo by the Edge that invokes a Pink Floyd-esque tone. In U2's work, it reminds me of the end of "Love is Blindness" from Achtung Baby.

5. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight

This is the most radio-friendly song of the bunch, which is certainly not a bad thing. In fact, it's one of my favorites. It's familiar, yet new and fresh with a really great hook and chorus (Steve really likes this one!)

It's not a hill, it's a mountain

As you start out the climb

Do you believe me or are you doubting?

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

And then comes MY favorite part, again the "Achtung Baby" part, if you will:

Baby, baby, baby

I know I'm not alone

Baby, baby, baby

I know I'm not alone

Simple, but it's similar to the refrain of a great U2 song that's unfortunately overlooked, "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)."

Best lyric:

Listen for me, I'll be shouting

Shouting to the darkness

Squeeze out sparks of light

You know we're gonna go crazy

You know we'll go crazy

You know we'll go crazy if we don't go crazy tonight

6. Get on Your Boots

Better in the context of the album as a whole, although it's reached it's peak of likeability for me. Now that I've listened to the whole album multiple times, they should've gone with another song for the first single, but that's neither here nor there. There is still a lot of good on this song, although it might be sonically weird to listen to (especially Bono singing "sexy boots" over and over). Definitely not the strongest song on the album, but not the worst (for me) either. There's a "When the Levee Breaks" drumbeat going on, which is great and the guitar riff is top notch. Unfortunately, the lyrics take probably too long for the casual fan to get into. Either way, once they polish it up for the tour, it should pretty damn good--a nice little adrenaline burst.

7. Stand Up Comedy

The weakest on the album. U2 tried to make a contemporary funk/pop song with the help of Black Eyed Peas (front?)man Will.i.am. Don't ask me why. 

It's too bad, too, because the Edge really comes at us with a hardcore guitar sound throughout the song. It's much like "New York" from 2000s All That You Can't Leave Behind, which was amazing instrumentally, but suffered from shoddy lyrics. I'm not sure that was the case here, as the lyrics seem to be solid:

The DNA lotto may have left you smart

But can you stand up to beauty

Dictator of the heart?

I can stand up for hope, faith, love

But while I'm still getting over certainty

Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady

...but it's just too different (in the bad way). Although Bono has a little poke at himself and his small stature, which I smirk at everytime I hear it:

Stand up to rock stars

Napoleon is in high heels

Josephine, be careful

Of small men with big ideas

It's nice to know that with all the serious stuff Bono deals with, he knows that there's criticism out there and he can take a piss at himself along with the best of them.

8. FEZ-Being Born

Possibly the most challenging and abstract piece the band has ever recorded. It's arguable because they produced some pretty crazy tunes back in the mid-1990s, especially with the whole Passengers project..."Lemon" was pretty strange too, with Bono singing every verse in high falsetto. But I digress.

Despite it's complexity and overall strangeness, this song has really grown on me. If anything, you need to respect and give credit for them experimenting this way. It takes some balls, that's for sure. 

The first part (the "FEZ" section) begins with many sounds from all over the place. I think I've got the idea behind it down. I think that the band wanted you to really feel as though you were in Morocco at the time they were recording. You can hear people talking in a marketplace, perhaps, a helicopter flying overhead, and the familiar "Let me in the sound, let me in the sound..." lyric from "Get on Your Boots" panning from left to right and right to left, as if the band's recording sessions in that open courtyard are drifting across the city to your ears.

The second part ("Being Born") begins almost as though someone is tuning a radio--sudden static to clarity. Again, the music is really prominent. Edge uses his echoing guitar notes to complement Bono's almost scat singing. Larry's drumming sets a martial beat to the song. This song, out of all, paints the most clear picture of the area in which they drew their inspiration:

Six o'clock

On the autoroute

Burning rubber, burning chrome

Bay of Cadiz and ferry home

Atlantic Sea...cut glass

African sun...at last

As in the title track, there is a sort of climax as Bono shouts "oh, oh!" and the ambient background noise (it's not really a discernible instrument) increases.

In the second chorus, we again hear the multitude of voices, chanting along with the African rhythms. Bono expresses the idea of being born again:

A speeding head, a speeding heart

I'm being born, a bleeding start

The engines roar, blood-curdling wail

Head first, then foot

Then heart set sail

Again, there is no real melodic hook within the chorus, which is very anti-song, as we have come to know it. Maybe it's just me, but listening to this song many times, you can make more and more out of it because of its depth and complexity. Really well done, I think.

9. White as Snow

Easily the most somber song on the album, evidenced by the lone piano notes at the beginning and the "Wake Up Dead Man"-esque guitar picking during the verses. It seems like this is the most "Irish" U2 has gotten perhaps since 1981's song "Tomorrow" off of October, which featured traditional Irish instruments. This, however, is more of a country/folk element to it. Now, I'm the first to say that I HATE country, but this isn't American country music--it's wholly Irish, and I can't exactly pinpoint why that is, it's just got that feeling to it.

The actual content of the song is a soldier's final lament as he lays dying. He reminisces of his past life, how he went hunting with his brother when they were boys, etc:

My brother and I would drive for hours

Like we had years, instead of days

Our faces as pale as the dirty snow

...

As boys we would go hunting in the woods

To sleep the night shooting out the stars

...

If only a heart could beat as white as snow

 This, too, could fit nicely into Rattle and Hum or maybe even The Joshua Tree, as it has similar elements that "Mothers of the Disappeared" also had. Overall, really a devastating song and perhaps the most poetic lyrics Bono has ever written. The guy puts a helluva lot of emotion into whatever he sings and knowing that for almost all of these songs he's writing in the third person (i.e. never experienced directly what he's writing about), he sure can evoke a lot of emotion in the listener through his passion.

10. Breathe

Love the placement of this on the record...it kind of smooths out the roughness of the previous tune. Another new instrument for the band as a cello plays a staccato couple of notes rapidly and then BAM! Here comes the Edge :) Bono employs quickfire lyrics that perfectly goes along with the beat of the song and has you rocking your head and tapping your feet. I'm loving the traditional melodic hook and chorus with the Edge singing a prominent background vocal and harmony (he's got a great and unique trill in his voice).

My favorite lyric?

Nine-oh-nine St. John Divine

On the line, my pulse is fine

But I'm running down the road

Like loose electricity

While the band in my head plays a striptease

The

Roar

That

Lies

On the other side of silence

The 

Forest

Fire

That is fear so deny it...

Hopefully if you don't have the album, the way I structured those lines might help you to visualize how it might be sung. I have a feeling this will be a great hit as well. The last verse is really great as Bono sings:

We are people born of sound

The songs are in our eyes

Gonna wear them like a crown

Walk out into a sunburnt street

Sing your heart out, sing my heart out

I found grace inside a sound

I found grace, that's all I found

And now I can breathe

Bono has always expressed his "amazement" about the song "Amazing Grace" and that grace is a sound. Kinda cool/interesting when you think about it. Fun fact: when asked once if U2 were playing their last concert, what song they'd close with, Bono answered "Amazing Grace." Probably kidding, but shows how he's intrigued by that particular lyric.

11. Cedars of Lebanon

Wow, after that rush of energy comes this slow really pessimistic and negative closer. They usually close on a positive note, penning songs about God directly (1983's "40", which was taken right from Psalm 40 of the Bible, up to 2004's "Yahweh"). Here, however, is something rather sinister, similar to the closer of Achtung Baby, "Love is Blindness," a song about a messy divorce. 

"Cedars of Lebanon" is written by Bono in the third person about a war correspondent who seems to have become so accustomed to his life following the brutalities of war that he can find himself to go back home, despite the pleas from a "voice" telling him to "Return the call to home." In fact, he's beginning to forget about his past and his family:

I have your face here in an old Polaroid

Tidying the children's clothes and toys

You're smiling back at me

I took the photo from the fridge

Can't remember what then we did

...

I'm here 'cause I don't want to go home

Bono's voice here isn't so much singing as it is reciting, which isn't a bad thing. It adds to the overall effect of the song. He sounds tired, raspy, worn out. Bono even expresses his disillusionment, both with the war and its increasing normality and with the seemingly absent God:

Child drinking dirty water from a riverbank

Soldier brings oranges he got out from a tank

...

You're so high above me,

Higher than everyone

Where are you in the cedars of Lebanon?

Effing powerful statement right there, probably expressing the thoughts of those people who are affected by horrors of war/condition that despite being religious, they question God's participation or lack thereof.

For me, though, the most powerful statement is the final lines--the last of the album:

Choose your enemies carefully 

'Cause they will define you

Make them interesting 'cause in some ways they will mind you

They're not there at beginning,

But when your story ends

Gonna last with you longer than your friends.

I mean, wow. Ending the album on that note? Intense. But it does hold a great element of truth. Grudges can certainly outlast friendships. People change and grow apart, but those who you are enemies with have the capability of lasting a lifetime. And in them, they can reveal who you truly are--they can define what you do and make you act in a certain way. Phew.

And so we come to the end. Overall, the influences both in the location in which they recorded the album as well as their revisiting familiar sounds from their more experimental efforts ("Time is irrelevant, it's not linear) yield extremely positive results. Once again, it's very complex and has a LOT going on, so it's important to let this one grow for you. It was not made to be an instant classic with sweeping, grandiose melodies, but rather turning that idea almost on its head. For that, you should applaud their effort and respect their reinvention. Although not as dramatic a turnaround as was The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby, it is certainly enough to warrant that a "new" U2 has come. I myself liken the reinvention to the one the took from War to The Unforgettable Fire--both have similar elements present (i.e. discernible guitar/bass/drums/melodies), but the latter focused more in ambient music and more open-ended ideas. Here we see a move from straightforward rock and roll without glitz and glam (Behind to Bomb) to the "anti-song" structure, African rhythms and sounds, and the physical use of surrounding recording space to achieve something different (although there are still "radio-friendly" songs on there).

Is this their best album? No, not at all. Is it one of their best? Yes. Time will tell whether it could be their best, but in my estimation, I don't think it will be. Of course, when Achtung Baby came out, people were PISSED because they didn't understand why U2 would mess with a good thing. Now that is considered by many to be their best work. I personally find The Joshua Tree to be better, but not by much. What it comes down to for me is the imagery that is conjured up in my head when I listen to it that perfectly coincides with what the band was feeling and wanted to express, which I'm sure is a very, very difficult thing to achieve. Achtung Baby may have more developed ideas and songs, but lacks the cohesiveness of the former.

No Line on the Horizon for me is their 3rd best, supplanting Behind, which had a weak second half. This one is strong from start to finish and each song is peppered with hints of old, present, and future sounds. A great, great, great collection of music that certainly has gotten under my skin. I hope this review will help it get under yours.

A change of heart comes slow

Oh One More Thing

More high praise for U2's new album that comes out in just FIVE DAYS!!!

U2's tenacity and artistic daring pay off in Horizon's towering splendor, says Blender editor Joe Levy.

"It combines two moments: the epic grandeur of The Joshua Tree and the experimental audio research of Achtung Baby and Zooropa," he says. "They're at a point where they can be the biggest band in the world and still be edgy, with a capital 'E' in this case. They haven't come out swinging this hard and reaching this high since Joshua. On the surface, it's classic U2. Put on the headphones, and you hear an album every bit as sonically ambitious as Achtung Baby."

Ahhhhhh can't wait!!

Misc. Stuff

Stupid game last night. Totally not worth staying up till 1:30. The Jazz should not get a W for that one. We definitely just lost it. Had KG played the whole game, I'm 100% sure it would've been a win. We had free throw issues throughout. Speaking of which, Ray Allen has a nice 67 consecutive free throws made streak going. I believe the record is 97, but I'm not too sure and I'm too lazy to go look it up. Either way, that was a sucky loss, even though we got Scal back. Refs called about 150 fouls on us (Dick Bavetta had a rare bad game). Word on KG is that he came back to Boston today to get an MRI. Luckily, we don't play again until Sunday and KG was shown to have put weight on it and was actually participating in halftime warmups before deciding it'd be best to sit the rest of the game out. We'll see what happens with that. I wouldn't be surprised if Doc and the team doctors have him sit out for 5-8 games or so just in case. Hopefully it's nothing more than a cramp/strain...

Anyway, onto other things.

Rolling Stone gives U2's new album 5 out of 5 stars:

"U2's first album in nearly five years and their best, in its textural exploration and tenacious melodic grip, since Achtung Baby."

That means it's their best album in 18 years. Only 9 more days, folks...

U2's New Album Continues to Get Rave Reviews

Just thought I'd share this short article printed in the Sunday Mail newspaper in the UK, claiming No Line on the Horizon will become a U2 classic up there with The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and All That You Can't Leave Behind. Celtics basketball.

U2 Set To Release Twelfth Studio Album - And We Have The Lowdown

Feb 1 2009 Edited By Billy Sloan And Mickey Mcmonagle

U2 finally unveiled their new album No Line On The Horizon behind closed doors and under the strictest security.
But first again with the big music exclusives... Email were there to hear it.
We were invited by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr to get a sneak preview of their eagerly awaited 12th studio album - not released until March 2.
And it's a cracker, up there with U2 classics such as Achtung Baby, The Joshua Tree and All That You Can't Leave Behind.
The Irish supergroup took the wraps off No Line On The Horizon in the chic Saatchi art gallery at the famous Chelsea Barracks in London.
It features hot new single Get On Your Boots, which is being played to death by radio stations across the UK.
Before hearing the killer tracks, the select guests had to give up all belongings - including mobile phones and any recording devices. They were only returned when the playthrough was over.
But it was worth it to get the first listen to amazing songs such as Magnificent, Moment Of Surrender and Cedars Of Lebanon.
On first hearing, it sounds like U2's most complete album - to be listened to from first track to last. It's also full of brilliant lyrics and Bono's vocals have never sounded stronger.
Here is my pick of the key cuts on No Line On The Horizon.

NO LINE ON THE HORIZON
This opens with a loud sonic drone before Bono sings: "I knew a girl who's like the sea/I watch her changing every day for me."
Then Larry's drums kick in and the song lifts off. It could be their best live stadium opener since Zoo Station.

MAGNIFICENT
A future single choice which more than lives up to its bold title. The Edge's driving guitar gives the song a New Year's Day-style mood.
Bono is in great form when he sings: "I was born to sing for you/I didn't have a choice but to lift you up."
He's dead right because, just two numbers in, the album already has a classic feel.

MOMENT OF SURRENDER
Bono reckons this is one of the best songs U2 have written - and with their back catalogue, that's saying something.
It opens with a guitar sound reminiscent of Where The Streets Have No Name and features a great Edge solo.
In one of his most personal lyrics, Bono says: "I've been in every black hole/At the altar of the dark star/My body's now a begging bowl/That's begging to get back."
Astunning song Springsteen or Dylan would be proud of.

UNKNOWN CALLER
An epic with double-tracked vocals, wailing Edge guitar and pounding Adam bass.
It's a musical feast with so much going on it's initially tough to take it all in. In the chant-style chorus Bono sings: "Hear me/Cease to speak/That I may speak/Shush now."
If nothing else, that's got to be another first for U2 - a pop song with "Shush" in the lyric.

I'LL GO CRAZY IF I DON'T GO CRAZY TONIGHT
Thumping drums, pulsing bass and piano get this potential single off the launch pad.
Musically, it has all the trademarks of a U2 classic with another soaring Bono vocal and great "woo-oo" hook on the chorus.

STAND UP COMEDY
This proves the group are huge Led Zeppelin fans because Edge's guitar riff has a real Jimmy Page feel.
In terms of being musically adventurous, it's not for the faint-hearted and definitely up there with Exit from The Joshua Tree in 1987.

CEDARS OF LEBANON
Bono almost speaks his vocal over a more hymnal, hypnotic backing which leads to a beautiful, almost choral, hook.
Some atmospheric Edge guitar creeps in and builds the mood. This song is so good you don't want it to end.
A fitting finale to a classic U2 album.

Get on Your Boots

Well, my four and a half year wait ended yesterday when I, and the rest of the U2 community, were graced with the presence of their first single off of No Line on the Horizon, which is due out in early March. "Get on Your Boots" is, I'll admit, a strange title. But, it's better than what was going through the rumor mill a few weeks ago, which was "Sexy Boots." Anyway, this new U2 release is the thing I've most looked forward to in a long while. Friends of the band got the chance to listen to the album already and their reviews are all positive, from what I've read. Most will agree that a departure was necessary after the straight up and stripped down rock and roll of 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind (to me, their third masterpiece, after The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby) and 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I caution you, I'm probably gonna get really into this one, so bear with me. Now, these two albums were good and all on their own: HTDAAB won the coveted Album of the Year Grammy in 2005, as well as 7 awards and had the second-highest grossing tour of all-time (behind the Rolling Stones). ATYCLB brought U2 back into the mainstream, away from the experimental trifecta of albums in the 1990s which undoubtedly galvanized U2's fanbase. 

Despite all of the success, and in special reference to Bomb, the songs were good on their own, but the album did not live up to them, unfortunately. It lacked the expansiveness and story-telling quality of The Joshua Tree and the complexities and darkness of Achtung Baby. In a way, the songs simply grew stale after an almost 2-year tour that saw U2 perform in every continent, save two. Here, another parallel is seen in the change from The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby. At that particular point in time (1989-1990), the band decided a complete 180 must be taken or else they'd disband. And, sparing you the details, they nearly did during the recording sessions. Now, U2 realized the same risks needed to be taken and "Get on Your Boots" gives us a hint that they were successful. 

Now that I've given you a lengthy, although not nearly complete, history of U2's transformations (if you actually want to know more, let me know...), here's a link to their new single so you can listen as I review it:

First things first, you need to turn it up loud. Larry's drumming in this song is great. It's reserved when it needs to be and it explodes more than you think it can. It's a mix between the martial drumming from the War era of 1983 and the rhythms of the 1990s. Bono's voice is clearly better than last time around--probably his best since 1993. The quick-fire lyrics are reminiscent of many songs ("We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel and "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Dylan immediately come to mind). The one thing you can easily see is that this song is FUN. It's danceable, easy to tap your foot to, and will be killer live (into that in a sec...). Their work for a time in Morocco is heard on this song--the "you don't know how beautiful" sections are very exotic as is the entire rhythm section. The Edge even manages to sneak in a small bit from what seems like their VERY early days (I'm talking pre-albums...1978-79) with those high, icy notes.

 "I don't wanna talk about wars between nations" sums it up pretty well. Separating the music from his other job as humanitarian is JUST what the record needed. It's simply a funky, electronic rocker. The "let me in the sound, let me in the sound!" section followed by that brief guitar riff by Edge will blow the roof off of arenas when they tour (that riff will be extended, as it should be). This is another key thing to keep in mind while listening: U2's intention when writing songs was and is to visualize it in a live context. This song may come across as strange to some people (it did to me on my first 2 listens), but trust me, it's a grower. U2's classic songs were never "instant" classics ("With or Without You" in 1987 was a crazy-strange sounding song considering the context of music it was played with on the radio, i.e. horrible 80s music. And "The Fly," which was the first thing fans heard from the "new U2" was met with derision).

Are there better songs on the album? Sure. Many are saying that this isn't the extent of the experimentalism that we'll see. If you're really interested, to me it's a mix of U2 songs "Discotheque," "The Fly," "Fast Cars," "Vertigo," and "Lady with the Spinning Head." Go check some of those out on YouTube and see for yourself. 

Oh and one last thing if you're not convinced that it's sounding different than their past 2 works. The song really has no typical song structure. Which part is the chorus? The "let me in the sound" part? The "you don't know..." part? The answer is really neither...or both. And that, I think, is the point. It's stripping away conventionality and replacing it with a fast-paced, in your face, multi-layered barrage, which, after it grows on you for a little, is an incredibly smart thing for U2 to do. Read my lips: this will bring the house down live.