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New U2 - No Line In The Horizon - March 2nd - Page 2

post #51 of 112
Thread Starter 
A new song surfaced. No Line in The Horizon. And it's...new. It does sound completely different. And i kinda love it.
post #52 of 112
Where did you hear it, Tati? I haven't heard it on the radio yet.

'Get on Your Boots' is becoming a channel flipper for me. I'm really not liking it.
post #53 of 112
Thread Starter 
Illegal places.
post #54 of 112
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
Illegal places.
Legal places, too. Unfortunately, the link is still blocked for me at work. What does it sound like?
post #55 of 112
Damn it. Same site is blocked at my work too.
post #56 of 112
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Legal places, too. Unfortunately, the link is still blocked for me at work. What does it sound like?
Like Zooropa mixed with Franz Ferdinand.
post #57 of 112
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
Like Zooropa mixed with Franz Ferdinand.
Ha! I pegged it.

http://chud.com/forum/showpost.php?p...2&postcount=31
post #58 of 112
Thread Starter 
It's way better than The first single. That's for sure.
post #59 of 112
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
Like Zooropa mixed with Franz Ferdinand.
That's pretty accurate - Very cool and unique, but with a surprising swagger.

I didn't mind Get On Your Boots, but it was missing that extra something. This song has that.
post #60 of 112
Hipster credibility be damned, I'm genuinely curious about this album now.
post #61 of 112
This is the remix on the b-side. But I like it.

'Q' magazine summarised the album - apparently some of the songs are very evocative of The Joshua tree's epic soundscapes. Which is good.
post #62 of 112
Thread Starter 
Album has leaked. Apparently a store in Australia broke street date.
post #63 of 112
Yeah. Halfway through it.. if it's possible for me to like the sound without thinking much of the songs themselves, that's my impression so far.
post #64 of 112
Thread Starter 
First impressions:

Way way way better than HTDAAB.
The first half of the album is actually really really good. Up to Get on your Boots. I can't believe they picked the worst song for their first single. Then it recuperates at the end with 3 great tracks.

I need to give it a thousand more spins, but overall it the album feels like something in between Zooropa and Pop. Not a bad thing at all.

So far, Magnificent is the standout track for me. But that could change very soon.
post #65 of 112
I love their 90's trilogy and HATE the last two shitty albums they have snored out.
I have almost given up, don't give me hope.
post #66 of 112
Listened to it twice now. It's a keeper. Some thoughts:

- I actually like the B-side version of "No Line..." better than the album cut.

- It's definitely a front loaded album; "Magnificent", while not breaking any new ground, is fucking great, and has a timeless U2 sound. I already feel like I've been listening to it for years, and I say that as a compliment.

- "Unknown Caller" really works for me, yet I can see people finding it annoying. It totally feels like an Eno brainchild, as does "Fez"

- While "Boots" isn't the greatest single, it is a fun song, and I think is perfectly placed in the middle of the album.

- "Crazy Tonight" shoulda been left out. Such a throwaway.

- The album has a strong, albeit melancholy finish. Springsteen fans should appreciate tracks like "White As Snow" & "Cedars of Lebanon".

...I'm loving it overall, which is no surprise. The Pop & Zooropa references are fair. The hardest thing about it for me is envisioning most of these tracks live. Really interested in how they play out.
post #67 of 112
It's more Arcade Fire than Franz Ferdinand. Which to me is a good thing.

After a cursory listen, I think U2 have pulled off an impressive balancing act. On the surface, some of the songs seem to be amalgams of their earlier material -- 'Moment of Surrender,' for example, appears to mix the rhythm of 'So Cruel' and the vocals of 'In a Little While,' whereas 'Magnificent' and 'Unknown Caller' sound like they was cobbled together from leftover sessions from the Unforgettable Fire era. And just when you think you've got a song pegged, it takes an unexpected turn -- a vocal flourish, or an unexpected bassline -- that makes it seem fresh. It sounds familiar and brand new at the same time, and it really makes the album difficult to pin down with respect to as which "era" they're mining.

There's some great songs on there, as well as some ho-hum stuff. Ironically enough, it's when U2 try the traditional rock ('Get on your boots', 'Stand-up Comedian') that they sound the weakest. But there's nothing absolutely atrocious at the level of 'Miami' or 'New York' here. I didn't bother with the last album, but I'm going to buy this when it officially comes out.

If I were to compare it to their earlier material, I guess I would say this is the album that Pop SHOULD have been.

EDIT: And for what it's worth, "Moment of Surrender" >> "Magnificent"
post #68 of 112
Thread Starter 
YEah, listened a few more times. It's definitively GREAT.

Most of the tracks have so much depth that i'm finding out new things to love in each listen. It's very layered and balanced. I kinda love it.

Moment of Surrender for example starts good, then gets great and when the first Guitar solo hits, you are transported to mid nineties U2 and the track becomes AMAZING. And i can already see the last chorus becoming a great live moment.
post #69 of 112
Again - as someone who thinks U2 did their best work between ZOO STATION and THE GROUND BENEATH HER FEET, I can't wait to hear it.

Although I can't imagine ever really liking Get on Your Boots.
I keep waiting for that song to interest me, and it never happens.
Like Vertigo or Elevation or some of those other rock throwaway tracks they insist on writing.
post #70 of 112
Where'd you guys find the album?
post #71 of 112
Thread Starter 
I'd guess torrents.
I'll definitively buy it when it comes out. I have all the other ones, no reason to skip this one. Specially when it's great.

Stand Up Comedy and Get on Your Boots are the 2 "elevation/vertigo" tracks of the album, i don't like that type of song. But between the 2, Stand Up is much better than Boots.

And yes, the Album cut of No Line In The Horizon feels less Franz Ferdinand and more Zooropa.
post #72 of 112
So the 'Joshua Tree' comparisons are wrong? Moment of surrender sounds like it could be from that era.
post #73 of 112
There's definitely 'Joshua Tree' elements in there. But you've never heard bass and drums like this during their '80s era.
post #74 of 112
Sadly, Moment of Surrender (and some of the other slower, straight-forward gospel-tinged moments) have more in common with something like "Stuck in a Moment That You Can't Get Out Of" rather than having genuine texture and character like The Joshua Tree.

Still, Magnificent is really, really great.
If that was the only song on the record I'd still buy it.
post #75 of 112
Thread Starter 
The biggest winner with this album is Bono. His voice is back at his mid 90's level.
Really, it's amazing. It's like the last 2 albums never happened.
(and i kinda love All that You can't leave behind)
post #76 of 112
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
The biggest winner with this album is Bono. His voice is back at his mid 90's level.
Really, it's amazing. It's like the last 2 albums never happened.
(and i kinda love All that You can't leave behind)
Yes, it's true.

He's not mumbling as much, or going to annoying/flat/wrongheaded notes as much on this record. His voice will never be what it was from 87 - 92 again, but at least he seems as though he's trying harder to live up to his own standards.

Plus there are no vocal melodies as downright clunky as New York or Walk On here. The songs have more of the effortless quality that comes from great Rock/Pop songwriting.

I'm really pleased.
Too bad every song isn't Magnificent or Fez.
post #77 of 112
Rolling Stone gave the album 5 stars in their latest issue. Achtung Baby didn't even garner that kinda praise in '91 (4.5 stars). Though U2, like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan and The Stones, are practically critic-proof when it comes to Rolling Stone's reviews.

The album sounds like the stepping stone between The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. I'm seeing many comparisons to Zooropa, but I'm not hearing them.

After two listens, honestly, I'm not that impressed. The album's front-loaded with the first 3-4 tracks, drifts into murky ambience and misguidance midway, then doesn't pick up its legs until 'White As Snow'. Don't care for the closing track, 'Cedars of Lebanon', either.

Hopefully this is one of U2's growers. But I can't ever imagine putting this in the same league as Achtung Baby, The Joshua Tree, War, The Unforgettable Fire, or Boy.

Lyrically, Achtung Baby obliterates No Line On The Horizon. Musically, too.

I LOVE 'Moment of Surrender'. It's over 7 minutes long, but feels like only 3.
post #78 of 112
Thread Starter 
Definitively front loaded. The first 3 tracks are the best. But the rest are growing a lot in me.
post #79 of 112
I'm not surprised by Rolling Stone's 5/5, although that's useless nowadays. I also won't be surprised when Spin and Pitchfork poo-poo it. By now, a U2 album review isn't about the music as much as it is about the reviewer's general attitude towards the band.

The album is a grower, but nothing comes close to the heights of the first three tracks. Then again, those three tracks are some of the best music the band has released since the early 90s.
post #80 of 112
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Abed View Post
I LOVE 'Moment of Surrender'. It's over 7 minutes long, but feels like only 3.

I would say that I am starting to hate this song.
It's 7 minutes long but it feels like 13.

There's 2 endless melodies, no bridge and the song almost goes nowhere.
It shouldn't be that long.
post #81 of 112
Thread Starter 
No, it's great. You are way off base there.
Horizon, Magnificent and Surrender are all fantastic.

I'm really loving Unknown Caller, Fez Being Born and White Snow too!
post #82 of 112
http://spin.com/reviews/u2-no-line-horizon-interscope

Spin gave the album 3 and 1/2 stars. If you get the album on itunes you get an extra song and a video. My fiance bought me the limited edition box set for my birthday.

Really looking forward to this tour and digging the new album
post #83 of 112
Love.
post #84 of 112
Thread Starter 
Second MVP of the album are the backup choruses. Almost every song has a background or even a main chorus with an OOOOHHHH, AAAAHHHH AAAAH AAHHHHH, or shit like that. U2 is know for them and they make them work.
And in these songs they work in spades!
post #85 of 112
This is quickly growing on me like a leech.

My two favorite tracks are now 'White As Snow' and 'Breathe'. 'White As Snow' is Achtung Baby-quality--porcelain melody painted with haunting, somber lyrics. 'Breathe' would fit comfortably on The Joshua Tree, the difference being its modern sheen and blue-eyed approach. It's rockin' and combustible without resorting to the calculated arena bombast that's become common since All That You Can't Leave Behind. This is the trademark U2 I conceive in my head when I want a satisfying U2 song, and they deliver on their promise.

Song I can't believe made the album: 'Stand Up Comedy'. It just doesn't fit and sounds so ever slight. It screams B-side.
post #86 of 112
Thread Starter 
It does, but i like it nonetheless. It has a completely different sound than the rest of the album (except maybe Boots), but i kinda like the crazy feel and the riff.
post #87 of 112
More thoughts: this is a great U2 album after allowing it to digest. Melodically, it's a masterpiece. Even when the lyrics and song structure falter, the melodies and sonic flourishes manage to keep things afloat.

If you like U2, give it a chance. It'll likely win you over eventually, eventually being sooner than you'd probably expect or imagine.
post #88 of 112
Yeah, this is much more an album than a random collection of singles. Even the mediocre tracks work within the context of the album as a whole.

Also, this HAS to be listened to on headphones.
post #89 of 112
Amazon has the entire album available for download for only $3.99.
post #90 of 112
Great album. Anyone else think the intro and riff in 'Unknown Caller' sounds a LOT like 'I still haven't found' and also 'One tree Hill' ??
post #91 of 112
Thread Starter 
The Crisis in full motion?

And get it, it's worth it.
post #92 of 112
Oh, I grabbed it. Even if I don't like it, it's only four bucks down the drain.
post #93 of 112
I'll probably buy this (along with the new Springsteen) by the end of the week.
post #94 of 112
Quote:
Originally Posted by pervis42 View Post
But there's nothing absolutely atrocious at the level of 'Miami' or 'New York' here.

If I were to compare it to their earlier material, I guess I would say this is the album that Pop SHOULD have been.
Now if you had layed blame on "The Plauboy Mansion" as being a terrible song, I would have agreed. Personally, I think "Miami" is pretty fantastic. I'd say that "Last Night on Earth" and "Staring at the Sun" both suffer from being too similar to other (better) U2 songs, but the album as a whole is really solid. The antithesis of "All That You Can't Leave Behind" which was only a few good singles and alot of "meh" Without a doubt that album suffered from Bono spending too much time writing turgid screenplays and saving the world than writing lyrics and melodies.
post #95 of 112
Thread Starter 
Thanks to my buddy Josh for reminding me.

U2 announced that they had so much material to pick from the sessions that a new album will hit maybe within the year. Kinda like Load and Re Load.

The story broke at the BBC special last weekend and it's also mentioned in the latest Rolling Stone

Quote:
True to form, Bono already has a plan for the first single from the band’s next album. RS uncovered details of that project, described as “a sister release to No Line on the Horizon, a Zooropa to its Achtung Baby,” which could arrive within the year.

Bono already knows the title — Songs of Ascent — and the first single, a surging anthem called “Every Breaking Wave” that was left off No Line at the last minute. Songs of Ascent will be quieter than No Line; in many ways, it’s that ghost album of hymns and Sufi singing. “We’re making a kind of heartbreaker, a meditative, reflective piece of work, but not indulgent,” Bono says. “It will all have a clear mood, like Kind of Blue. Or A Love Supreme would be a point of reference, for the space it occupies in people’s lives, which is to say, with that album, I almost take my shoes off to listen to it.”
post #96 of 112
Bought it Tuesday and am still listening to it. I'm in love with "Magnificent" right now.
post #97 of 112
Thread Starter 
The week on Letterman was terrific, the new songs sound great live and the interviews and top 10 were funny.

The tour was announced, U2 360. It will be all stadium shows and the band will perform in the center of it, completely surrounded by the audience and using some new Spherical LCD screens. I can't wait!

I am officially completely in love with the album, sake for a Boots , i love every track.
post #98 of 112
I've decided that I love the start and the end of the record.

I think Crazy/Boots/Stand Up are absolutely HORRIBLE.
Almost worse than the shit on the last record.

The end is good enough to redeem it,
specifically White as Snow.
post #99 of 112
I've fallen in love with U2 again because of the new album. I have no qualms in calling it a solid album that lives up to their reputation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew C View Post
I've decided that I love the start and the end of the record.

I think Crazy/Boots/Stand Up are absolutely HORRIBLE.
Almost worse than the shit on the last record.
'I'll Go Crazy' has grown on me a ton. It's so infectious and gives off this joyful energy. If U2 are gonna go the poppy, sunny-side route, this is how it should be done (not trite, passionless stuff like 'Stuck in a Moment').


Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew C
The end is good enough to redeem it,
specifically White as Snow.
'White as Snow' is quickly heading into my top 10 U2 songs of all-time list. If their companion album to this one is supposedly quieter, I hope the material is similar to this tune.
post #100 of 112
Moment of surrender is the best song. Just perfect.

And I'm glad they're releasing another one soon. 11 songs isn't enough for one album.
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