Archive for March, 2009
No Line – what the blogosphere says
Posted by Astroboy in Uncategorized on March 12, 2009
No Line on the Horizon
Posted by Astroboy in Uncategorized on March 10, 2009
A few weeks ago I eagerly picked up my first issue of Q magazine from a newsagent. Overpriced, but worth a one-off to get the in-depth interviews with all 4 members of U2 regarding their upcoming album release, No Line on the Horizon. A new U2 release, when it comes around every few years, is just about my most anticipated occasion in the world of music. In the past decade, the 2 releases – All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – have enhanced the band’s reputation as they largely went back to their classic sound that made them great while retaining in an understated way the best bits of their decade of tangential experimentation in the 1990s. A new era of experimentation was rumoured. As much as I love the classic U2 sound, it probably can be said that if a band doesn’t reinvent itself every once in a while, it doesn’t last as long as U2. I guess the exception is the Rolling Stones, but when did they last put out an album? Decades of constant touring trotting out old hits does not in my opinion constitute true longevity. OK, I guess there is another exception in AC/DC. In response to an interviewer’s question that they could be seen to have 12 albums that all sound the same, Angus Young was once heard to remark something like “That’s not fair at all, we’ve got thirteen albums that all sound the same.” AC/DC have a loyal following, but not one as large and diverse as U2. If they had to do something very different again, I was confident that this is that good a band that they would probably not go a second time down as reckless a path as Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop, not my favourite stuff they’ve made (though there still is some great material in there). The quote I remember most from the Q interview is one by The Edge – “It could be our best album”. Big call. After the years during which iconic status has been attained by at least The Joshua Tree, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, and even Achtung Baby (which I include here because a lot of people have a higher opinion of it than me), it is darned difficult now to make the best U2 album ever, and perhaps impossible to have it recognized as such. Maybe that quote was just meant to get the attention needed to boost sales. Well, this wouldn’t have made a difference to me. A new U2 album is now an automatic purchase, preferably as soon as possible after it’s released.
Well, now I have the CD, and have played it a few times. I have deliberately avoided reading the Q interviews again before writing this. It will be interesting to compare, with the caveat that when they were done this album was by no means “finished”. Deep breath. Drum roll.
This is not really much of a revolution, but sounds more like a stage of an evolution. I am happy to say, it is well worth listening to, again and again and again! It has a style all of its own, and within that style plenty of diversity, yet is easily recognizable as U2. Plenty of groovy guitar riffs, melodic keyboard fills and tasteful electronic effects (with U2 it’s possible to make that not an oxymoron) and a wide variety of drumming speeds and rhythms. Edge’s screaming signature lead riffs shine like a beacon through this album like every other. That’s a given of course, but something precious enough not to be taken for granted. Another noticeable feature is the frequent appearance of older style organ-like keyboard sounds, as well as what seem to be some brand new synthesized sounds mixed with ones the band has used before. Bono shows his versatile singing skills, bringing out the best in songs fast and slow, low and high. There are probably not enough hard rock songs on this album to please the rock purist and I admit I prefer the faster songs rather than the slower. But there are no really bad tracks, it’s a matter of deciding what’s truly great, rather than just good. There are a few songs that will rightly be looked back on in years to come as some of the band’s finest work and will sit comfortably alongside the singles from The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
Most of the lyrics defy an easy, one-dimensional interpretation. This band now, more than ever, likes to write in an obscure, multi-layered way, and have already said in the past that some of their material has many valid interpretations and you can legitimately choose your own. Refreshingly, this album largely takes a break from the political preaching of some past releases. These ragings against the injustices of the world typified by Sunday Bloody Sunday and Bullet the Blue Sky have their place and are indeed more worthy material than the empty shallow stuff that much of modern music makes its theme, one of the reasons that U2 is a band I can relate to more than most. But there is something to be said for just celebrating the music, and this album does that. These lyrics are by no means devoid of meaning though. I have recently read the book Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 by Steve Stockman. The band’s spiritual dimension has long been known if not well defined (they refuse to let it be), but this book gives tremendous insight into the subtle, subversive, subliminal element of much of their work which is recognized most by people who share their strong beliefs and convictions. On the other hand, sometimes lyrics leave the listener in little doubt as to the message. Stockman’s book has influenced my listening to the latest album to the extent that I can easily find a theme running through many of the songs – if one is free to choose one’s own interpretation, which may be, dare I say, even an intended one. After listening a few times and reading through the words carefully, one even might say that this album shouts out the best news in human history, though in an esoteric way. OK, I have not stated it explicitly but you will probably know where I am going here. By the end of my comments on each song and my selection of quoted words, there will be little left to the imagination.
Song by song
No Line on the Horizon: This a rare but not unique case of a U2 album with a title track. The Unforgettable Fire and Zooropa are other examples that come to mind. It’s a bold opening, a full sound with lots of strong guitar and keyboard sounds and big rhythm section. They repeat it at the end with a track called No Line on the Horizon 2 – just a different mix really with a more funky beat and arrangement, compared to the relatively conventional opening version. It looks like they couldn’t decide which version to put out, so they added both. I remember from the Q interview there were lots of dilemmas the band faced, with lots of tracks, about which recorded version to include – to the point of “Will we go with the hard rock one or the slow, quiet ballad one?” It would have been fascinating to hear them all. I didn’t really warm to the opening track on the first listen but the tune was growing on me already when version 2 came around on the first play of the CD. The lyrics are at first glance mostly about a girl someone knows, but are probably multi-layered and obscure in their true meaning, and seem to have no real connection to the chorus line (the same as the song and album title). I heard the original idea was from the view out the window of a band member’s home in the morning over the sea, when the mist often obscures the line between sea and sky. Who knows what it’s really about. Choose your own interpretation.
The songs in your head are now on my mind
You put me on pause
I try to rewind, love, and replay
Magnificent: Wow! My bold assertion after a few plays of the CD: This is the best song on the album. It is just, well, magnificent. I heard it on Triple M before the release of the album, they took the liberty of giving Sydney a preview. The start of the intro sounds something like Black Betty, but quickly morphs into something a lot more tuneful and sophisticated. I was blown away. I wondered why it took so little time to grow on me as it played just once, and listening again I have concluded that when Edge composed the chorus chord sequence, he had probably recently been listening to Black Fingernails, Red Wine by Eskimo Joe. Worth a court challenge? I hope not. It’s not always, even usually, the case, but there is such a thing as the recycling of a tune being a great improvement. Not surprising if it’s done by these guys. An electric organ sound permeates the verses with some nice chords and gets overlaid in the chorus by Edge doing what he does best. Will be a huge single if they have the good sense to release it as one, and has the potential to become a classic U2 anthem like Pride, Angel of Harlem and Beautiful Day in years to come. This is one song in which the lyrics don’t really try to hide the meaning, especially if you’re familiar with the book Walk On and with the world’s all time best seller, although some people might find them strange. This is not a song about some concept, or some thing, but someone. And not some girl known to a member of the band, they would not be so shallow to do that to such a sublime tune. No – it’s about the one, the only, The Magnificent. It’s a pity my old mate Gavin Wilcox is no longer around, he would have liked this one. See the lyrics in full at the bottom of this post.
Moment of Surrender: This is the sort of song that recalls some of the experiments of Zooropa. One of the many moderate or slower tracks on the album, and one of the reasons fans hoping for a full-blown high-energy rock experience like the early days might be disappointed with this release. Big on the electronic rhythms and synthesizer sounds. An underwhelming tune on the first listen but I’m getting to like it. Again, Steve Stockman’s book gives me a clue about the lyrics, helped along by the song title. A strong sense of the fundamental lack of control we have over the course of life and the wisdom of trusting it to someone who does.
I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down ’til the pain will stop…
At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
Unknown Caller: The intro with the word “sunshine” strangely repeated 4 times leads one to think this is going to follow on with the same feel of the previous track, but it is deceptive. A bit like Magnificent, the intro gives way to the true character of the song. The chords with the “Oh, oh” overlaid with Edges lead arpeggios announce this as another driving U2 anthem. A sublime experience of listening pleasure, and complemented lyrically with what appears to be a call to make the most of one’s potential – with probably a little help from someone (is this the unknown caller the title of the song refers to? – see Magnificent J ).
Escape yourself and gravity
Hear me, cease to speak that I may speak…
Restart and re-boot yourself
You’re free to go
Oh, oh
Shout for joy if you get the chance
Password, you, enter here, right now
Oh, oh
You know your name so punch it in
I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight: Another track with the potential to be a big single. A melting pot of big ideas set to a great tune and arrangement with as much melodic optimism as Unknown Caller, and it rocks harder to top it off. The yielding near the end to the temptation to put in the meaningless babble “Baby, baby, baby” was quite frankly unnecessary, but nearly all bands seem to do it and hey, no-one’s perfect.
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
‘Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear
Get On Your Boots: The first I heard of this album, played on number 1 Sydney music radio station Triple M, while in the car on the way to a Sydney Festival event. The fastest, most upbeat song on the album, in a similar vein to Vertigo on How to Dismantle. Hard to judge how an album will be from the first single, but I was left thinking “I like it” even if it seemed somewhat limited in the tune department similar to Numb, the first I heard of Zooropa. This was much better than Numb. Ever since, it’s been played to death by Triple M. It’s dominated by heavy bass distortion, another unconventional feature compared to the band’s early straight 4 piece rock material. It’s the most “rappy/techno-like” song on the release, and shows how inoffensively U2 can bring in these usually trash elements, damp them down and mix them in a song that still has a tune to add variety to the listening experience. The lyrics don’t seem too serious – “Dumb fun” is how Bernard Zuel described them – and seem to be a bit of a mish-mash of thought-provoking ideas mixed with random “just for the heck of it” elements.
Night is falling everywhere
Rockets at the fun fair
Satan loves a bomb scare
But he won’t scare you…
I got a submarine
You got gasoline
I don’t want to talk about wars between nations…
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound, now
God, I’m going down
I don’t wanna drown now
Meet me in the sound
Stand Up Comedy: It took a couple of listens to grow but wow, this is a good un! A very close second (at this early stage of listening for me) for best on album. It’s dominated from start to finish by a huge kick-a*** Edge rock-riff, and the short chorus goes to places you might not expect with the chord sequence before returning satisfyingly to that riff. The repeated "Stand up” refrain could easily be a platform for one of those classic political rage songs from the band’s past – along the lines of “Stand up, for ending poverty / Stand up, make it history” but as the light-hearted title suggests it goes nowhere near being that blatant, and to be honest the fans who primarily love the music need a rest from all that. I get the feeling there is a very serious undertone to the lyrics but primarily it’s most obviously about standing up for love – a very positive concept indeed. Even this can be interpreted in a number of ways, naturally I prefer the one that makes most sense of the song as a whole which is the most profound way, in keeping with what does again appear to be a theme running through the album.
I can stand up for hope, faith, love
But while I’m getting over certainty
Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady…
I gotta stand up to ego but my ego’s not really the enemy
It’s like a small child crossing an eight lane highway
On a voyage of discovery…
God is love
And love is evolution’s very best day
FEZ- Being Born: This seems like a bit of a random fill-in song. The variety of keyboard sounds and electronic effects make this sound like something off Zooropa or maybe Achtung Baby, but with a spiced-up melody. Another one of the slow ones. The intro with a subdued reprise of the “Let me in the sound” refrain of Get on your Boots yields abruptly to a contrast with the song itself. A lyrics website suggests it’s all about Morocco – otherwise I wouldn’t have had much of a clue as to its meaning. With the next track, it forms part of a mellow interlude in the 2nd half off the album.
Burning rubber, burning chrome
Bay of Cadiz and ferry home
Atlantic sea, cut glass
African sun at last
White As Snow: Another quiet one, perhaps the quietest on the album. Most of the tune is a cannot-be-more-obvious rip-off of the Christmas carol “O come, O come, Emmanuel” serenaded by soft guitar arpeggios. Most Christmas carols are public domain though so it probably doesn’t matter, and in any case it may well be an old Irish folk tune. I’m reminded of a similar instance on a U2 record – Van Diemen’s Land from Rattle and Hum sounds very much like one of the classics in church, When I Survey the Wonderous Cross. White As Snow starts by recalling experiences of the writer’s youth, before morphing into a variety of themes, one of which, appropriately for the tune, is an echo of the original true story and purpose of Christmas. Some of Edge’s guitar work towards the end is even the same as the style on an old, old brass band Christmas record I’ve been listening to in the appropriate season since before I can remember. Freaky!
Once I knew there was a love divine
Then came a time I thought it knew me not
Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not
Only the lamb as white as snow
Breathe: They really like intros that contrast with the songs on this album. This one builds anticipation with a strong drumbeat and guitar accompaniment rising in volume before the beat abruptly changes, but to something just as strong, and at the same time full guitar chords scream that this one is gonna rock. The words of the verses cascade out-of-time over the instrumentation in rambling, almost shouting fashion, then give way to sublime melodies and harmonies in the chorus, with some more characteristic atmospheric riffs from The Edge. I think one of them called it maybe their best ever song in that Q interview. I wouldn’t go all that way but it’s one of the best on the album. Lyrically, here’s how I see it: A fascinating contrast of the triviality of a door-to-door salesman with the fear of a deadly disease sets the backdrop for a theme of the wonder of life confronting the inevitability of death, and what lies beyond. The whole song has a joyous, unafraid sound. If you know what one author described as “The world’s best kept secret”, then you have nothing to fear!
The roar that lies on the other side of silence
The forest fire that is fear so deny it…
Walk out, into the sunburst street
Sing your heart out, sing my heart out
I’ve found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it’s all that I found
And I can breathe
Cedars of Lebanon: Some reviewers have loved this one, but for now at least I see it as a bit of a weak closing of the album. Probably because I’m biased towards high energy rock and this is a quiet, reflective number with a soft drum beat and understated guitar parts. Not that I don’t like it though, it’s simply one of the good songs, not one of the great ones. The words are probably the most overtly war-related ones of all the tracks. There is a question left hanging over the future of the middle-east region, one the bloodthirsty warmongers there would do well to ponder.
Now I’ve got a head like a lit cigarette
Unholy clouds reflecting in a minaret
You’re so high above me, higher than everyone
Where are you in the cedars of Lebanon
Well, we have come to the end. A word of warning: Don’t discard this album after the first listen. If you do you’re throwing out a bagful of precious gems because you didn’t look long enough and thought they were common pebbles. U2 have delivered another work of quality. It’s by no means perfect and like any good album it has its high and not so high points. And inevitably some peoples’ favourite tracks on it will be different to mine. But have a listen, not just once but 3 or 4 times, and you too (ha ha, bad pun!) will begin to appreciate this fine album. Now, bring on the tour, I want to hear this stuff live!
Magnificent
Oh, magnificent
I was born
I was born to be with you
In this space and time
After that and ever after
I haven’t had a clue
Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart
Black and blue
Only love
Only love can leave such a mark
But only love
Only love can heal such a scar
I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice
But to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry
It was a joyful noise
Oh, oh
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
Oh, the magnificent
Magnificent
Only love
Only love can leave such a mark
But only love
Only love unites our hearts
Justified till we die
You and I will magnify
Oh, the magnificent
Magnificent
Magnificent
Will international cricket ever be played in Pakistan again?
Posted by Astroboy in Uncategorized on March 7, 2009
I’ve smashed my right elbow
Posted by Astroboy in Uncategorized on March 6, 2009