Friday, April 17, 2009

U2 Still Looking Towards the Horizon

  
  Hello all (I still don't believe 'you' exist). How could I go without posting some sort of review of U2's No Line on the Horizon on my woefully neglected blog? Well, the fact is that I did just that for a month now. Today, I finally got around to writing my beloved fellow U2 fan cousin, Teri an email describing my feelings of the album. I decided to just copy and paste. So, here you go. By the way, Jerusalem is amazing. 

Teri dear, 

   I'm sitting here in the Center looking over a study guide for my New Testament final and listening to Zooropa. I thought of you and decided it was time I wrote this email. I just listened to all of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Some of the songs are quite appropriate to my location here. Anyway, I haven't even given you my review of No Line on the Horizon. Let me check and see what you said about it really quick. 
  Oh, before I get to that. I checked out some of the tour dates the other day. Muse is opening for U2 on a bunch of shows in the Eastern US. Can you imagine the awesomeness? It gives me chills just thinking about it. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be booking any flights to go see a U2 show this or next year. With you and Kevin both getting married, who would I go with? I'm hoping they announce another leg of the tour where they come to SLC like they did last time. Then I'd renew my fan club subscription and get in on the presale. They are playing a show in Vegas with Black Eyed Peas opening for them. All the tickets might already be sold out for that one though. The other opening act for a bunch of the shows is Snow Patrol. 
  Alright now for the album. I LOVE No Line on the Horizon (the song). Interestingly enough, on iTunes under 'Composer' David Evans' name comes up first. A truly rockin' tune. I think I like the second version on the album more than the opening track one (tell me that you got that on one your CD). By the way, what format did you get yours in? Did you get any of the special edition sets? I just downloaded the iTunes special edition since that was the best available to me. I haven't had the chance to let the movie or the bonus digital book finish downloading though. iTunes is blocked here at the Jerusalem Center. 
   I like the opening to Unknown Caller. It's a little Where the Streets Have No Name-esque. The line "Force Quit and Move to Trash" is lifted directly from the Mac OSX operating system. Glad to know that I've cast in my lot with Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry as an Apple fan. 
  
   "It's not a hill, it's a mountain
    As we start out the climb
    Listen for me, I'll be shouting
    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."

What a solo in that song. It reminds me of the keyboard solo from The Beatles' "In My Life." 

Stand Up Comedy is definitely in my top three on the album. I'm a sucker for those fat guitar riffs and the song's got a great beat. 

The ballads on No Line on the Horizon aren't the best, in my opinion. White as Snow and Cedars of Lebanon are still good because they're U2 songs, but they're no With or Without You or Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. With the title Cedars of Lebanon, I was expecting a little more depth to the song. Like another Yahweh or Grace. 

Breathe is another one I love. It seems to me that Bono is trying to take a page out of Jack White's book on the verse here and then put it back into a U2 context. It works for me. 

I attached a picture that you've probably got in your album art. Still looking good even when they're pushing 50. Check out Larry's cane. What do you think he's doing with that thing?