You could be forgiven for initially doubting U2s mettle behind their latest
work, No Line on the Horizon, if based only off of lead single "Get On Your
Boots". While as thick and gritty as any previous U2 lead, it does a miserable
job of representing the collective it ushers in on U2s first effort since 2004s
How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Unlike its predecessor, this album is not
immediately friendly, familiar, or easy to stomach. Indeed, its the challenge of
stepping back into the ring for more that makes the sometimes heady lyrics
presented here resonate.

The opening stanzas of a stunning opener, "No Line
on the Horizon", bring shadows of their most glorious moments, with Bono
exploring more space vocally than he has in a decade and hitting notes not heard
since he paraded around stadiums worldwide wearing white makeup. It is a
glorious track, and one quickly swallowed by another steamroller of sound,
"Magnificent", a furiously paced rocker that would be tragic to not see daylight
as a single. U2 then go into the murky country of heartache and reflection with
a combined 13 minutes of pure emotion. "Moment of Surrender" wanders over a sea
of ambient loops and brings Bono back in grizzled, reflective form before a set
of verses seeming more confessional than confrontational- a welcome return to
the dark human profiles explored during some of the greatest moments of Achtung
Baby and The Joshua Tree. Although "Unknown Caller" may seem a bit much on the
surface, what with mentions of "rebooting" oneself and entering a password, it
too is still pretty enough to be loved. 

While the tinkering and meticulous
perfectionism of producer Brian Eno and his longtime U2 collaborator,
co-producer, and musical ambassador Daniel Lanois seems to have paid immense
dividends on establishing an ethereal and dramatic mood on the albums front
half, the midway point serves as a welcome reprieve and obvious shift.
Admittedly, the sound on songs such as "Ill Go Crazy If I Dont Go Crazy
Tonight", "Get On Your Boots", and "Stand Up" is undoubtedly conventional- but
the content is packaged with little surprises in a way not expected from the U2
of this decade. Bum notes that seem to fit. Searing guitar bits that almost seem
accidental. Napoleon making a cameo in the lyrics. The band seemed to
instinctively guess the listener would need a breather, and welcome the ironic
Bono we all know and love (a hallmark of some and the best, and worst, U2
moments). 

It should be unsurprising, then, that the return of Enos input on
"Fez/Bring Born" brings almost instant reminders of the forgotten innovations U2
architected on their oft-maligned Passengers Original Soundtracks Vol. I record.
Breather over. Streaking in with an almost circus-like loop and excerpts from
"Boots", it then shifts shape midway to a choppy, thumping rock number that
again sees Bono stretching his place within the instrumentation. Followed by the
expressive and delicate "White As Snow", it becomes obvious that No Line holds
exactly the two elements missing from U2s successful yet largely forgettable
previous two outings- depth and experimentation. The optimistic and valiant
"Breathe", which sees enormous walls of sound carpeting Bonos rat-a-tat lyrical
delivery, is initially trying, without question (considering mention of "juju
men" and "cockatoos"). But somehow, the band arrives just in time to bring
everything into a mellow fusion. It isnt always perfect, or smooth, but it
succeeds magnificently in framing the pieces into a whole. Closed out by the
dark, somewhat confusing "Cedars of Lebanon", featuring Bono as a man on his
last legs in the middle of a war zone issuing prophecies he only wishes he had
learned before the fatal blow ("be careful of your enemies, cos they will define
you"), I was left to do something I havent done after previewing a record in
years- think.

Of all the themes U2 have explored in the finest moments of
their expansive sonic pantheon: from innocence lost on Boy and October peace and
inner passion on The Unforgettable Fire America, hope, and longing on The Joshua
Tree and the frailty and absurdity between love and lust on Achtung Baby, the
one theme seemingly left to chronicle was that of reconciliation and the human
condition. Taken in that context, No Line is the perfect bookend- sophisticated,
complicated, and above all else, dense in a way that is ambitious even by U2
standards.

By refusing to settle, and by reclaiming the stance of (mostly)
humble narrative storytellers instead of shouting into the megaphone as rocks
resident chiefs, Bono and U2 have reminded us of what has kept them so enduring,
and more importantly, relevant over the 30-plus years of their career. Hardly
any band emerges as adventurous on their twelfth offering as their first, but
somehow, its been achieved. And bested.