March 26th, 2009 by admin

On March 3, 2009, U2 released their 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon.

It’s been a while since their last release, 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, but it was worth the wait.The album features 11 songs with the best of classic U2 music.

The Irish rockers get back to basics with their strongest offering in years. It was recorded in Dublin, New York, London and Fès, Morocco.  And the good news is that Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite all helped to produce the album.  But I don’t think this is the best U2 album since Eno and Lanois first worked with the band on 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire.

Magnificent, with its drum crescendos, trademark guitar riffs, and a soaring Bono vocal, is easily the best song on the album and is the second single to be released.  The first song released, Get On Your Boots, is actually a good track; this is the song the band performed at the Grammys on February 8.Get on Your Boots is a fun, foot-tapping track.  However, Boots only hit No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Breathe suggests that the band’s classic approach can still sound contemporary. The album ends with a sad, thoughtful song, Cedars of Lebanon, a track about war and violence. Lyrics like “the right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear” in the song I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight, show that the band still has a sense of humour.

Unfortunately, sales have not been very strong since the release of the album.  No Line sold just 484,000 copies in its first week of sales. Of course, not many bands would consider 484,000 albums sold a disappointment.However, U2 is not just any band. The Irish band’s last album, 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, sold 840,000 copies in the first week.

Even though some of the songs are not that great, overall, I think No Line on the Horizon is a worth adding to your music collection.

For more musical reviews and information, visit the Nostalgia Guy Music blog.