Tuesday, November 17, 2009

2009 Album Review #1: U2 - No Line on the Horizon

As I stated in my previous entry, I'm going to do a series of "Mini-reviews" of albums that were released in 2009 that I own, ending with a decision on what my personal favorite Album of the Year is. So, without further hesitation, here is the first in the series:

U2 - No Line on the Horizon

- I have too high of expectations for my favorite band, I guess. This so-called venture into experimentation turned into an album that really doesn't know what it wants to be. There are songs that hint a little at experimentation, but they are laced with typical U2 guitar sounds care of the Edge, Larry's straightforward drumming, and Bono's lyrics about the triumph of the human spirit (*yawn*). Other songs are just blatent attempts at having another huge hit, which the band is usually great at, but it's all treading over the same old ground. Too much focus on what their next hit is going to be and I don't think they'll ever be able to pull off anything truly innovative again, because the idea of being a "hits" band has been their focus for almost ten years now. There are many highlights on this album, however, and some true moments of genius. One man has pulled through and continues to improve and shine on every record: Adam Clayton. This album has produced a few of the bands best songs ("Magnificent" and "Unknown Caller" are fantastic), but for the most part this is amongst their least-effective work.

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