U2

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (HTDAAB)

The curse of putting out diverse music of high quality.

Review Score:

(10/10)
I never write reviews. I think they're useless. People browse through reviews until they find the opinion they're looking for. Needless to say, that opinion is exactly the one that matches their own. So why am I writing a review? Mainly, not to express my opinion, although I will in the end, but to put an end (yes, I'm this presumptuous) to some blatantly false affirmations that some people might have taken for facts.

The following is a list of stupid things/concepts I have come across while reading several reviews of U2's latest album from different sources:

- U2 need to retire.
This is one of the funniest. Which are the requirements for retirement? Maybe I'm not familiar with them, but I think that if you're currently one of the 30 best bands in the world (I've chosen a deliberately high number) when it comes down to put out new music, calling it quits seem a little bit out of place.

- U2 fans are mindless zombies.
It's been suggested that U2 fans would love everything from the band, even if it's crap. That they have no criterium and they're nothing but pathetic Bono worshippers. Some people think that U2 fans can't recognize quality. If somebody likes a song by U2 from the last four albums, it's not because the song may be good by itself, but because the band has tricked them into thinking it...
Good point. Very good point. :p
All I have to say is that "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was a disappointment, for me, and I like this album better.

- U2 are fakers.
These days must be spiritual days. It's the only explanation I can come up with after seeing how many people is demanding Bono to lead an spartan life just because he happens to be concerned about the main social problems in the planet. "Mild" positions are not allowed: "live under a bridge or shut up" is the essence of what they don't like about Bono. Well, at least, he's trying, you morons.

- U2 are musicians, not politicians, so blah blah...
Ok, to the guys who think like this: if I ever see your house in flames, I won't do anything, because I'm not a fireman.

- U2 play it safe and live on their past.
For a band who has experimented so much and so successfully along the time, some respect is due. They could even release two more standard albums and this criticism would be unfair. And by the way, U2's two latest albums mark the beginning of a new sonic era, where songs are more important than sound.

And now, my opinion about the record (if anybody cares):

The most striking thing is that is one of the least accesible by U2. If you've listened to Vertigo (yes, you have) you will be wondering what the hell am I saying, but it's true. Every song takes more listens than usual. Even Vertigo, that seems a little bit silly and inoffensive at first, ends up revealing itself like a powerful rocker. Other tunes go through similar stages: "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" goes from formulaic to achingly beautiful, "All Because Of You" goes from filler to stomping rocker, "Crumbs From Your Table" goes from self-ripoff to new guitar ground exploration and "Yahweh" goes from a song with a rough chorus to a classic.

About the sound, it could be described as 35% Achtung Baby, 25% All That You Can't Leave Behind, 20% The Unforgettable Fire and 20% something new. Achtung Baby contributes mood and guitars, ATYCLB contributes his radio-friendly generic production, The Unforgettable Fire contributes some abstract sounds, and the new things, you'll have to find out for yourself.

I think the album has no weak moments. Maybe "Love And Peace Or Else". But you know how rewarding is a weak moment in a U2 record.

The only complaints are two: first, the production, that devoids the album of some personality, the result is not as disappointing as with ATYCLB, but it still shows; second, Bono's voice, it's undeniable that it's getting raspier than ever. Remember that clear singing in 'Gloria'? Forget it, it's gone forever.

Song by song:

- Vertigo. (9,5). Be patient. It matters more than you think. I still haven't get tired of it. Oddly enough, it keeps growing on me. I think it should last longer, and that's a good sign. The riff is killer. Period.

- Miracle Drug (9,75). One of the gems. Except for the production, this one could have been in "Achtung Baby". The bit before the last chorus is, simply put, one of the best things U2 have ever written.

- Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. (9,25). Another "Achtung Baby" reminiscent song. As calculated as heartfelt. It sticks with you, and includes a pair of lovely lines who will drive people crazy when performe live.

- Love And Peace Or Else. (7,75). Catchier than you may think at first listens, but it's lacking something I can't tell. Maybe a more defined chorus would have helped. It sounds like the missing link between 'Rattle And Hum' and 'Achtung Baby'.

- City Of Blinding Lights. (9). One of those songs you like too much at the first listen, suspecting it will wear thin soon. Although it doesn't happen, there's nothing like the first times with this one.

- All Because Of You. (8,75). One of the most rocking U2 songs ever. The fact that is a song by U2 is misleading. Listen to it carefully: this tune rocks more than 10 nu-metal bands put together. This is rock.

- A Man And A Woman. (9,5). It sounds like nothing U2 has written. It's not groundbreaking, but it's difficult to find an U2 song that relates to this. It's tender, well constructed, well sung and the verse is so good that is almost a chorus.

- Crumbs From Your Table. (8,75). Another "hard to love" song. At first listens it sounds like a B-Side, until you start noticing the guitar work beneath. It's a little bit acid. Great midtempo. A grower.

- One Step Closer (8). This feels like a "Zooropa" song. Although the chorus is very simple, the verse is very beautiful. Quiet in a very good way.

- Original Of The Species (9). Depending on the day, this song is the best in the album or the weakest. It's another "new ground" song. It grows, and grows, and grows, and grows. Everytime you think you've reached the chorus, you're wrong. I think I would have rated this song 10 if certain moments would have been cut. Could've been the best.

- Yahweh (9,75). Gorgeous, no matter what people say. It makes you love life. I'm an atheist, but after listening to this I feel like praying. It has a perfect closing quality, the one that makes you feel like playing the CD again. By the time Bono sings the "oh oh oh" near the end, the album comes full circle and you feel you haven't had enough. The chorus might sound annoying the first times. Be patient.

To sum it all up: U2 is a band that has gone through so many different eras that it's gathered an audience so big and diverse that each time is more difficult to keep it satisfied as a whole. One reviewer pointed the fact that this album, after hundreds of reviews, positive and negative, was the one with this web's lowest rate of the band, and that it was a clear indication of what to expect. Well, I think that it's an indication about the fact that U2's audience keeps growing and growing. And I haven't even talked about how cool is to hate U2 nowadays.

The only thing I can say is that I'm a critic U2 fan, and I recommend this album a lot.

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