Featured Release: U2, No Line on the Horizon
Interscope/Island/Universal B0012630-02
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

U2 has reached a point where the group’s dominance on the world stage makes it difficult to approach them as a mere rock band. The CD booklet that accompanies their latest album, No Line on the Horizon, includes information about several NGOs and encourages us to support them, as if to remind us of singer Bono’s stature as conscience, global leader, and world citizen. Two more pages thank a dizzying number of people, one or two of whom might even have something to do with music.

So, is it good? Well, yes -- very good. If, like me, you thought everything from Achtung Baby through How to Dismantle an Atom Bomb a bit overrated or overblown, you can come home. No Line on the Horizon is the most consistent, impassioned, and heartfelt U2 album since Achtung Baby, and the most effortlessly compelling since The Joshua Tree.

Part of the reason No Line flows so easily is that U2 have made peace with their past, a process they began with Atom Bomb. The guitars in "Magnificent" recall those in October or War, while "Unknown Caller" and "Moment of Surrender" contain some of the atmospheric flow of Joshua Tree. Perhaps it’s not surprising that U2 would return to that breakthrough disc, which, like so much of their work, and this new record as well, was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois (with assistance from Steve Lillywhite). No Line on the Horizon succeeds because U2 has returned to their signature style without merely recycling it, and when they try new things, such as the Springsteen-ish "I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight," they don’t sound as if they’re trying to squeeze into an ill-fitting suit.

Eno and Lanois, who are also listed as cowriters of a number of tunes here, have given No Line on the Horizon an ambiance at times strikingly similar to Coldplay’s Viva la Vida, to which Eno made similar contributions. To me, Eno’s sonic enhancements to Viva la Vida only underlined Coldplay’s calculated attempts to be relevant and innovative. On No Line on the Horizon, U2 invests Eno’s potentially cold technology with passion, and it makes all the difference. The songs touch on all of U2’s convictions, from politics to spirituality, with love as the glue that holds them together. Bono sings without reservation or hesitation, and with sincerity enough to inspire the listener’s trust.

The album isn’t quite perfect. "Get On Your Boots" is just not a good song, and some of the longer tracks, such as "Unknown Caller" and "Moment of Surrender," could have been trimmed. The sound is compressed and occasionally mushy. Eno’s aural effects add a good deal of variety and come through clearly, but the kick drum is often mixed too high, while the rest of the kit is pushed to the background. Adam Clayton’s bass is strongly present, but there’s no attack -- it could just as well be a synth bass. Bono’s voice is clear and centered on some tunes, but on others, such as the title track and "Magnificent," it’s folded into the rest of the mix. But audiophiles don’t listen to U2 for the quality of their recordings, any more than they do Bruce Springsteen. U2’s music is about passion and memorable songs. On those terms, No Line on the Horizon is a triumph and a surprise.

. . . Joseph Taylor