Artist: U2
Buy it
I am a loyal follower of U2. To say they're my favorite band is like saying oxygen is my favorite element. They've challenged me many times and I've enjoyed the ride for 26 years now.
But this is definitely one of those albums that will take repeated listening. My gut reaction is a B- but that can change over the next week or so. [It did.] Like 1984's Unforgettable Fire, at first it sounds like a Brian Eno album featuring U2. It has soundscapes and ambience rather than melodies in many spots. But it doesn't have as much scale. Definitely not many radio singles on this one, which is okay. It's not a "Let's rock and roll!" album like How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
To me it sounds like a transparent attempt to do something "different" in response to all the potshots the snobs took at their last two efforts, which returned to their stadium-sized anthemic roots. The hooks are definitely missing here. But so is the fun. When it's not somber, it's dry. When it's not mellow, it's thin. Some attempts at fun seem more like parody, with obnoxious choruses sung off-beat (and sometimes off-key). It has its redeeming qualities and a few strong tracks (most notably "Magnificent" - a straight-up U2 song - and "Breathe") but it's just not something I'm going to pop in the car stereo very often.
I hated Achtung Baby when it came out. Took me years to come around to most of it. Hopefully No Line will the same. Or it could be like Pop, which I play once per decade. Time will tell.
Final score: B minus
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