documenting every detail, every conversation

Vertigo kicks things off pretty excitedly. It has stupid lyrics, but it's an awesome, awesome song- it kicks (odd that, like, it's the ONLY song that kicks on the album- the rest is all pretty quiet). Just loads of energy, and the Edge is on top for with his guitaring (Bono's voice is definitely starting to suffer from all that smoking and screaming, don't you think?) "You, give me something, I can feeeel your love is teaching me how to kneeeel." Yeah.

Miracle Drug is a really nice track (in fact, the first five tracks are all pretty much slam dunks)- although I don't personally find freedom to smell like the top of a newborn baby's head. Again, the Edge is doing great stuff with the guitar- which is a constant on this album, really, so I'll stop mentioning it, but really, I actually think he's like, lifted his game up to new levels, which is pretty good of him, since he was already number one, so why try harder? I'm not sure why people keep saying this album is 'harking back to the good old days'- if anything, it's a forward progression from Achtung. Am I crazy? C'mon. I'm serious.

While I do wish Bono would quit it with the song-length song-titles, SYCMIOYO is, well, actually, I first heard it when they performed on 'Tonight with Jonathan Ross' and JR was like: "This song is better than 'One'!" which is, almost by definition, impossible. Nothing's better than One. But still, after several listens, it has gotten better. When I listened to it, er, I'd read somewhere that Bono had sung it at his father's funeral, and when I listened to it after reading that, I did actually get pretty teary- it's kind of sad you have the big speeches and songs about how you really feel about someone AFTER they're dead.

Now, curious track, song four. My first two thoughts on it were, that; A> They miss the days of Rattle & Hum, and they are, in thier own way, trying to write another Blues track. I mean, the opening, that whole [drum roll]"Lay down!" [quiet] "Lay it down- lay your sweet lovin' on the ground.", that's straight out of the Blues rulebook, and then they break into that big blues riff- it really felt like some kind of reimagining of the blues format. My second thought was B> They're trying to be Morphine. I don't know if you've heard Morphine, I am personally not a fan, but they sound very reminscent of this song (the vocalist sounds completely different, but the whole thick, bluesy sound is definitely similar). I kind of get the feeling one of U2 (Clayton! He's lame!) was listening to Morphine and said: "Let's do a song like this?" (which Bono reportedly said regarding The Libertines and Vertigo- he wanted to capture that kind of 'rockin' energy that they had). Still- pretty great song- especially that great bassy noise they start with, and (I know I said I wouldn't mention this again) the great guitar riff at the end of the song that sort of crawls its way out of the bass-noise. Er, like Grendel.

City of Blinding Lights is the best track on the album. No, fuck off, don't argue with me, I know what I'm talking about, this song rules, shut up, you can't deny the guitar on this song, it crushes all opposition like, er, Grendel on tracks. Not only does the guitar rule,. but the piano at the opening sounds very bell-like. Which is why this song had a very Christmassy feel, and got a lot of replay action at the beach. Hmm- maybe I'm being too hasty- maybe this is just the most accessible song, but doesn't age as well as the others. I don't know- I'll let you know in, er, ten years! When I've listened to it a bit more. Until then, the piano on this song just makes it the best. You know I'm a sucker for a good bit of ivory-tinkling.

Okay, so that's the first five tracks out of the way, and they're all golden. Now, the album moves into a different 'phase', which is funny actually, because 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' had a similar phase. Check it:

Kite (song about his da)
In A Little Whil (song about his daughter)
Wild Honey (song about monkeys and trees and honey and gardens and stuff)

now compare & contrast:

All Because Of You (song about his ma)
A Man and A Woman (song about his wife. Wait, is it about his sister? Or his daughter? I don't know, Bono's fucked up about women, obviously. I think we all may be, bud)
Crumbs From Your Table (song about monkeys and trees and honey and gardens and stuff)

See? Okay, obviously, the subject thing breaks down, but, look, there's a definite similarity. This is the part of the album, on both of them, where U2 come out onto the little stage in the middle of the crowd with a few acoustic guitars and play a few stripped back songs after the big numbers. I'm serious. Actually, listening to it now, Crumbs is probably actually the bit where they go back on to the main stage to kick things back into high gear again- it's got a big sweeping electric riff. Anyway, hopefully you see what I'm saying about the trilogy thing. I can hardly help it if you don't.

One Step Closer is a nice little number- very 'Passengers', don't you think? Kind of atmospheric and soundtracky. Not exactly 'impressive' though. It's just kind of there. It may grow on me, but it doesn't exactly, y'know, go anywhere or anything.

Original of the Species is a VERY close number two. Like, wow. I'm LOVING this track. I used to go to bed and couldn't get that lyrical loop out of my head- did you notice how it borrows the 'kneel/feel' thing from Vertigo? But, yeah, uhm, I'm actually kind of 'wow-ed' by this song (it's about his daughter, isn't it? Bono can make 'Grandma's chicken Salad' sound sexy) God, actually, I'm listening to it now, and it's making me cry). I think if there's a lesson to be learned from U2's history, it's that sometimes very simple things can be highly effective. You don't need the tricks. You need a good melody, and a lot of heart, and they got it- this song has it in spades. I guess, if I want to by hyper-critical, I find the 'I'll give you everything you want except the thing you want' line to be a little clumsy, but it still works. But the chorus is just.....man, it blows me away. And then, y'know, it GOES somewhere, it like, takes off.

Yahweh is, for me, the weakest track on the album- it kind of slots in there around AM&AW and CFYT. It's not that it's bad, it's just a bit pedestrian when in such mighty company.

The, er 'hidden track' (it's not even listed as a song on the official website, but it's a regular track over here) is really good- I'm a big fan. Nice closer to the album. I still think all albums should end with mighty ten-minute epics that go crazy at the end, and U2's never really pulled through on that score. Still, I love the outro.

How do you like this outro?