"No Line on the Horizon"

Having spent the last 22 years enjoying (and unpacking) U2's lyrics and having spent 2 years inside Bono's head, I approach U2's latest work looking for the usual theme: Grace. The pursuit of, the desperate need for and, occasionally, the liberating experience of Grace. Really that describes what's important to me, which is probably why I connect so strongly to U2 and their themes: Grace, Love, Equality and Peace. I have argued for years that U2 is the Greatest Rock Band of All Time, and for several years (especially after Pop) not many agreed. All That You Can't Leave Behind stormed out in 2000 and I heaved a sigh of relief as U2 validated my adoration. With How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U2 cemented its legacy, in my opinion.

I waited patiently (and a little nervously) for how U2 could follow up the last 2 blockbuster albums. I have my answer and I'm breathing deeply the complex aromas of hope and despair, love and grace. I find this latest album, No Line on the Horizon, contemplative. This album is a fine wine, there is a bouquet that you'll miss if you think it can be gulped. There is plenty of rock and the usual steady influence of universal themes, but compared to the previous 2 albums I find the album's motif much more personal. All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb were "big" global themes where we traveled the globe in one Beautiful Day, we were blinded by the big City lights, we were sick of war and demanded Love and Peace or Else.

You'll find those subjects in No Line, but framed much more intimately. Bono doesn't want to talk about the wars between the nations, but we get the intensely personal experience of a dying soldier in Afghanistan. We share a few lonely, desperate hours in Unknown Caller. We experience the most effective "alone in the crowd" music in the haunting chords of Moment of Surrender. Is there anything more intensely personal than Being Born?

It's not all brooding introspection, of course, because you've already heard Get on Your Boots. I suspect Breathe is the most under appreciated song on the album, but if you can get through the inscrutable verses the choruses are sing your heart out awesome. And my favorite song on the album, Magnificent, has it all for me: it rocks, it's both personal and universal, and it captures a complex concept in a phrase.

Only love can leave such a mark, but only love can heal such a scar.

Speaking of turning a phrase, there is none better than Bono and there are many such bon mots here, such as the one above or "Choose your enemies carefully 'cos they will define you" or "While I'm getting over certainty, stop helping God across the street like a little old lady." As usual, every song has a few gems to mine. One from their last album that's been in my head this week, with the loss of my grandma, is "As you enter this world, I pray you depart with a wrinkled face and a brand new heart."

I won't have as long to wait for the next release. U2 plans to release another album this year, apparently called Songs of Ascent. Bono described it as "a kind of heartbreaker, a meditative, reflective piece of work, but not indulgent." I am overjoyed, you can imagine, but for now I continue to unpack and enjoy No Line on the Horizon.