U2- No Line On The Horizon (**)

Shame on you, U2.

When the Irish four-piece started recording No Line On The Horizon back in 2006, they promised music fans a dramatic reinvention of the U2 sound. They made promises about expanding the “sound barrier” like they did with Achtung Baby back in ’91, and Bono shot his mouth off about Edge’s invigorating energy in the studio. In fact, I believe the phrase was “real molten stuff…” as Bono aimed to describe the guitarist’s new musical direction. Additionally, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite were all returning to help Bono and Co., the men that helped helm the classic albums U2 built their careers on.

Suffice to say, there is nothing “molten” about No Line On The Horizon.

Coinciding with album’s stark cover, fans are treated to a musical haze where U2 seem to (once again) fail at bridging the gap between their 90s experimentation and their 80s stadium anthems.

It doesn’t begin horribly though, the album’s title track invites listeners in with Larry Mullen Jr.’s exotic and shuffling beats as it ties together Adam Clayton’s pulsing bass and Edge’s airy guitar work. Unfortunately, “No Line On The Horizon” is all build up and no pay off, the song’s chorus of “No/No line on the hori-izon/No/No line…” comes off as undercooked and lazy, especially considering the three years the band spent writing and recording these tracks.

But the disc’s real fault is its slow midsection, bogged down by the laughable dance fuzz of “Get On Your Boots” and the goofy funk of “Stand Up Comedy.” While thick Euro dance beats have run rampant through U2’s 90s output, that experimentation came off as fresh and dynamic, the work of a band in control of their craft. Here, the opposite is the true. On No Line On The Horizon this musical flirtation comes across as foolish and stale, as if their sole purpose was to balance out the large number of ballads U2 had written.

And let’s be fair, there is only so much subtext you can apply to a chorus of, “Hey/Sexy boots/Get on your boots/Yeah…”

While there is a fair amount to criticize about No Line On The Horizon, U2 do hide some interesting gems within the album’s 11 tracks. “Magnificent” is the album’s true stand out, beginning with booming bass and dense electronic textures before exploding with Edge’s delicate and ascending guitar work. Aside from offering up such lines as, “I was born, born to sing for you/I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up/And sing whatever song you wanted me to…” the track finds U2 balancing their signature sound with their love for the European disco. Topped off with a wistful solo from Edge, “Magnificent” represents the potential this album could have had.

Elsewhere, the gospel tinged “Moment Of Surrender” recalls The Joshua Tree’s American music roots, while skittering beats and soulful singing grant the track a darkness U2 never achieved in 1987. Again, Edge’s layered guitar work provides the song with most of its character, but it’s Bono’s lyrics that take center stage as he laments, “It's not if I believe in love/But if love believes in me/Oh, believe in me…”

Ironically, in a track about the ultimate capitulation, U2 share something very important about themselves.

They want their audiences to buy into them being U2 so much, that it hurts.

No Line On The Horizon is the sound of U2 trapped in their ivory tower, going through the motions of being “The World’s Best Band” without really embodying that. For every frail nuance found in the sparse “White As Snow,” there is the forced arena rock of “Unknown Caller.” For every spontaneous and catchy hook punctuating “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight,” there is the forced call to arms of “Cedars Of Lebanon.” In the end, U2 never become more than the sum of their parts, an exercise that sinks the music to a snail’s crawl at best.

All of this reaffirming that U2’s last classic album will probably be All That You Can’t Leave Behind.

Sadly, U2 have become bored with being a rock band and would much rather become a concept, a symbol for something hopeful and grand rather than the actual inspiration for such. As a result, the music has become painfully methodical, to the point where self-plagiarism is mistaken as “signature U2.” Yet, I suppose that’s what the 2009 incarnation of U2 looks like, a band content with presenting a mediocrity that mimics their once vibrant expression.

For fans, there seems to be only one way to address that: Shame on you, U2.

Sounds Like: The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (Explosions In The Sky), Ghosts I-IV (Nine Inch Nails), The Unforgettable Fire (U2)

Key Cuts: Magnificent, Moment Of Surrender, I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight

Click on the artwork to sample some of No Line On The Horizon for yourself!