U2start.com | Disappointed with NLOTH? Tell us about it here.

To me, the new album sounds like the outtakes and b-sides of HTDAAB and AYCLB that were retooled into passable songs, then seasoned with Eno.

The result is an album that has no clear 'theme', and feels patchwork, but is reminicent in places of Passengers.

The very phrase "No Line on the Horizon" could have been tooled into a beautiful couplet of lyrics for a refrain but "No. No Line on the Horizon. No, No line." GEEZ!!! Come on, Bono!

Indeed I think the B-man has spent way too much time out of the studio while everyone else was making a record - it shows. Musically, it was BEAUTIFUL in places, by far the most beautiful music U2 has produced in years upon years. Lush, elegant sonic landscapes, that reminded me of Joshua Tree, Unforgettable Fire, Achtung Baby.. tremendously great music.

Lyrically..... come on. He can do better, he has done better. I know it was hard for him. Gossip coming out of the Studio said he was wandering around, disgusted, and writing his name on all the food that was his because he had such writers block.

Anyone reminded of what happened when the lyrics got stolen for October?

Then we have him discussing his writers block...

Back then we had: "I can't stop to dance/this is my last chance"

Now we have

"Yesterday I spent asleep
Woke up in my clothes in a dirty heap
Spent the night trying to make a deadline
Squeezing complicated lives into a simple headline"

Somethings don't change...

However, with all my griping over the lyrics, I will say... I feel in places this album has the most autobiographical and less allegorical/allusions to God (and more straightforward blatant stating what he's talking about) words that he's ever written.

I do think certain ideas have been used up, like his thoughts on grace, his thoughts on women (Saint Ali and his mom).. I would have liked the ideas behind "I know I'll go crazy..." to have been expanded upon as that refrain diminshes what is an otherwise terrific set of lyrics.

I find it interesting, "I don't wanna talk about wars between the nations"... as someone that has made his second job as a stateseman... to now be singing about Sexy Boots and women... I think those recent pictures of him with the girls in the caribbean were leaked on purpose perhaps to 'tarnish' his image a bit paving the way for this new persona shift? (ie: like the Fly but without leather suit and glasses)

At any rate they've given us a lot to think about/argue over.. it is not a masterpiece (like JT, AB), but it's absolutely a U2 album which will rate in my shelf around Pop - take the fantastic songs off of it for my rotation, and leave the rest for more deeper contemplation days.

(EDIT: My U2-trivia was off by 1 album. Forgive me. Been a while since I discoursed about them to anyone who knew anything)

u2mexico

16 years

Originally posted by Alex:I'm not a native English speaker, so I have difficulties in discerning good from mediocre lyrics - and I haven't yet taken time to read them all and think about them. So I will say nothing to this subject.

But I think we do have good album musically. It's got diversity, it's got an album feel, it's mostly quite catchy, and it's got some sonic depth. It's somewhere in the middle between JT and AB without being as impressingly masterful - but not too far behind.

Not disappointed at all.

Gonna give it a few more spins...

Alex

I am not native English speaker and agree 100%..........gonna give it more spins too..... I could only add for me it is definitely not in their top 5 recordings.
I can't wait for the U2 live experience, hopefully they will come to Australia.
Never disapointed ....

Alex

16 years

I think it will end up in my U2 top 5 - probably behind AB, JT and HTDAAB at rank 4.

Alex

JuJuman

16 years

That's not bad at all - HTDAAB was a great album. Who's number 5?

superkev

16 years

Originally posted by julienmurzi:That's not bad at all - HTDAAB was a great album. Who's number 5?

HTDAAB IS NOT A GREAT ALBUM

LenaF

16 years

Disappointed? I was expecting something big and ended up with something enormous. Could be their best album by far (in my opinon of course). Seems to be a grower, and the thing is -- I instantly liked it very much. And after hearing it three times I can honestly say that I love it. And there is so still so much more to discover. It's the beginning of a musical journey!

The only problem is that the album sounds so much better with headphones than from my mini speakers, so I don't have the opportunity to listen as much as I would like. Improvement is luckily on the way, stereo equipment wise.

jdoyle84

16 years

Originally posted by superkev:[..]

HTDAAB IS NOT A GREAT ALBUM

In your opinion.

Yogi

16 years

Originally posted by superkev:[..]

HTDAAB IS NOT A GREAT ALBUM

TRY TO TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK SOMETIMES YEAH YEA YEA

Alex

16 years

Please stop screaming at me. You're entitled to your own opinions but you don't add any credibility if you continually use Caps Lock. Thank you.

HTDAAB is a great album IMHO and ranks at my personal No.3 of all U2 albums. If NLOTH manages to stay at No.4 then TUF would be pushed down to No.5. See here for details: http://www.u2start.com/topic/927//156/11/

Alex

gwiz

16 years

Originally posted by Alex:Please stop screaming at me. You're entitled to your own opinions but you don't add any credibility if you continually use Caps Lock. Thank you.

HTDAAB is a great album IMHO and ranks at my personal No.3 of all U2 albums. If NLOTH manages to stay at No.4 then TUF would be pushed down to No.5. See here for details: http://www.u2start.com/topic/927//156/11/

Alex

It's interesting how you like htdaab and nloth, I though they were polarizing.

LenaF

16 years