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Gordon, the review doesn't blow me away. For the U2 with the bomb, there hasn't been any return to their roots. Just some well-crafted pop-rock. After an initial shout of "masterpiece," one quickly realizes how much the songs from the bomb are enjoyable at first but become tiresome just as fast. You notice the plastic sound, the excessive overdubs, but above all, the historically low voice of Bono ex vox. The songs might be catchier than Zooropa, but they are less thrilling. The only exceptions are the extraordinary "City of Blinding Lights" and the innovative "Love and Peace or Else." As for the rest, "Sometimes" doesn't hold up when compared to Bono's other song, "Kite."
"Vertigo"? Nice for live performances and moments of fun, but absolutely superficial (lyrics included). The two little sisters, "Miracle Drug" and "Original of the Species," are two lovely little songs, but one is a bit too sweet, and the other is too poppy to be true U2. "One Step Closer" and "Crumbs" are practically useless and filler. What remains? "Yahweah." Nice, but it has been better utilized acoustically in live performances.
In essence? A good album that lifts spirits a bit but is contemporary music; from U2, we expect much more than a plastic product to feed the commercial machine.

October is an album that serves as an interlude between an excellent debut and a masterpiece. It has its reasons. Never before have U2 tackled such deeply personal themes in such a true yet introspective manner, perhaps at times too much. A flaw of the album: a few too many tracks do not satisfy from a strictly sonic perspective and feel a bit drawn out.
Merit: the depth. The title track above all. The band's first true masterpiece, absolutely not to be overlooked, and a song capable of conveying incredible sensations. It’s worth the price of the entire album.