U2
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

I practically grew up with U2, they were my favorite band and I always appreciated them in a special way. Above all, I have always admired their early 90s tendency to experiment a bit with sounds far from their clichés; no wonder the album that intrigues me the most (not the best overall, mind you, but the one that personally struck me the most) is 'Zooropa', which brings the search for a new sound to the paroxysm.

That said, in 2000 I had hoped that U2 would continue at least a little on the same path, that is, that they would strive to maintain a commercial profile, but more refined and not too flashy. Unfortunately, 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' disappointed me quite a bit. Oh well. Two years later a 'Best of 90\2000' stayed at a low level, because apart from some effective new arrangements of strong tracks (Numb and Gone above all) the choice of songs turned out to be disappointing. Well, I thought, they are still U2, after all it's just a best of, the next studio album will be something else...

Rumors about the new upcoming album were consistent. There was talk of a "return to origins": a phrase that has always irritated me a bit because it gives me the impression of hiding a clear lack of ideas. But, I told myself, U2 are all over 40, they're not kids looking for affirmation, and with a bank account that it's reductive to define as stratospheric, maybe it's normal that the stimuli wane... Then I heard Bono himself talk about an album that recalled the sounds of the Led Zeppelin, and also something like "it will be our Who's Next". Okay, I quite liked this; at least it would be something more juicy and lively than the previous one, too soft and slack. I heard the producer was changed during the recordings, Steve Lillywhite came back replacing Brian Eno. It's not a good sign when these things happen, but I was still hopeful.

The album comes out in 2004. 4 long years of waiting to have in my hands a clone (albeit very expensive and accompanied by a useless DVD: I know, I made a stupid mistake, I could have bought the normal version...) of 'All That You Can't Leave Behind': the sound is identical, nothing changes at all; maybe fewer keyboards in the background, but it's not a big difference. And the ideas are frighteningly absent. The single "Vertigo" I already knew. Opening with a bang, a lively and spirited song, but come on... Is that it? After three listens it gets boring, it's enticing, very MTV, which says it all; and if it was even played in discos, then something went wrong. "Miracle Drug" comes on, and things get better: as a song in itself, it's not bad, a suggestive start, calm and ethereal, then the pace picks up, and it's all heard before: typical drumming, diligent bass in Clayton style but pretty banal, very predictable arpeggios of The Edge. It looks better than Vertigo, though, with Bono in shape in his classic vocals.

The first serious blow with "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own": a title like that already makes you think of some sappy ballad, and indeed we're right there. My impression is that it's a very pale reworking of the not-so-excellent but surely better "Stuck In A Moment" from the previous album, yet it's a carbon copy of U2 themselves; given how the change of style was trumpeted before the album's release, I must say the disappointment was burning. The emotions are there, the style, the class of U2 too, but they are emotions already experienced too many times. Since misfortunes never come singly, a gloomy and apocalyptic noise signals the arrival of "Love And Peace Or Else"; even here the title already reveals everything and makes you suspicious from the first listen. The annoying thing is that it could have been a great song because the violent and slightly electronic rhythms are promising, but they are developed in a way too sketchy and predictable, which shows how far U2 are from their peak. Then the text buries it all.

Thank God, and with great surprise, comes a gem of inestimable value. "City Of Blinding Lights" is the best this album has to offer, in the sense that it stands out as a blinding treasure over the rest. The intro with guitars and keyboards delicately weaving is beautiful; the melody is simple, occasionally sweet and gritty but in my opinion, the magic is here, the piano gives it an astral and evocative touch, something that had been missing for too long in U2's albums. Really good Bono, discreet but incisive, wonderful contrapoints by The Edge, finally a text up to standard, the rhythm section that travels like a sail on fabulous seas, in the best band tradition. I have to say that I like this song a lot, and I would place it in the Pantheon of great classics.

Not bad "All Because Of You", which I don't know why reminds me a lot of the Rolling Stones; it's a sparse and dry piece with a good guitar by The Edge, but after a few listens it doesn't give any more than that. Horrendous "A Man And A Woman", very similar to "Wild Honey" on the 2000 album, boring and without developments. Melodic rock with few ideas and not much to say also about "Crumbles From Your Table", which doesn't stand out for originality. Everything is very well cared for and well done, but it feels routine. "One Step Closer" is a very relaxed and understated composition, rather pleasant, which starts discreetly with distant guitars and subdued percussions, then unfolds over a carpet of keyboards and dreamy arpeggios; in the end it's not bad. Lounge-like and somewhat snobbish "Original Of The Species", provided with background strings and The Edge's usual clear guitar in the chorus. Nice song, but again not memorable and quite standard. The formula repeats itself without appeal also in the concluding track "Yahweh", which draws on the religious inspiration "Grace " from the previous album; Bono plays the preacher, and in my opinion, he doesn't do it well. Musically it’s a banal and dull closing, with just a little more spice in the chorus, but I'll never stop repeating it, it sounds like reheated soup, of things already done and heard.

Here's what remains after so much waiting and so many misleading statements; fundamentally disappointment, a bit of dismay, nostalgia, and a hint of irritation. Because it's about U2, people who know how to make music and convey emotions; the (few) good ideas in the album remain, with the great exception of "City Of Blinding Lights", all at the embryonic stage. The album is surely well curated, with technically impeccable sound, but it says nothing new, and indeed in some respects, it's even a step back: I think of the blatant pandering of "Vertigo" or the degenerations of "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", which just sounds like recycling to me. Not to mention black holes like "Love And Peace Or Else" and "A Man And A Woman".

Personally, I feel that all this is sad to admit, but as a great U2 fan since the very beginning, I have to say that this album represents for me an open wound. I no longer even know if I should hope for their next work. I console myself by thinking that at least there's one song here that in my opinion renews the ancient glories, but I hope this pearl does not remain an isolated case in mature U2, or worse does not represent for them a melancholic, albeit dazzling, Requiem.