Thought I’d put the songs on U2’s No Line on the Horizon in order of favourites. This was harder than I thought. I’ll Go Crazy, Breathe and Stand up comedy are all competing for the honour of being my least favourite song on the album. I don’t mind I’ll Go Crazy, but I know I’ll go off it fairly soon and I may come to appreciate Breathe or Stand up comedy, despite the rock leaning.
- Moment of Surrender
- Cedars of Lebanon
- No Line on the Horizon
- FEZ-Being Born
- Magnificent
- White as Snow
- Unknown Caller
- Get On Your Boots
- I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
- Breathe
- Stand up comedy
I didn’t at first but now I’ve heard the album a few times, I’m starting to hear the influences that were mentioned to me over the last few months. Kraftwerk (Being Born particularly, but No Line as well) more so than Portishead. Bits and pieces remind me of the Babel-soundtrack, but that’s obviously the band’s recording sessions in North-Africa paying off. A lot of the songs feature piano, which always reminds of Bowie.
Moment of Surrender takes me to a similar place as Kite did, but darker, more raw. It works on the tear ducts even if I’m not sure why. Must be something in the vocal.
A propos of nothing… I don’t think I’ve ever heard a rockband’s lyrics been picked on quite as much as U2’s. So Bono’s King of Clunk. You know, they do advise newsreaders to speak with a quirk. Why? Because it makes you listen.
I’m clearly in full U2-apologist mode and thus no fun anymore. Hey, I used to write in to the NME’s reader’s column to defend them. At least I gave up on that in the 80s.