woohoo!! the exams are over!! finally!! freedom!!! freedom i say!!! speaking of which, i bought
U2's new album 2 days (no pun intended seriously) ago when it was released~ to be honest, i was kinda planning to dowload the songs and test it out first because seeing as how the past few
U2 albums have been, they have several killer tracks, some mediocre tracks and some just plain crap but hey, they're the world's greatest band (as acclaimed by some) so i cant hold anything against them i suppose? anyway, i walked sluggishly to the local
Big-W near my place and i was surprised to see it still available in the CD/DVD limited release so i just grabbed it and pay and ran home in anticipation~ pfft, i'm a marketing strategist's dream come true~ lol~ anyway, i only had a brief listen that day but now, i've finally listened to the album properly so here goes a review! woot!!
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
the overall packaging was pretty standard but it had a bonus DVD which included some live/studio performances and an interview and some bits about some of the song writing's process. i especially liked the part where
Bono (vox) was talking about songwriting with instruments and when he mentioned the part about
The Edge (guitars/keyboards) playing the piano and he mimicked
Larry (drummer) and
Adam (bassist) going "ah f... not again, we're never gonna get a rock song out of him"~ lol~ and
Bono sorta gave a revelation that
The Edge is more of a person into melodies rather than an all-out rocking thingy~ explains their trademark guitar tones then~ by the way, this album was dedicated to
Bono's late father and it's interesting to note that under the inner loop of the CD (the plastic part), usually, there's things written there such as ID numbers and the album's name and such but for this album, it's written "i miss you sugar" =) a message for his dad? or loved one? hmm.. i think it's quite interesting~ heheh~
01. Vertigo
this song was the first single that came out before the album's release. a good rocker track with a catchy riff and a decent enough catchy chorus. overall, i think it's just an ok song coming from
U2. nothing really groundbreaking but i loved
The Edge's guitarwork throughout the song (and most of the album!). the videoclip is quite interesting i must say, it has the band performing in the desert and with circle's moving up and down around them. it's quite cool i reckon~
02. Miracle Drug
here, we're introduced to the first gem of the album. it starts out with some synths and
The Edge plucking some notes.
Bono's voice enters like a silent lullaby and the song quickly builds up to the emotional chorus. i especially love the line, "
love makes no sense of space, and time... will dissapear"~ i dono, it just rings a powerful note under the song's context i reckon. the prelude to the guitar solo has
The Edge experimenting with some wicked tones~
03. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
this is definitely the BEST track of the album... it starts out quite slowly with a typical arrangement which makes one think it might be just a boring song but once the song reaches it's verse, things start to climb more emotional depths... coupled with
The Edge's trademark guitar and the chorus just seamlessly wades into heavenly territory~ really lovely ballad... this song is actually written about
Bono's father and was performed the day he passed away... "
it's you when i look into the mirror"... he sees his dad in himself~ =) the song reaches a climax during the bridge and you get some really emotional singing from the man himself~ personally, i think this song is flawless and it'd definitely end up as a single! (;P)
04. Love and Peace or Else
after 2 slow songs, we're met with another rocker~ not a good rocker track though~ the song starts with some weird industrial-ish noises... overall, the song has a very classic rock feel towards it... it sounds like something
Jet will do and i'm personally not a fan of those kinda music.. sure, the riff is catchy and all but the chorus is just weak in overall.. boring track for me~
05. City of Blinding Lights
thank
God, we're back to some good music... i'd say the overall arrangement is great and melodious... it's a mid-tempo ballad and has some nice keyboard/piano bits at the intro... the chorus is kinda catchy with the "oohHHh oHhhh"'s but not my cup of tea... the verse is nice though~ and i kinda grow to like it after a while but it could do with a so much more better chorus >_<
06. All Because of You
this song begins abruptedly with a screeching guitar note and here we go again to some classic rock~ lol, i guess you can already sense i dont like this song?? hehehe~ this track is kinda like "
Love and Peace or Else" and it's pretty much a throwaway track for me -_- next!
07. A Man and a Woman
the song starts off with some acoustic strumming which emotes a carefree feeling... when
Bono's voice comes in, you know right away that this is another instant classic
U2 song! i really love this song too.. it's a kinda romantic song which gives out a melancholic feeling... the thing i love about
U2 (and MANY other japanese rock bands) is that they often have simple songs but they have lots of effects here and there that spices up a song and it often elevates a good song to fantastic~ =) this song is kinda catchy but i dont think many will like it~
08. Crumbs from Your Table
gosh~ the guitar line intro is lovely~ this is another mid-tempo rocker song and it's pretty good i reckon~ in the DVD, it was said that
Bono wrote this song with
The Edge when they were drunk or something like that.. hahaha...
09. One Step Closer
"
one step closer to the edge, and i'm about to breakK!KK!" lol~ nope~ no nu-metal here~ it's another soft and beautiful song... the intro starts with some dreamy synths and atmospherics...
Bono sings cautiously throughout the entire song and he keeps repeating the line, "
one step closer to knowing" which does get a bit too repetitive and boring... and that's the chorus so it's just an alright track in my opinion but i love the arrangement...
10. Original of the Species
U2 played this song when they promoted their iPod... this is another fantastic song in my opinion~ with uplifting and emotional vocals from
Bono... this is one of the few songs in this album that builds well and has a great chorus and it's good! =DD the overall song has a bit of a nostalgic feeling especially during the chorus~
11. Yahweh
finally, the last track of the album... it has a great orchestraed intro to it... giving it a very epic feeling~ like when you've just finished watching a great movie and the credits have started to roll, reminding you of the "journey" you've just been through~ =) overall, it's quite a beautiful song except that the chorus falls a bit short >_<>_<>Miracle Drug", "
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", "
A Man and a Woman" and "
Original of the Species"~ to think they spent 4 years on this album~ hmm... should've gotten a much better album with 4 years, guys~ but all is forgiven with those 4 fantastic+flawless tracks... and now, it's time for me to sleep and ponder what a life i'm leading (after exams, write album review -_- sheesshh) goodnight world~
