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U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name

Still a great video, one of U2’s best songs, and one of the best album openings ever. Sure, Bono’s full of himself, but that’s Bono. The real star of this song is Edge. That guitar sound gets me every time.

Hat tip to TechCrunch, of all places.

U2 - Bad

I’m listening to The Unforgettable Fire while I work this afternoon. I love this song. Signature ringing guitar from the Edge.

Friday Cover: Elbow - Running to Stand Still (U2)

A great cover of a great song.

U2 - Unknown Caller

Another great song from No Line on the Horizon. Killer intro: I love Bob’s post on the album, so I’ll let him describe it.

The fourth track, “Unknown Caller”, stars with one electronic note, then an ethereal keyboard comes in, then a guitar, even a hint of “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, but then there’s a riff!  The kind that has you bending at the waist, your gut muscles tightened, playing air guitar all the while. Listening to this cut, I can’t stop thinking about seeing the band.  This is the type of number that comes alive in concert.  You know it, you’ve played the album incessantly in anticipation of seeing the band, and when Edge rips off this explosive note, a shooting star, you’ve got your fist raised in the air, singing along!  When you see your favorite band live, you don’t care what people outside the building think, not what the “New York Times” or haters have to say, this is just for you.  Bands don’t make music for the venue, they make it for the gatekeepers, radio, reviewers, their brethren.  But “Unknown Caller” is made for devotees.

U2 - Moment of Surrender

Bono’s vocals in this song are perfect; something about how he jumps in after the intro just sounds so right. As Kanye once sang, “Take ‘em to church.”

I’ve been listening to this album since it leaked on the interwebs a couple of weeks ago and I bought it today. The short version: No Line on the Horizon is a great album!

There is so much good new music to listen to. It makes it hard for a staple band like U2 to attract attention (just ask REM). But with this album, they deserve it. I just love this thing, from start to finish. No self-indulgent gimmicks. Just excellent songs performed by one of our truly great rock bands.