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Review:
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Disclaimer: To older fans of the band, this review of U2's
All That You Can't Leave Behind shouldn't be much
of a surprise:
Several critics have called R.E.M. the American version of
U2 because of each band's timeliness, relative cohesion, and
longevity. I would add one more element to that comparison:
each band's recent mid-life crisis. Like R.E.M., U2 began their
careers with angry, energetic anthems that spoke to the social
and cultural incongruities of the Reagan-Bush-Thatcher-Major
era. However, both bands ended the century with bland techno
flash, trading in their steel guitar talent for fiberglass drum
machines. With their latest release, U2 may have finally broken
that ugly cycle. This new album is leaner and meaner than anything
they've done in nearly ten years, if not as politically daring
as earlier works. It seems to pick up where Achtung Baby
left off.
I saw their performance on Saturday Night Live
this fall and was not surprised when many called it the best
live performance SNL's ever had. Like the album,
that performance had a mission and message: U2 has come out
of pop-hibernation to offer music for adults. It is a serious
exploration of quiet guitar strings and wise resolutions. The
Edge's bagpipe-riffs can be heard-gently, in the background-while
Brian Eno directs tight synthesizer melodies. These quiet moments
build to complex mixtures of the old and the new in the development
of U2.
The album does have a few drawbacks: the lyrics are a bit too
reflective at times, lapsing into self-indulgent sap and missing
the great commentary of albums like Unforgettable Fire. Also,
the collection lacks that one heart-splitting, vocal-heavy ballad
(One, Pride (In The Name Of Love), etc.) so effective
on earlier albums. Although U2 are perhaps too wise, if not
too old, to convey the urgency of New Year's Day, this
offering is certainly a none-too-soon return to the past. Let's
hope that R.E.M. takes the hint.
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