U2 Is Made Of Stars

noah | March 2, 2009 10:00 am

Our look at the closing lines of the week’s biggest new-music reviews continues with a look at reactions to No Line On The Horizon, the 12th studio album by U2:

• “No Line on the Horizon offers idealism spliced with new attitude and the same old grace, and is all the better for it. Memo to U2: Don’t leave this behind.” [Jeff Jensen, EW]

• “Bono knows he was born with a voice. He also knows that without Mullen, Clayton and the Edge, he’d be just another big mouth.” [David Fricke, RS]

• “No Line on the Horizon partakes of that romance by trying to expose its inner workings. It’s risky to expose those delineations; as the band said long ago, it’s like trying to throw your arms around the world. But the effort has its payoffs. An edge discovered is an edge that might be moved.” [Ann Powers, LAT]

• “At its worst, No Line on the Horizon sounds like a collection of songs scrapped during earlier album sessions. But at its best, it’s the sound of a band pushing itself forward, figuring out a way to remain relevant while its frontman soap-boxes and saves the world.” [J. Freedom du Lac, Washington Post]

• “In a way, U2 spoiled their followers by consistently questioning themselves while writing songs that straddled the personal and collective consciousness. But Horizon is clearly playing not to lose—it’s a defensive gesture, and a rather pitiful one at that.” [Ryan Dombal, Pitchfork]

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