U2 “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”
Interscope Records
In theory, U2’s new album should be its best in years.
“How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” has everything a
great U2 album needs: soaring choruses as only Bono can sing them,
the Edge’s trademark delayed guitars, and even a song about
God (“Yahweh”). Unfortunately, the aging Irish band
took its album title literally, and “Bomb” fails to
explode. U2 has always said its only remaining contemporary is REM,
and following suit of REM’s “Around the Sun,” U2
has suddenly gotten old. While Stipe and company have been drifting
into easy-listening for quite some time, U2 has been doing its best
to stave off the lethargy of the aging process. The band’s
previous album, “All That You Can’t Leave
Behind,” was a return to the rock “˜n’ roll
anthems its success was founded on, and “Bomb” is
another step in that general direction. “Bomb” starts
out with “Vertigo,” a song with loud, brash guitars and
clear intentions. With its fast pace and heavy riffing, it signals
a return of the rock “˜n’ roll animal Bono promised to
unleash. But the track is marred by sounding more like Ryan
Adam’s version of the 1980s, “1974,” than the
band’s own, and if opening the track with “Uno, dos,
tres, catorce!” is supposed to be a punk rock-style flub or a
self-referential dig at the band’s age or growing number of
albums, it’s more sad than funny. The riffing continues later
in the album with “All Because Of You,” which succeeds
with a better arrangement and a clever vocal harmony. The album
runs heavy on the ballads, and songs like “Miracle
Drug,” “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your
Own” and “A Man And A Woman” are all as powerful
and sweeping as we’ve come to expect from U2. If nothing here
is as poignant as “With Or Without You,” the songs are
consistently melodic and often enthralling. “You don’t
have to put up a fight/You don’t have to always be right/Let
me take some of the punches/For you tonight,” Bono sings on
“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own,” and
themes of romantic love permeate the album. One would think
Bono’s been wooing a new sweetheart rather than traveling the
globe as a political activist. The closest thing to a political
statement comes with “Love And Peace Or Else,” which
says nothing more specific than “We need love and
peace.” Still, politics have become increasingly removed from
U2’s music over the years, and along with it the passion that
made it one of the best bands in the world. U2 has replaced anger
for irony with “Achtung Baby,” but even that seems to
have disappeared. What remains is a sound and songwriting depth
honed from years of performance. “Bomb” is a strong
album, and far better than any of the modern competition. At this
point in the game, though, the band is only competing with itself,
and that’s where U2 runs into problems. “Yahweh”
shows flashes of what “Bomb” could’ve been. A
classic U2 track, it moves with an urgency missing from much of the
album. Bono’s lyrics are specific yet universal, creating
just enough imagery to make the song effective, and the familiarity
of the Edge’s guitar playing deepens the emotional ties.
Though all the right pieces are in place, “How To Dismantle
An Atomic Bomb” is missing the spark that could’ve
really had the album going nuclear. -David Greenwald