It might come as a surprise that Rolling Stone has named No Line on the Horizon as Best Album of the Year, with Moment of Surrender as Best Song (which is a pretty amazing song: read about its development here). This album certainly marks a new expression of creativity for U2, and they still don’t think they have made their best album yet (good news for Joshua Tree lovers?) In a recent interview, the Edge was asked about the band’s belief that their best music as still to come. His response lends wisdom for creativity:

We all genuinely believe it. It’s not arrogance. It’s because we are still hungry. There’s no reason why we can’t do this. You think about other art forms and artists – filmmakers, painters, sculptors. It doesn’t follow that your best work is done in your late twenties, early thirties, and then it’s downhill. Unfortunately, that’s the way rock & roll has panned out. But we don’t buy that. Our only limitation is our ability to apply ourselves, to be hard-minded on our work. We push and push until we get to those special pieces of music, those lyrics. And it doesn’t arrive on call. You can’t turn it on. It needs time spent and time spent in the right frame of mind.

While I’m on the topic of U2, you might consider this powerful quote as a means of grace to stir your Christmas affections. Don’t just read it; meditate on it. Merry Christmas!

The idea that God, if there is a force of Logic and Love in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain itself and describe itself by becoming a child born in straw poverty, in shit and straw…a child… I just thought: “Wow!” Just the poetry … Unknowable love, unknowable power, describes itself as the most vulnerable. There it was. I was sitting there, and it’s not that it hadn’t struck me before, but tears came streaming down my face, and I saw the genius of this, utter genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this

And here’s a bonus, the new song “Winter” off the Brothers soundtrack. Moving.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DiegKVXpCs]

U2 producer Brian Eno is interviewed about the making of “The Moment of Surrender”, which also happens to be one of my favorites from the album. Interestingly, the song was only played once, in the studio, where it came together and stuck!

Eno’s description of the song creation is insightful, not just for U2 fans, but also for anyone concerned with creativity. The creative process was transcendent and collaborative, as Bono put it: “Instead of going into the studio to find the music, the music found us.” Eno described this experience like “channeling the song”, which brought to mind Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on the necessity of artist’s finding a muse.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mYx0dt9iKE]

On the heels of attending the 360 Degree Tour and watching the global webcast of the Rose Bowl concert last night, I’ve been thinking…

There’s something about a U2 concert that makes you want to create. The sheer creativity of a U2 concert is staggering. The past 5 or 6 tours, save the stripped down Elevation tour, have been jam-packed with an awe-inspiring fusion of art and technology. From massive German cars on stilts to larger than life lemons, to a 360 degree screen that expands to triple its size, U2 continues to push the boundaries of technology for the sake of art. The magnitude of these spectaculars border on the absurd, until you realize that each prop, each piece is weighted in symbolism. The POP tour, for instance boasted shopping carts, a massive lemon and olive, and a few other props as if to say: “Look around you. You’ve bought into a life of meaningless, larger than life, pop life.” To quote Bono, ”

You know you’re chewing bubble gum, you know what it is but you still want some. You know you’re chewing bubble gum. You just can’t get enough of that lovey-dovey stuff.”

There’s something about a U2 concert that makes you want to give. For all the pomp and circumstance, millions spent on entertainment, and theatrics, U2 continues to use their success to put other causes first. For years they have advocated for the poor, the oppressed, and the helpless. They call us to create, to enjoy great music, but they don’t stop there. They call us through those experiences to engage the global poor and helpless. To join the ONE campaign, to Free Burma, to work with Amnesty International, to live for others not merely for ourselves. To fight for the miracle drug:

“In science and in medicine, I was a stranger You took me in, I’ve had enough of romantic love I’d give it up, yeah, I’d give it up For a miracle, a miracle drug”

There’s something about a U2 concert that makes you want to worship. The raw emotive power alone moves you to sing, to rejoice, to feel for something bigger. Every concert has that song, that moment when the entire crowd is caught up into a moment of ecstasy, of worship. There’s probably a hundred gods at that moment, gods of creativity, success, emotion, power, personality, charisma, talent. But if you listen closely, there’s an unmistakable refrain in Bono’s lyrics, a refrain of worship that points to God, even to Christ. During the 360 Degree Tour, just before he sang ‘Where the Streets Have No Name,” Bono sang “Amazing Grace,” a grace that saves “wretches like me.” Apparently Bono isn’t going PC on that lyric. Now, this grace could be attributed to a lot of things, but Bono sticks with the author of Grace—Jesus. After Amazing Grace, he introduced Where the Streets Have No Name,” with this statement:

“This one’s for you Jesus, glory to the one who died and rose from the grave.”

Whether we agree or not, like it or not, the worship emanating from Bono’s vocal chords, from his soul, is praise to his Magnificent Creator and Redeemer. To Jesus.

Achtung Baby! A conference on all things U2 is being held in Durham, NC on Oct 2-4 to explore the philosophy, theology, art, and history of U2. From the website:

We’re bringing together scholars, teachers, students, journalists, clergy, musicians and intellectually curious U2 fans for a rich program of exploring this truly one-of-a-kind band for a truly one-of-a-kind conference, and we hope you’ll be in the room.

More HERE.

Yeah, thanks to Zac I am streaming the new album for free from here right now. Select No Line On the Horizon from the drop down menu in the player. Killer. The first two tracks are mellow but contagious.

• “Magnificent” articulates Bono’s conviction that his voice was given to him from God for the magnificent One. The music is October meets Unforgettable Fire.
• “Moment of Surrender” grooves, soul..these songs will reverberate through the whole stadium live.

Get On Your Boots

The first release off of No Line On the Horizon was sort of disappointing. “Get on Your Boots” is super-pop not vintage U2, but this is something I have come to expect from their first radio releases (Discotheque/Pop, Vertigo/Atomic Bomb, etc). However, the reviews I keep reading hold out the promise of yet another U2 reinvention with Lanois tinkering with the sound quite a bit. It’s going to be a progressive album.

Levitate (Spirit Come on Down)

Austin 360′s review strikes a similar chord. In fact, Joe Gross gives us a track line-up from best to worst: 4-3-2-1-7-8-9-11. And as if the new album wasn’t enough, U2 has released ‘U2:Medium, Rare and Remastered‘ a limited edition double disk collection of rare tracks and lost early cuts spanning three decades in the studio with U2.The catch is a $50 members fee to U2.com, which came in handy for me during Atomic Bomb tour, affording me the opportunity to buy tickets ahead of the crowd. Plus, you do get access to some cool stuff. You can listen to “Levitate” a surging anthem that reverberates with spiritual power, a song I’ll be singing the rest of the day. The lyrics dip into that great b-side “Always” from All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Enjoy!

McCormick offers a great review of U2′s forthcoming No Line On the Horizon. An excerpt:

To me, it is probably the album ‘Zooropa’ was supposed to be, building on the sonic architecture of classic U2 and taking it into the pop stratosphere. But what a place for a band to be, in orbit around their own myth, making music that bounces off the inside of a listeners skull, charged with ideas and emotions, groovy enough to want to dance to, melodic enough to make you sing along, soulful enough to cherish, philosophical enough to inspire, and with so many killer tracks it might as well be a latterday greatest hits. It is, at the very least, an album to speak of in the same breath as their best and what other band of their longevity can boast of that?

read the rest…to see what Bono thinks…

It is official! No Line on the Horizon will be released on March 2nd in the UK and March 3rd in the US. You can stream the first song, “Get on Your Boots.”   Definitely not love at first hear, but I don’t usually like the first single release on any of their albums, i.e. Discotheque/Pop, Vertigo/HTDAAB. Here is the NLOTH line-up:

1. No Line On The Horizon
2. Magnificent
3. Moment of Surrender
4. Unknown Caller
5. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
6. Get On Your Boots
7. Stand Up Comedy
8. Fez – Being Born
9. White As Snow
10. Breathe
11. Cedars Of Lebanon

No Line On The Horizon will be available in five formats;

- Standard jewel case – with album CD and 24 page booklet

- Digipak format – limited edition with album CD, 32 page colour booklet and fold out poster. Features access to exclusive downloadable Anton Corbijn film.

- Magazine format – limited edition with album CD, with 64 page magazine. Features access to exclusive downloadable Anton Corbijn film.

- Box format – limited edition bespoke box containing digipak format album CD, DVD of Anton Corbijn’s exclusive film, 64 page hardback book, plus a fold out poster.

- LP vinyl – limited edition with 2 black vinyl discs, gatefold sleeve, and a 16 page booklet.

- Preorder from Amazon US

No Line On The Horizon, the new studio album from U2, will be released on Monday 2nd March 2009. Written and recorded in various locations, No Line On The Horizon is the group’s 12th studio album and is their first release since the 9 million selling album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, released in late 2004. Check out an early release, “I Believe in Father Christmas”;

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jgswWMlUN8]

Sessions for No Line On The Horizon began last year in Fez, Morocco, continued in the band’s own studio in Dublin, before moving to New York’s Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and finally being completed at Olympic Studios in London. The album calls on the production talents of long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite.

Great interview with the Edge that describes the new album in greater detail.The words: “innovative”, “U2″, “new”, “piano” all stood out. I’m excited!

Bonus: Listen to two leaked tracks here.

I became a fan of Keane the first time I heard them live, opening for U2 during the Atomic Bomb tour (side note: Bono’s Recent Speech). The combination of guitarless, piano driven music, soaring vocals, and reflective lyrics makes Keane a unique band. Although Hopes and Fears is their best known album. Under the Iron Sea was a great follow up, featuring some great songs like “Crystal Ball”, “Frog Prince”, “Hamburg Song”. With the release of their latest album Perfect Symmetry, Keane has reworked their sound considerably.

Perfect Symmetry is like Keane meets Culture Club, a real 80s throw back sound. These guys are, after all, children of the 80s. At first I didn’t like it; I love the old, classy Keane, but I haven’t take PS out of my cd player in a week. The first half of the album contains the synthesized sound that smacks of the 80s, but the second half of the album is like the old Keane. There’s no doubt they had fun making this album.

My son loves what he calls “The Monkey Song” also known as “Pretend that You’re Alone.” It’s a song about the ramifications of biological and social darwinism. Tom ties Darwinism to the selfish gene in the following lyric:

We are just the monkeys who fell out of the trees
We are blisters on the earth
And we are not the flowers, we’re the strangling weeds in the meadow
And love is just our way of looking out for ourselves
When we don’t want to live alone
So step into the vacuum, tear off your clothes and be born again

If we are just monkeys that fell out of the trees, then love is simply an emotion, a biological secretion designed for self-protection. Surround yourself with people who “love” you enough to protect you. Of course, this often backfires because our selfish love is more selfish that we could ever imagine. Darwinism empties love of any virtue. Makes you long for an absolute Love.

The rest of the album is scattered with lyrically reflective, poppy 80s tunes. A thought provoking combination. After all, the ideas and experiences Tom Chaplin kicks around are far from pop in substance. Hope you pick it up and enjoy it.