U2: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

Reviewed by SCOTT KARA

They're in their early 40s now, they always wear sunglasses - even at night - and they keep rolling out the albums. Sitting down to listen to a new U2 album for the first time isn't exactly a woo-hoo moment, especially when you can't take it away from the record company offices. But you have to admire them.

If 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind was an indication of where they're heading, then their 11th studio album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, sees them nail it, if first impressions are anything to go by.

Vertigo (3:16)
U2 think it's them doing "punk" and "metal". Settle down boys. It is U2 at their best, but it's just rock'n'roll, rather than a more fiery offshoot of the devil's music. An ideal first single, yet a little too close to Elevation from All That You Can't Leave Behind.

Miracle Drug (3:54)
Drummer Larry Mullen jnr bangs the bass drum like a Cook Islands drummer. It's inspiring stuff and Bono's lyrics circle round and round like a vulture, which means you never really know what specifically the song is about.

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (5:05)
Bono sang this at his father's funeral in 2001. Brendan Robert Hewson (Bob) was known as a bit of a tough old bugger, and Bono sings: "We fight all the time you and I / that's alright, we're the same soul." Beautiful and touching.

Love and Peace Or Else (4:48)
Dirty, very dirty. It makes you wonder why U2 don't do away with the polish every now and then. A big PJ Harvey-style bassline and Bono coming across all sexy makes this the most innovative U2 song since The Fly. Overall, the best track on the record.

City Of Blinding Lights (5:46)
Starts off like Sleepless In Seattle and continues to plod on, inoffensively. The most go-nowhere track here - it's about New York by the way. It is saved by the uplifting piano arrangements and Bono's recurring mantra, "Oh you look so beautiful tonight". You have to smile - he is singing about a city, after all.

All Because Of You (3:34)
A more punchy U2 track that's reminiscent of Boy, October and War from the early 80s, but without the political edge and with more polish. It has single release written all over it, but there are better songs here.

A Man And A Woman (4:27)
Starts off acoustic and immediately has a soulful shuffle to it, with a Bono and Adam Clayton (on bass, not singing) break mid-song. Sometimes you forget U2 have a rhythm section, but on Atomic Bomb, Clayton and Mullen jnr are to the fore.

Crumbs From Your Table (4:59)
True passion from Bono. He always was a flirt, which makes this song one for the ladies. And like a lot of this album, it's the extra instruments and sounds - be it the Edge's guitar atmospherics, or Jacknife Lee's synthesiser - that add another dimension.

One Step Closer (3:48)
It's good to know that no matter how big U2 are, they still need a little help from their friends. On this track - which is more like a soundscape than a tune - Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel, Jacknife Lee mixes and plays synth, and they thank Oasis' Noel Gallagher in the credits for some reason.

Original Of The Species (4:34)
It's that time on the album. Get your lighter out, or your cellphone, and wave it in the air. Instead of dealing with world politics, this is Bono helping people out with personal politics and saying, "Be proud of yourself". He's a well-rounded guy.

Yahweh (4:22)
Keep the lighters out for this song, the title of which is the Hebrew word for God. More Edge guitar noodling with electronic oomph, some inspirational verses and towering choruses. It's U2 then? It sure is.

C4
Music channel C4 dedicates a day to U2 today to celebrate Monday's release of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Coverage, starting at 4pm, includes interviews with the band, every video ever made, the making of the Vertigo video, Rattle and Hum (the Joshua Tree tour including backstage, tour bus and live footage), and Live at Slane Castle.

DVD
Videos: Sometimes You Can Make It On Your Own; Crumbs from Your Table; Vertigo (Temple Bar Remix); Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own (Acoustic Couch Video); Vertigo