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Marx's dictum about history held that its repetitions degenerate from tragedy to farce. Apparently no one told Bono and company, whose phoenix-like rebirth since 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind has been heavily indebted to innovative sonic reproductions of the band's back catalog. Indeed, like seasoned jazz performers, U2 have opted to trade headlong exploration for refinement of technique, and there's nothing farcical about it. Even an album like No Line On the Horizon, which owes its more searching sound to the itchy period that began with 1991's Achtung Baby carries itself with a maturity and, yes, world-weariness that speaks to experience, not repetition. Much as Achtung fed off the energy of post-wall Berlin, No Line draws inspiration from Fez, Morocco, with its mix of arid desert vista and teeming, chintzy souk. "Magnificent," with its synths echoing a Cairo soundtrack orchestra, and "Moment of Surrender," whose looped percussive hiccups recall Gnawa trance music, seem particularly indebted to North African aural architecture. This richness comes courtesy of classic collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who make a peace with the kicky garage-rock ("Get on Your Boots") and the more spacious vibes of '80s U2. (Steve Lillywhite, credited with additional production, completes the Achtung reunion - but where's Flood?) The result is simultaneously new and vintage as a pair of factory-distressed blue jeans.
Condition:Brand new factory sealed
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