| U2’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sounds a siren of transition, or at worst the start of decline. And unlike such stylistic misfires as Pop, there’s no commercially suspect artistic ambition to blame here – just the sad prospect of a band currently with no alarms and no surprises. Don’t let the Apple commercial fool you (though that song, “Vertigo,” ends up as the album’s only candidate to match the highs of |
| U2 |
| How to Dismantle ... |
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| 2000’s beloved All That You Can’t Leave Behind). Most of Bomb fizzles with a mid-tempo mishmash of tired Bono vocals and intermittent waves of driving Edge guitar licks.
For U2, that’s a discouraging prospect, especially considering its brand of big songs for people who sometimes feel so small. Going through the motions means no distraction during songs like “City of Blinding Lights” or “Origin of the Species” when Bono-fied pop psychology like “I’ll give you everything you want/Except the thing that you want” makes Meatloaf wince. Besides hawking iPods, this album also will help viewers deal with the heavy drama of “The OC” and it’s a perfect fit – enough for everyone in marketing to take notice but not enough to distract from the storyline (or company line) at hand. The one song that probably wouldn’t work in those contexts stands as the album’s best moment – “One Step Closer” recalls the quiet country/gospel leanings of Rattle and Hum. Such are the perils of a sterling reputation. This band doesn’t need a title of The Greatest Band in the World. Any U2 fan knows they’re capable of more than that. |
| Originally published in the December 2004 edition of Take ONE, as written by Hank Brockett |
| "Stick 'em up... Give us all your love." |