The album cools down noticeably near the end. "Fez - Being Born" opens with a minute-long, trancelike dirge before jarringly switching gears and plunging into 0061 more upbeat jam. "White as Snow" and "Cedars of Lebanon" begin with hypnotic keyboards and give way to slow-paced, reflective verses. Some of the songs, such as "Moment of Surrender" and "Unknown Caller," stretch to six and seven minutes.
Bono can still turn a phrase. On the plodding "Moment of Surrender," he sings "I tied myself with wire / to let the horses roam free / playing with fire / until the fire played with me." But he has plenty of lines that make you scratch your head, too. "I've got a submarine / you've got gasoline," he sings on "Get on Your Boots." What?
No Line on the Horizon might not spawn as many hits or sell as many albums as U2's last album. But the band's willingness to experiment again is worth celebrating.
