my name is mwd

Not the biggest U2 fan in the world - I was never into their electronica phase that much with Zooropa/POP (U2 during my undergrad days :), and liked some of their earlier stuff in small doses. With their first Best Of album they redid Sweetest Thing, which was good, and this seemed to set them back on the more guitar driven sound for Everything You Can’t Leave Behind. But this, like Actung Baby, starts off punchy, but then kinda blands out after about 3 tracks and never recovers (I have a soft spot for the track New York though).

Anyway, so I wasn’t that fussed to get a hold of the latest U2 outing, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, but I’ve been pleasently surprised. They open with a reworking on the theme of Elevation, Vertigo - the big punchy rock number, but I think this time they’ve done it better (and it should be banned from being played in the car being that pumped up :), does soft and gentle well with the heartfelt Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own, and finishes up on a fantastic flamenco style with Fast Cars - a new take for them which works really well. And unlike ATYCLB it doesn’t seem to lose it’s energy after 3 tracks.