My first listen reaction to U2’s 11th studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, heard legally on San Diego’s 91X online radio (though first listens can be deceptive, so take it with a grain of salt. I wasn’t impressed with All That You Can’t Leave Behind on first listen; now it’s my favorite U2 album):

“Vertigo”
-Mmm … still like it.

“Miracle Drug”
-chorus reminds me of “Electrical Storm” with its slowed down pace at moments
-nice keyboards
-I love this line: “Freedom has a scent / Like the top of a newborn baby’s head”

“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”
-Bono’s voice sounds harsh and almost nasal, almost at odds with the music
-what a soaring end

“Love and Peace Or Else”
-Nice beat
-I like the slow build, reminds me of “Where the Streets … ” except I don’t have to turn it up to hear it

“City of Blinding Lights”
-nice keyboard intro
-nice bass line
-slow lyrics, but fast beat

“All Because of You”
-sounds like it was recorded in a tin can
-NME calls it a “garage single” worthy of unseating the Hives

“A Man and a Woman”
-different feeling song from the others
-not sure if I care for this song

“Crumbs From Your Table”
-also reminds me of “Electrical Storm”

“One Step Closer”
-I like it—slow, repetitive chorus, but I like its slow gentle feel

“Original of the Species”
-nice orchestration

“Yahweh”
-“the heaviest song we’ve ever recorded”
-love this lyric: “Take this soul, strand it in some skin and bones / Take this soul and make it sing”
-This might be my album favorite.