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Every U2 album since “Pop” has seen the band keep with it’s sound but adapt a new quality that makes them new. Like Richard Patrick recently said in an interview- U2 always tries to grow and change with the times. They always try new things; it doesn’t always work, but they always try new things. “No Line on the Horizon” is largely a new thing from U2. The Edge was hanging out with Jack White before writing and recording this album and you can definitely hear some of that relationship on this record. The guitars are straight-up crusty and distorted like White Stripes on more than a few moments of this record. The biggest indicators of that come during the first five tracks during the record. After that you’re getting that influence/relationship in only spots after the fifth track and you’re getting a more traditional U2 sound for the most part. With “No Line on the Horizon” you’ve got a U2 album that’s decent but different. This isn’t the best U2 album to come out over the past two decades- that title goes to “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” because it was such a monster album- but what you’ve got here is an album that’s similar to “Time Bomb.” Not necessarily wholly in sound, but with the overall traits of the album- it’s a U2 album and it sounds like a U2 album, but it also adapts and groves with a more trendier sound- both with the crusty guitars and by going a little too pop in spots (“Get on Your Boots”.) U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” is a decent album. Everybody’s going to like it- I don’t know how many people are going to love it, but there are songs that really hold up and should be some favorites. You’re going to dig “Breathe”, “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”, “Stand-Up Comic”, and “Moment of Surrender” for sure, but other than that- everything is just okay or a good album track. Nothing amazing with this U2 album. It's not as good as some people are going to say it is, but it does what U2 does best. They stay with what's best about the band but they also adapt and change with the times.