Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

A poem is never truly finished, but despite the great Paul Valery’s insight, it is, in the hands of a master, never abandoned, it just waits for right moment to undergo a metamorphosis which transcends its original moment in time, and take on the appearance, the structure of a different period in which the artist can revaluate their place in history. Poetry, art is never finished, but it can undergo a transformation which gives the voyeur and listener alike a reason to keep fighting.

There are going to be two ways in which the listener can take U2’s latest release, Songs of Surrender, and both will have their points and arguments, and both in a way will be correct.

The first will find the alteration to the dynamic to the tracks they have spent a lifetime observing, pumping their fist in the air to, and generally loving their sense of occasion that the band bring to their lives, a less than exhilarating view in which they will find possibly punishing, unedifying, even bleak.

Then there will be those who see the opportunity to hear the poetry within, to find a new wave of expression rumble across their soul, and maybe even appreciate the counter view with a finer sense of love for the songs, and for the band.

Both sides of the argument have their merits, both are astute in their response, however, it is to the emotion that is subtly underpinned that wins out, and whilst it would have been a tremendous boost to the fan to have a new album, a novel set of songs in which weave their thoughts around, the fact is that the songs chosen, four full disc worth, is the drama of seeking a different view, the same scenery, but seen through the eyes of experience, of change, of surrender to the inevitable…for what it is the only inevitable in life, that of change.

Kicking of with One and Where The Streets Have No Name, U2’s stripped down conversation with the listener is to be applauded, for whilst it could be considered a crass exploitation of ages past, it is also a reflection of what did those original songs achieve, for it is with lament that we look upon our own triumphs with the understanding that all success can soon be looked upon as a fleeting, a stepping stone to resignation of spirit.

With treatments offered to songs such as Pride (In The Name Of Love), Stuck In The Moment You Can’t get Out Of, Vertigo, The Fly, Desire, Until The End Of The World, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Peace On Earth, and I Will Follow, what transpires, what is evident is that the power of reflection is denied to many, we stumble on in the ever hopeful, and honest distraction available to us; but it takes a moment of uncertainty, of acknowledging how close we might be toward a certain end, that offers an insight to revaluate our own work, our own time on Earth.

No matter how you view the album, it should be certain that the heartbreak of time plays the tune and pays the piper throughout, and as such it is a beautiful sense of melancholy which offers pain and joy top billing.

Ian D. Hall