Strange to think that U2 and REM once vied to be the biggest band. As REM head further down a cul-de-sac, U2 remain an object lesson in how to maintain career momentum. One of the keys, it appears, is to ensure that each song has sufficient momentum. Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton, once the stodgiest of rhythm sections, have developed over the years into a ferociously tight unit, propelling How to Dismantle’s best songs into stadium-readiness. The Edge’s opening riff on the opening track, Vertigo, tells us that the band are harking back to their teenage years, listening to the Sex Pistols and the Clash (even if the song’s hook is more White Wedding than White Riot). In fact, the Pistols’ producer, Chris Thomas, helmed the initial sessions for this album before being replaced by Steve Lillywhite. The latter’s arrival signals that the band are sticking with the “classic” U2 sound, as on their last album — a disappointment for those who miss the ambition of the Achtung Baby period, but a reassuring sign for many. Style is secondary to content, though, and the crucial point is that the core of impressive songs here — City of Lights, All Because of You, Vertigo, One Step Closer, Yahweh — will slip effortlessly into U2’s impressive canon.

Island

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