Reviewed by John Cheek
Last month the Brits presented their Lifetime Achievement Award to the Pet Shop Boys for services-to-music. An accolade awarded to a band from Dublin, eight years previously. The two-man Pet Shops are well known for being identified personally with a certain, ahem, label ; albeit something which hasn t directly influenced their music too overtly. Having been around for even longer, U2 are similarly known for another, somewhat different description - but in their case, their Christianity directly (and indirectly) shines through all that they do: and it shines on this, their 12th and possibly most acclaimed studio album. Put it this way. Were it to be their last, it would mean going out on a high point. Way to go, because U2 have the album they probably wanted to make, the one they would ve made four years ago, when attempting a stripped-down, raw record and discovered they couldn t maintain it for more than a few songs; when they chose to then add flashes of