"In the days/When we were swinging from the trees/I was a monkey/Stealing honey from a swarm of bees." Accompanied by a folksy strumming of the guitar, the above lines kick off "Wild Honey," the seventh track off of U2's first album in three years, All That You Can't Leave Behind.
U2
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Interscope Records
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To even the most casual listener, "Wild Honey's" overwhelming whimsy and the remaining 10 tracks' simplistic rock construction are a stunning departure from the Irish foursome's evolution in the 1990s from traditional guitar-driven rockers to dabblers in any form of electronic enhancement.
On All That You Can't Leave Behind Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen have seemingly rediscovered an innocence that evaporated as far back as War with a maturity that can only come from 40 years of existence.
The harsh, dark undertones that have been apparent in recent haunting works like "Love is Blindness" and "Wake Up Dead Man" have been washed away by raw, electrifying rock verse such as "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On."
Bono recites carefully constructed syllables "The heart is a bloom, shoots up through the stony ground/But there's no room, no space to rent in this town" in a hushed tone in the opening moments of "Beautiful Day." Then, his rough, yet seductively silky voice cascades through the ears with an energy boost of "It's a beautiful day" paired with a sound explosion from The Edge and company. Not since "Rattle and Hum" has U2 captured emotions with such basic rock 'n' roll technique.
"Walk On" is another rousing example of pared-down U2 at its finest. The Edge once again finds a way to aurally addict the listener to a few guitar chords while Bono belts out the refrain "Walk on, walk on" with a fire that will not soon burn out in the listener's mind (which is apt considering that the song is dedicated to Burmese freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi).
All That You Can't Leave Behind is a memorable and oftentimes stunning record revealing that U2 has not lost and will not anytime soon relinquish an ounce of rock 'n' roll rhythm or passion.
