Hopefully, U2 can learn from this plundering of the backlogs and archives. It is far better to hear sounds of the time overhauled to a listenable quality than to cover them with contemporary feelings. Picture of You (X+W) is of its time and though it may still hold relevancy now, twenty years on from its first recording, it would not be the same had Bono and the band recorded it now. That is not to say they have lost their edge; they are still trooping on but not writing anything of note. Picture of You is a better route for the band for it provides a shadow over How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. They return to this album twenty years after its release and realise little, if anything, has changed.
Paired with the guitar thrills and genuine classic nature of Country Mile, Pictures of You (X+W) is in good hands. U2 has a backlog of entertaining and vibrant, detailed materials. How to Reassemble an Atomic Bomb depends on its worrying relevancy. The horrors of the real world allow the undertones of Picture of You (X+W) to thrive in their own way. Even now the lyrics feel somewhat contemporary. Screening calls and wanting nothing more than to drive on with the memory or image of a loved one, it is a refreshing move away from the real-world terrors heard elsewhere on the album. Still, the disassembly of an atomic bomb is core to this – an ultimately soppy track of locket photographs held together by some frankly brilliant instrumental work. The Edge hammers away at some rough but excellent guitar work and it provides a bed of real quality for Bono to jump from.
But with these additional U2 tracks, there is a real focus on the instrumentals. They are far better than the writing Bono has in store for Picture of You (X+W), though the punchy flow and fast-paced tempo he provides with his vocal performance elevates the rest of the song. It is a piece of work which should rely on its lyrics but makes it the least important part of the song, instead a good throw of early-2000s guitar work forms a very interesting core. Still, the lyrics are heartfelt and earnest, something Bono never struggled with around this time. There was just an excess of it, and the weaker portions were dropped from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. But twenty years removed from the proposed release of Pictures of You (X+W), a return to a style which sounds incredible compared to what the band has been doing recently is a welcome sound.
Nostalgia feels like a slight factor in the joys of this U2 release. It is not an inherently old sound but it does call back to the classic noise the band is no longer making in the studio. Their first rock album, they said of it at the time, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb still feels pertinent and as a result, its shadow singles do too. Pictures of You (X+W) may feel somewhat off the mark but it holds such an instrumental fury that it is hard to ignore. A strong song even with its lyrical hold-ups, which feel nothing short of primitive romance. Even then the skill Bono has in painting pictures which feel homely and yet challenging remains with this single, a strong song to pair with the glories of their last truly great album.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
