Easter Lily
by U2

A very pleasant surprise indeed. U2 has a pretty lousy batting average when it comes to dropping "surprises" on us. Their last EP, Days of Ash was mostly unremarkable, and the foisting of Songs of Innocence (their safest, most overproduced album ever) was an outright debacle. But lo and behold, Easter Lily is charming, confident, consistently satisfying. The first three songs really summon that classic U2 sound, bringing to mind some of the tones from War, The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, without ever coming off like desperate throwbacks. And the next three songs get a little atmospheric, occasionally flirting with Zooropa vibes. The sixth and final track, Coexist, is ethereal, striking, hypnotic. Lyrically, I don't think Bono has ever been this overt in his Christianity- and I enjoy it- because to be this specifically devout is a little bit radical in the world of stadium rock and roll.

I'm not sure if any of these tracks sit on the same shelf as U2's many classics from the '80s an '90s- time will tell- but thank goodness, they're not blatantly chasing the hit single sound on this one. It all sounds rather effortless, save for a few clumsy lyrics here and there.

Well this is a very pleasant surprise. U2 drop a second EP that is completely different in tone, style and substance from the first, leading to a much better listening experience. The Irish quartet decide for this batch of songs to modify their early sound from 1980-84, featuring great drumming, groovy bass lines and some of Edge's best guitar riffs this century. The songs are joyous as only U2 can be and I found myself caught off guard by the quality several times. That's not to say everything hits - Bono's lyrics are very hit or miss, Adam steals the bassline from Taxman for Easter Parade and I'm not sure what the hell is going on with the final track - but I had long since given up hope U2 would make anything that recalled the sound of their glory days. Perhaps the new album with be worth looking forward to after all.