Many bands go through stages, few more so than U2. In our humble opinions, the group has had three major stages. The War era, Boy through The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree era, and the Zoo stage, which include Achtung Baby and Zooropa. Pop seems to stand on its own with its sound reaching into depths of electronica and techno. The latest release, All That You Can't Leave Behind, is not necessarily a culmination in the most direct sense but the start of something else.

There are elements of several other U2 albums in the new release. Synthesizers abound on "Elevation," sweet melodies are found in "Grace," and "Walk On" burns with all the lyrical and musical radiance that is a U2 ballad. The band has always found ways to express their views through music, especially political and religious leanings. To find them you have to listen but not so hard you strain yourself. To say exactly what U2 is about is impossible. Every song is dense. We have found that a first listen to any U2 album doesn't really hit the listener all that much. Yet listen to it again, and again, and again, and the nuances and idiosyncrasies are more revealing.

Standout tracks on U2 albums are hardly a rarity but sound rare. The opening track, "Beautiful Day," is nothing short of anthemic. The song is a plea to sit down and appreciate everything around you, even "tuna fleets clearing the sea out" and "oil fields at first light." Edge's guitar is classic, as clear and familiar as always. Bono's voice is not what it was fifteen years ago, but it still sounds wonderful. After four or five listens, these two devoted fans agree that "Walk On" is the most striking song. Here the listener collects the aesthetic purpose of the entire album. "Home. Hard to know what it is if you've never had one/Home. I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home/that's where the hurt is." "In A Little While" is a song for sitting around the house in a t-shirt and boxers, with the windows open. The guitar escalates in a very bluesy fashion and you leave the song with a wide grin. Bono's voice is gravelly here, but we'll deal with that in a little while. "Wild Honey" is a different kind of upbeat: the listener feels an urge to bob up and down. Whereas "In A Little While" is more laid back and relaxed, this song contains the same overall mood but seems more active. "Peace On Earth" seems more political and religious than the previous two, but retains the "heavy relaxing" tone of "Wild Honey." Ironically, the subject matter of the song would be a proviso for action among empathetic listeners; however, even such a person just wants to sit and soak up the notes.

This album shows how long the band has been on the alternative rock scene. Their twenty years on the shelves of music stores and the walls of studios is exemplified in the whole piece. A band like Three Doors Down, Nine Days, or even Collective Soul could not produce an album of this caliber right now. Perhaps this could happen twenty years down the road but not now. The album contains so many hidden goodies and references that only people of older age could begin to express them. Bono's 40 years are evident in his voice, but there was nothing in his entire musical career that he could leave behind. The same goes for drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., who turned 39 on October 31st when the album was released.

This album is not yet as lofty as the two masterpieces, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, but, in a few years, don't be surprised if it is as powerful and revered. That's just the way U2 is. The band grows on you as honeysuckle grows on a white picket fence. People who do not admire U2's music are few and far between. We can live with U2, but never without them.