THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC

U2, of course, needs no introduction - they are a “generational” band that exemplifies the range of possibilities in popular music. Rising as enfants terribles at the height of the Irish Troubles, they represented a rising post-rock, post-punk generation to become the reigning champions of global-roaming stadium rock for decades. Led by the expressive vocals of lead singer Bono, the band’s heady mix of spirituality, global politics, and theatricality, combined with high-profile celebrity, activism, and philanthropy. They sustained a steady working routine of new release / tour in support / R&R for a dozen studio albums and their popularity endured at the elite level from their debut, Boy (1980), to How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004). Striving for relevancy, the band's adventurous 2009 album, No Line on the Horizon, though well received critically, saw a drop in sales- a pattern that continued with their subsequent releases Songs of Innocence (2014), Songs of Experience (2017), and Songs of Surrender (2023).

By contrast, 2026 has been a year of spiritual and creative renewal. In February, the band released Days of Ash, an EP of vigorous, politically charged songs. This was followed by Easter Lily, another EP of religiously inspired pieces.

Now, however, Carnaval de Luz seems to be cut from a different musical fabric: packaged in a colourful sleeve - in place of the minimalist, monochromatic severity that has been U2’s signature - that presents the band in a pose recalling The Beatles’ Abbey Road, on a beach rather than a pedestrian crossing. At the same time, the returning production touch of long-time collaborators Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno breathes a textured, atmospheric depth into the mix, anchoring the arrangements in ambient warmth. The album contains a range of songs that spans torch ballads, stadium anthems, and even a Dolly Parton duet. The standard edition contains 12 songs, and iTunes subscribers gain another as a bonus, continuing the group’s historical, sometimes messy association with Apple. The deluxe edition comes with two additional discs' worth of previously released material from recent years.

For the most part, the album is familiar U2 fare. Titles such as “Street of Dreams,” “Glorify,” “Can’t Stop Us Now,” and “Midnight Sunshine” deliver the phones-in-the-air, positive-to-inspiring singalong qualities we have come to expect. That the latter borrows the guitar riff from Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” matters little. “Go (Carnaval de Luz),” “La Reina,” and “Silencio” add continental colour to the playlist, though all of them sound like outtakes from previous releases. More interesting is “The Mirror Maker (Rosalía),” which pays tribute to the Spanish artist (rather than offering the tantalising collaboration that the title suggests). With “If the World Is at War We Better Not Be,” Bono seeks to bring messianic wisdom to world affairs, but the lyrics don’t contain the insights or wisdom the subject demands. On the album’s other centrepiece, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” Bono cleverly allows the ambiguous lyrics to represent both his personal and professional lives. Finally, the endearing duet “Torn,” featuring the late Dolly Parton , which concludes the album, is stylistically very different from the songs that precede it, and feels grafted on. It should have been left as a single release or included on a separate tribute album.