I am sick of Bono. It's true, he's done a lot of really great things in the past ten years, including bringing attention to third world debt and the AIDS crises in Africa. He's hung out at Camp David and had tea with Nelson Mandela. As a humanitarian, Bono is commendable, and potentially the most active, intelligent celebrity to ever get involved with the promotion of global issues. But between the new U2 iPod commercials and the proliferation of articles promoting their contention of being the best/biggest band in the world, I am nauseated by Bono. Now we come to the latest U2 release, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, just as gargantuan and insufferable a title as U2's ego is today. Not to suggest they weren't always like this; we are talking about a band whose guitarist renamed himself "The Edge." I suppose the real problem is that previously they could back up their claims of Grandiosity with substantive material, songs like "Pride (in the name of Love)," "Bad," and "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Those are wonderful, expressive tunes with great hooks. U2 talks the talk today, but they have lost the ability to assemble good albums, or completely good songs. They've also given up their rather interesting '90s experiments for the old formulaic patterns of their last album, "All that you Can't Leave Behind," the biggest cop-out of their career, two great songs surrounded by a lot of filler and rewrites.

So HTDAAB is basically like the last album, except without any clearly great songs. It's a 'typical' U2 album in that any fan knows what they're getting when they purchase it: hopelessly sincere lyrics with soaring vocals about love and God , echoing guitars and simple arrangements and very good production values.

In lead single "Vertigo," U2 revisit their best single 'I Will Follow" (by way of Sonic Youth's "Dirty Boots") with its propulsive bass line and powerful drumming. Even with ridiculous back-up vocals on the chorus, the song is fun and catchy as hell. With every listen, it becomes less absurd and more credible. "Peace and Love or Else," regardless of its horrible title and mostly banal lyrics, comes across as one of the 'heaviest' songs U2 has ever recorded, and "All Because of You" employs enough changing chords to almost convince one that this is the Stones, or at least a Keith Richards solo album.

However, while the album starts with a bang, any sort of groove it has crumbles horribly half-way through. This album is built upon the backs of ballads, and they're mostly a rotten bunch. Don't expect to find any "One's" here: "A Man and a Woman" is closer to Robert Palmer than "Achtung Baby." "Yahweh" is a hookless mess of a recording, harkening back to the worst moments of "Pop" mixed with some nameless Christian rock band. "Original of the Species" is marred by synth-like strings that dominate the chorus.

The album does have some nice moments: the vocal melody and hook of "Miracle Drug" marks it as the best on the album, and "City of Blinding Lights'" has lyrics that don't make you cringe. However, "Miracle Drug" is spoiled by the absolute worst lyrics on the album ("Freedom has a scent/Like the top of a new born baby's head") and "City of Blinding Lights" arrangement sounds like it's stuck in the 80's. "Sometimes you Can't Make it on your Own" wants to be the huge hit single, but comes off as an inferior "Stuck in a Moment you Can't Get out Of," with a falsetto chorus to boot.

For every boring, used-up chimey Edge guitar line, we get a great vocal performance from Bono; for every compulsive musical moment, we get horrible lyrics. There is no great song on the album, and there is no song that one can't find better done on some previous U2 album. The truth is, U2 seems to be a caricature of themselves now, having eased into middle age in a pathetically unadventurous manner. U2 who have prided themselves on credibility and sincerity, no longer have relevance musically today.