The Edge is having boundary issues.

The U2 guitarist's plans to build five mountaintop mansions in Malibu with fantastic oceanside views is facing fierce opposition from some famous NIMBYs concerned the homes will be an environmental catastrophe.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the proposed project would be built above homes belonging to the likes of Dick Van Dyke, Kelsey Grammer and James Cameron and would require some extensive and tricky engineering, including extension of a road down a rugged elevation, grading 70,000 cubic yards of hillside and installing water lines.

"The downside of this is a permanently scarred mountainside for the benefit of a very few that for many years all will view," Jefferson Wagner, a Malibu councilman, told the newspaper. "For somebody so revered even to be orchestrating this type of development in such a sensitive area is hypocritical."

The Edge, whose real name is David Evans, promises development on the properties will address those concerns with care.

"My family and I love Malibu, having maintained a residence here for more than a decade," he told the Times. "These homes will be some of the most environmentally sensitive ever designed in Malibu—or anywhere in the world. I'm disappointed that certain critics either don't have the facts or have ulterior motives."

The Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has "certificates of compliance" from Los Angeles County establishing that the land he owns meets all legal requirements.

Edge added that he and Irish real estate investor Derek Quinlan plan to take up residence in two of the homes and most likely flip the other three, which has rankled some neighbors whose peace and quiet will be rattled by all the building.

The California Coastal Commission is expected to review the environmental impact of the project in June.

This is not the first fight Evans has found himself in with neighbors.

He and the rest of U2 came under fire in their hometown of Dublin for now defunct plans to build the so-called U2 Tower, a proposed skyscraper in the heart of the city that would've been the tallest in Ireland. Preservationists claimed the $220 million project would have resulted in the tearing down of four adjacent historic buildings.

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U2 Eucharist returns at First Presbyterian

Springfield’s First Presbyterian Church becomes a “rock ’n’ roll” church Saturday with a worship service featuring the music of superstar Irish band U2.

U2 Eucharist — Six will feature music recorded by U2, plus performances by the Southeast High School Sensations vocal music group, and musicians playing saxophone and African drums. The service also will raise money for the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region.

Eucharist will be offered, and food from around the globe will be served.

The Rev. Clifford J. Hayes, pastor of First Presbyterian, said Saturday’s service recasts U2’s music that is usually heard in secular settings as part of a worship service that draws people of a variety of faiths.

And while the service will feature live and recorded music, it’s not a concert.

“It’s not a performance. It’s participatory,” Hayes said. “You’re not coming to listen to U2 music. You come to sing along.”

Hayes said the sixth U2 Eucharist service the church has hosted will raise money for the people of the Darfur region of the African country of Sudan.

According to an Associated Press article, Sudan’s Arab-led government has been battling ethnic African rebels in Darfur since 2003. Up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million driven from their homes. Leaders there have not been allowing humanitarian groups to work in the region in recent weeks.

Hayes said U2’s primary songwriter, Bono, allows his music to be used for services that help people who are living on less than $2 a day.

This is the fourth local celebration that will help Darfur. Other causes First Presbyterian has helped with the U2 Eucharist are children orphaned when their parents died after developing AIDS and purchasing mosquito nets to stop the spread of malaria.

Since forming in the late 1970s, U2 has addressed weighty subjects in its music — “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is about a 1972 mass shooting in Northern Ireland, and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” is about the life and death of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. The band has continued tackling politics and social justice in its songs, even as it experimented with dance music and other styles.

Band members have publicly said they are practicing Christians, and later U2 recordings include the songs “Jesus Christ” and “God, Part 2.”

Lead singer Bono in particular has raised his profile outside of music, using his celebrity to tout causes ranging from eliminating malaria in Africa and spending more money on education to feeding the hungry. Bono has become famous outside of the band for getting audiences with world leaders and addressing the United Nations General Assembly.

But when people gather Saturday at First Presbyterian on Saturday, Hayes said he hopes there is a feeling of community here in Springfield.

“At the end, we play the song ‘One’ (one of the band’s biggest hits),” Hayes said. “Instead of people recessing out, we ask people to get tight together up front and come together symbolically as one. The emotions are just palpable. It’s a powerful experience.”

Sounds Like U2

Plain Jane Automobile is not as simple as their name implies. After going through a lineup change a few years ago, PJA has reinvented itself as one of Orlando’s best pop/rock bands. The catchy Brit-pop tinted melodies of members Duke Crider [vocals], Luis Mejia [lead guitar], Paul McCorkell [bass] and James Dickens [drums] helped garner them local radio airplay and packed shows across the United States. Metromix recently talked to Crider about the band’s new album, what it’s like being a local nationally-touring band and why the ladies dig their music.

http://www.plainjaneautomobile.com/

No U2 for Eno

Correction: they're not off to the studio

A spokesman said Eno isn't working with the band at this time.

Listening Party provides feedback to NOLO


"No Line on the Horizon"

Larry really shines here; pay close attention to the intricate tom-tom fills appearing in the right channel at 1:13-1:52. He later shifts to a nice, military-style snare fill (that time in the Artane Boys Band was well spent), also in the right channel, at 3:33-3:48.

"Magnificent"

Several details in this one. Hand claps in the right channel and tambourine in the left at 0:46-1:09, and beautiful interaction amongst Larry's hi-hat (right channel) and Adam's bass (center) at 1:15-1:51. Edge double-tracked his main riff in left and right channels, and the result is spectacular. Edge also differentiates the parts at 2:25-2:59, where he's playing some subtle melodic stuff in the left channel and rhythm guitar in the right (unless of course he's playing with Lanois, in which case it's anybody's guess who's playing what). Bono lends some lovely light vocal support to the keyboard part at 4:12-4:27.

"Moment of Surrender"

There's a nice organ in the left channel and piano in the right at 0:47-1:14. Adam has a wonderful bass wind-down to the song at 6:41-7:14.

"Unknown Caller"

There's a sound collage at 0:21-0:58 composed of several instruments that almost seems like animals waking up. There's even what sounds like a high-pitched processed guitar sound reminiscent of a "digital butterfly" flitting by in the left channel at 0:38-0:41 and again at 4:35.

"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

Hear the rising whirr from 0:00-0:02, very much like the intro to "I Will Follow" -- perhaps intentional, perhaps not. Interesting rhythmic acoustic guitar parts are in the right channel at 0:12-1:02; could be Lanois. The double-tracked guitar part at 3:03-3:19 is a nice surprise.

"Get On Your Boots"

Listen for percussive electric guitar bursts from Edge in the right channel at 0:20-0:25, 0:39-0:48, and 1:27-1:35, and for cool, double-bass kick drum work from Larry at 2:31-2:36.

"Stand Up Comedy"

There's wonderful variation in parts on this one. Adam's bass is a real treat in the verses. Edge appears to have unleashed what could only be called a "giant wasp attack" at 2:47-2:58. (I now can't hear this part without imagining him running around the studio in a bee costume singing the rare Who b-side "Wasp Man" at the top of his lungs.)

"Fez - Being Born"

It begins with market sounds and some hand drums, and at 0:19-0:22 two different voices appear in the right channel, speaking in what sounds like an Arabic language. (Can someone out there translate?) Larry plays a variation of his "No Line" drum part at 1:03-1:34. At 1:45-1:53, an odd cross between a moped engine and a sitar crosses from left to right, and appears again at 2:55-3:02. A classic Eno synthesizer break -- very reminiscent of his '70s solo work -- appears at 3:06-3:26. Eno again interjects with some nice variations at 4:26-4:50. Edge adds some nice, mellow riffing in the right channel at 4:53-5:12.

"White As Snow"

There are backwards guitar loops in the left channel from 0:00-0:25. A fingerpicked guitar in the left channel starts at 0:31, with another alternating-bass style guitar part in the right channel; an educated guess tells me it's Lanois on the left and Edge on the right. A gorgeous, eerie mandolin part arrives in your right ear at 2:28-2:52 and, at least for me, really strengthens the emotional tenor of the song. Hear the beautiful two-part harmony vocals at 3:56-4:23.

"Breathe"

There are lots of harmony vocal overdubs all over the song. Mixed low at 2:22-2:33 is some nice, Elton John-style piano chording in the right channel. There are massed background vocals at 3:54-4:12. There are some slurred cello parts throughout the song in the right channel, a la "I Am the Walrus."

"Cedars of Lebanon"

This begins with a sample of Eno's and Harold Budd's "Against the Sky" from their wonderful record, The Pearl, and then builds on it with hip-hop snare shuffles from Larry, fingerpicked arpeggios from Edge in the left channel, and even some infinite guitar at 2:51-3:07. (Has it really been 22 years since "With or Without You"?) A vocal sample appears throughout the song, maybe in an Arabic language again?

I do hope this has given you a nice taste of "active listening" and an enhanced experience of one of U2's most creatively and sonically diverse records. In the 28 years I've been listening to this band's recorded work, No Line on the Horizon stands out as a wonderful surprise that blossoms under scrutiny and repeated listening. It is well worth the time to sit back, relax, and soak up the sounds in a distraction-free environment such as the darkened room I mentioned before. Enjoy!

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Now playing: U2 - Magnificent
via FoxyTunes