By David Childers
The Daily Collegian

‘Pop’
U2
Island Records
B+

ith today’s release of their new LP “Pop,” U2 makes another musical metamorphosis. The jump to a more “techno-pop” sound is not a severe one though. It’s a matter of direction - the direction that the band has taken since their more traditional rock early days. After all, it has been ten years since “The Joshua Tree” gave the band their peak of commercial success.

Six years have gone by since “Achtung Baby” seemingly severed the ties that “The Joshua Tree” planted. With 1993’s “Zooropa,” the move toward more “dance-ability” was begun. And what better name than “Pop” for the album that certainly is the destination that the band was searching for. Never one to be associated with dance halls and $2 beer night, “Pop” has the potential to make U2 new regulars on the scene. The first single, “Discotheque,” was born on the dance floor and should enjoy quite a comfortable life there so long as Alternative Night exist.

It has all the qualities, apparently, that “Pop” was supposed to be about. The album continues with “Do You Feel Loved,” and “Mofo.” Just put the disk on, find the nearest disco ball, and Macarena till you can stand no longer. Thankfully, the string of dance songs comes to a slow halt with “If God Will Send His Angels,” a more traditional but lower-quality U2 single.

It’s not exactly danceable, but also not exactly rock in its pure form. The pattern is again foiled with “Staring at the Sun.” Listening to this slow, almost ballad-esque single is reminiscent of U2’s single “One” from Achtung Baby. Like “One,” “Staring at the Sun” is the premier effort of the group. Oddly, after the first three tracks, it becomes increasingly harder to sniff out the dance influence. The remainder of the disk is full of the things that U2 has never failed to produce: poetically masterful lyrics perfectly matched with unpredictable music.

he last track is a prime example of “Pop.” An unhurried tune and some typical U2 lyrics make “Wake Up Dead Man” a track that is hard to forget. The dead man would be Jesus, a subject that is touched on more than once in the album.

n a way that it seems only U2 can do it, Bono can put together an entire track on God and not sound a bit like Amy Grant or D.C. Talk. And while the music distracts, the words permiate. That, in actuality, is still the overriding impression that “Pop” leaves. In a musical generation that is often criticized for the lack of truly original and long-standing artists, U2 offers a possibility. Who knows what, if any, of the bands that have won our affection and hard-earned dollars will emerge as an icon as the years pass.

Will the music of choice for our generation stand the perils of time and changing tastes, ala the Doors or Led Zeppelin, or simply disappear everywhere but in our memories? Most bands have done little to indicate that they will ever be anything more significant than a fad. With “Pop,” U2 proves that as tastes change slightly and the music that is produced becomes uniform and monotonous - the boys from Dublin will still almost certainly be there. Dismiss it as pure stability - the band has never changed personnel in a stunning 19 years together - or herald the band’s ability to satisfy a mostly fickle audience. Rhythm or no rhythm, “Pop” is as impressive as it is atypical. Ultimately, critics and the like yearn for evolution in music. A band is expected to do more than what defines them, expected to reach out and show its versatility. “Pop” is over 60 minutes of just that - versatility. For 19 years, U2 has done it, and now is no exception. It may not be “The Joshua Tree,” but it doesn’t need to be. It’s “Pop,” an album full of good music and its own identity.

And it’s U2 doing what they do best: creating more than just singles to bide the time before the next tour. Creating music - something that should not be taken for granted.

Related posts:

• U2’s ‘Joshua Tree’ Blooms Again (Updated with track listings) To celebrate the 20th birthday of its landmark album "The Joshua Tree," U2 is reissuing the set in four different incarnations on Nov. 20 via UMe. The album will be available as a remastered single CD, a 2-CD set, a 2-CD/1-DVD collectible box and a double-vinyl package. The single-disc...
• Latest information on the upcoming U2 Single and Album release.--- www.u2swisshome.com, 11.7.2002 --- U2swisshome.com has receive exclusive information from Universal Music about the coming U2 Single and Album release. The exact title of the 'Best Of' compilation is not know yet, but it is thought from various rumours that the album will cover the years 1990 - 2001. Now...
• 04.15.05 PhoenixCity of Blinding Lights, Beautiful Day - In God's Country, Vertigo, Elevation, Gloria, The Ocean, New Year's Day, Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky - Hands That Built America, Running to Stand Still, Bad,...