U2

Pop

Talkin' About Pop Music

Review Score:

(8/10)
The same hard sound. The same emotion. The same tone as ever. For some reason dressing these familiar U2 elements up in a flashier suit of techno and dance rhythms than even ACHTUNG BABY wore seemed to turn off a lot of fans. Quite a pity, as this really is one of U2's strongest albums and a good follow-up to the triumphs of ACHTUNG and ZOOROPA.

The much talked about techno elements are really only obviously apparent on the opening three tracks (though traces would appear here and there for the remaining songs). The opening three are great rocking sounds that go beyond just the glitter that they're dressed up in. Bono once described this album as one that starts off at a party and ends up at a funeral (and, of course, he'd know what he's talking about), and it manages to sustain this tone quite well.

Individually, there are a lot of really appealing tunes on here. "Gone" is a loud rocker that combines some fantastic guitar work from Edge with some wonderful sounding piano sounds. "Discotheque" is just a fun song that is an energetic way to start off an album. "Staring At The Sun" manages to sound retro, yet new enough to still sound as fresh as the rest of the tracks. "Mofo" is a song that sounds so trashy and throwaway on first listen, that it comes as an incredible shock once you start paying attention and realize how personal it is.

One of U2's more seriously underrated albums, POP sounds quite fresh and engaging. It's unfortunate that the singles off of this recording get such little air-play, but get yourself a copy and discover an underappreciated classic from one of the world's best rock'n'roll bands.

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