TIL: Pop // U2

U2’s 90s works can be considered as some of their greatest works. And probably their most dividend paying works. A rock band in the 80s, which initially went full swing with the Post Punk sound, their breakthrough records Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, was what cemented their position as a band everyone listened to. But because it is U2, they never stopped.

They would keep experimenting. And it was in the 90s we saw it, the best. You got Achtung Baby, then Zooropa which is a cult classic. Now, Pop is aesthetically, their most Y2K record. More Y2Kish than anything they dropped post Y2K. This was U2’s last great escapade (they never had one after this and the one time they did, we all hated them for it)

For many, Pop is where U2 sold out. The Mylo Xyloto equivalent for the Gen X. But unlike Mylo Xyloto, Pop is more interesting. No hate for the 2000s U2 crowd, but I love this era more than anything. Discotheque is a banger single, to open up the album. Old U2 still persists in tracks like If God Will Send His Angels, Staring At The Sun (quite an underrated track), If You Wear That Velvet Dress and many more.

But it is also one of their darkest records theme wise. It is a band which is in its most hedonistic, showing the exuberance of being a rock star in all of its glory. One disappointing fact is the electronic fun of Mofo and Discotheque is replenished in the first quarter. It becomes more like Achtung Baby, but I am not complaining.