PULSE EDITOR: MONICA HANDE
U2’s latest release shouldn't be left behind
■ U2’s 10th LP proves more
sophisticated and less in-your
face than their earlier albums
U2 ‘All That You Can’t Leave
Behind’
Interscope
★★★★☆
By Rebecca Wilson
Oregon Daily Emerald
Twenty years ago, four scrappy
hooligans from . Dublin’s urban
wasteland released an album called
“Boy”; an abrasive, political debut
full of adolescent rants and religious
confusion. There was even some
Gaelic thrown in. You could tell
they were trying to be The Clash. It
was 1980, after all.
In the proceeding years, the
young band developed and showed
they could retain their political con
science and even sell a few albums
along the way.
And now, with the release of their
10th LP entitled “All That You Can’t
Leave Behind,” U2 has proved once
and for all that they can evolve al
most as fast as Microsoft and far
more successfully than Madonna.
In a characteristic move, the lat
est album, released Oct. 31, is vastly
different from earlier efforts. In the
weeks (OK, months) leading up to
the album’s long-delayed release,
the word on the street was that the
album would feature a stripped
down sound and a back-to-basics
theme. Fans eagerly awaited the re
lease of another “Joshua Tree” or
“AchtungBaby.”
Fools.
About the only thing that is
stripped down about this album is
the cover art. “All That You Can’t
Leave Behind” sounds nothing like
the rock classics of the late ’80s or
even the band’s more recent proj
ects. But if you hated the 1997 elec
tronic dance opus that was “Pop,”
be sure to check out this gem of an
album for a listening experience
like no other.
The album marks the reappear
ance of the production dream-duo
of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, last
heard in 1991 on “Achtung Baby.”
The complex layers of sound form
thick, sensual,,energetic rock; cer
tainly not stripped down or simpli
fied. The music definitely isn’t for
the lazy listener — true apprecia
tion demands full aural attention.
Eno and Lanois’ collective genius
can be felt in every musical nook
and cranny, from the delicate
strains of the mellotron — a first for
U2 — on the intro to “Kite” to the
swirling throb of the album’s first
single, “Beautiful Day.”
But even if this album doesn’t
sound like any of its predecessors, it
is still uniquely and unmistakably
U2. Look for “Elevation,” the ener
getic highlight of the album, which is
reminiscent of “The Fly.” And gui
tarist The Edge’s trademark guitar
chime rings clearly on “Walk On. ”
Frontman Bono’s lyrics are as pro
voking as ever on the majority of
tunes, such as “Beautiful Day,”
which celebrates Jubilee 2000, a cam
paign to forgive the debts of develop
ing countries: “See the Bedouin fires
at night/See the oil fields at first
light/See the bird with a leaf in her
mouth.” But some of the songs’
words fall short, such as those on
“Wild Honey”: “In the days/When
we were swinging from the trees/I
was a monkey.” But even with a few
lyrical lapses, Bono drives his words
home with his powerful voice and fa
miliar falsetto.
So don’t listen to the people who
are disappointed that “All That You
Can’t Leave Behind” didn’t actually
mark a return to the anthems of the
mid-’80s. The album features top
notch songwriting, sophisticated
production and a lovely listening
experience.
New release in a jam: King Black Acid tries to go pop
■ King Black Acid and the
Starseed Transmission is
fence-sitting between a rock
and a pop place
King Black Acid ‘Loves a Love
Song’
Cavity Search
By Josh Ryneal
Oregon Daily Emerald
King Black Acid and the Womb
star Orchestra released their first al
bum, “Wombstar Sessions,” in
1995, and the Northwest music
scene was lulled into a druggy
trance. Running over an hour but
only containing three songs,
“Wombstar Sessions” was recorded
off of a largely improvised set at
Portland’s KBOO radio station.
KBA and the Wombstar Orches
tra decided to go their separate ways
in 1997, after two more albums, and
those who had fallen in love with
the band’s transcendental space
jams were disappointed.
But they soon had reason to rejoice
when King Black Acid was resurrect
ed in 1998. Their newest incarnation,
King Black Acid and the Starseed
Transmission, has just released their
newest album, “Loves A Long Song,”
an offhand reference to the band’s
penchant for extremely extended im
provised jams.
However, this album is a depar
ture from KBA’s previous efforts.
Shorter, tighter songs, linear song
progressions, and even (gasp!) pop
hooks all make an appearance on
“Loves a Long Song.”
Frontman Daniel Riddle’s voice
is a little too airy for the slabs of in
dustrial rock the band lays down,
but fans of the band won’t really pay
attention to that. They want to rock,
and KBA lays it down for them in
spades.
The deceptively mainstream al
bum opens with “Butterfly
Bomber,” a somewhat successful
modern-rock songwriting effort that
features a lulling guitar hook that
morphs into a buzzing noise attack.
The band brings back echoes of
Pink Floyd with “Kiss the Beast,”
not only with their psychedelic im
agery but also the vocal effects and
echoing guitars.
The album’s standout track,
“GentleCollapse (Feels Good),” cre
ates a great atmosphere with its
swooping guitars and keyboards.
But like many of the songs on the
record, it suffers from the malaise of
being too long.
KBA has tried to move away from
the spaced-out jams of previous al
bums with “Loves A Long Song,”
but they are stuck somewhere in the
middle of being a jam band and a
pop band. Die-hard fans will proba
bly be put off by the new KB A pop
sensibility, while new listeners
probably won’t have the patience to
sit through the whole album.
010612
IDB3
The Campus Video Store
Outstanding selection of new, foreign, cult classic,
children’s, adult and other hard to find videos
DVDs.
Your choice of 2 or 5 day rentals
Great prices on used movies for sale
Free popcorn
Reservations gladly accepted
Gift certificates available
Still locally owned
EASY TO FIND!
Corner of 19th & Agate • 342-4972
Next to 19th St. Cafe
First time customer
hoto&cain
nina gordon
(formerly of Veruca Salt)
with PALO ALTO
November 9 • 9pm
L The Wild Duck Music Hall
OosoooiOqoM DIS^JJVEK tic fto tmas tor (503)224-4400