A while back my wife and I got one of those rare nights where we had a babysitter and went out for dinner. On the menu we saw a ‘deconstructed dessert’. Intrigued, we placed our order.

Honestly, this is a form of food designed by children. I recommend this style of cooking if you’re the kind of person who can’t follow a recipe.  All you do is stick all the bits from the recipe on a plate and serve. Instead of enjoying the coagulation of layers, textures and flavours that have been artfully brought together into a whole that speaks larger than the sum of its parts, a deconstructed meal is a bit like painting by numbers.

So with the release of U2’s latest serving, Songs of Innocence, I’m avoiding all analytical breakdowns of ‘what each song is about’.  I just want to enjoy the whole. I don’t listen to U2 because their lyrics are infused with Biblical allusions or Christian theology. I listen because their music makes me listen.

[caption id="attachment_352" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="It's been a bit of a wait; some said they wouldn't have it in them. I never doubted"][/caption]

Of course music is a personal taste kind of thing. But what has always struck me about the band and Bono’s voice is the ecstatic, melancholic but joyful energy.  It has always been for me an attractive force and a command to take note. Now that’s something worth bottling for a gospel presenter or for anyone who’s got something important they want heard.  But U2 didn’t think about it, or justify it, they just did it.

[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="Never easy to get a sharp shot on the 360 tour"][/caption]

That U2’s Christian faith informs much of the lyrics in their songs is no secret.  Some people like to jump right in and start deconstructing every line, mining it for Christian purposes. Uhrghh. But hey, that’s fine if you like a deconstructed meal.

Do Christians need to justify everything?  Does art lose its purpose if you insist on it having one? Why can’t it just ‘be’? No, I won’t be reading any of those deconstructions for a little while, not even the ‘secular ones’ in Rolling Stone magazine. I want to savor the flavours and turn it up loud for a while. I want remain innocent of the songs meanings and just enjoy letting them grow up with me a wee bit.

Unlike its predecessor, No Line on the Horizon (NLOTH) which I had to work harder to get into, I’m finding Songs of Innocence very moorish. The album has all the moments of a great U2 album, from “I can’t possibly just sit and listen” concert openers to soaring stadium anthems; from tear jerking ballads to more quirky numbers that probably won’t be fully appreciated until seen and heard live.

Are there any radio singles on this album? Absolutely. Where NLOTH fell short, Songs of Innocence really delivers. I still reckon they should have done an edit of ‘Moment of Surrender’ for the radio and it might have been different for NLOTH. But in the end while the songs were creatively and critically a triumph, they failed to ignite the radio waves.

I've always been impressed by the band's 'in-between albums' single releases.  Songs like Electrical Storm, Window in the Skies, The Saints and more recently, Invisible are all pretty darn good songs. But will we be singing any of the singles from Songs of Innocence in the next 10 years? Are there any singles that equal Pride, Streets, One, Beautiful Day or Vertigo? A mate of mine thinks not. He may be right. Does it matter?

What I love about this band is that they keep looking forward; they’re not trying to write another ‘Pride’ or ‘With or Without You’. They’re unlikely to come up with a massive hit single if they try and copy something that worked a few decades back.  I can’t help but groan when fans go to a live concert and complain they didn’t hear their favourite hit single from 1984. That’s rock archaeology folks! I’ll keep going to U2 concerts as long as they keep making NEW music that’s worth a listen. If they rock up and don’t play a single song from the Joshua Tree I won’t care, because I want to hear what they’re doing now, not what they did 20 years ago.

[caption id="attachment_364" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="Bono out on the 360 catwalk for 'City of Blinding Lights'"][/caption]

When U2 tours I like to see as many shows as I can and people often say ‘oh so you’re a U2 tragic’. But there ain’t nothin’ tragic about four guys who see no reason to justify their faith. It just is.

PS: For those of you who might like a well written and interesting deconstruction of Songs of Innocence, you should check out one of  my friend's (Greg Clarke) articles here:

http://www.biblesociety.org.au/news/greg-clarke-miracle-u2-bloodstream