New Yorker: "The Church of U2"

The New Yorker weighs in with a think piece on U2's history of writing about faith in their work, ending with some reflections on Songs of Innocence, treating a couple of the tracks as more directly about faith than about Dublin. There's not too much brand new here, although I was struck by the material on "Ultraviolet" and in general by this line of thought:

U2 have continued to write songs of doubt (“Wake Up Dead Man,” off “Pop,” is especially good). But they are no longer wild, ludic, and unhinged in the way they talk about God. There used to be something improvisational and risky about their spirituality—it seemed as though it might go off the rails, veering into anger or despair. Now, for the most part, they focus on a positive message, expressed directly and without ambiguity. The band’s live shows have a liturgical feel: Bono, who regularly interpolates hymns and bits of Scripture into his live performances, leads the congregation with confidence.

I think the author has a point there. It reminds me a bit of that famous Annie Dillard line about crash helmets.