Gabriel's new release best work in two decades

Up is Peter Gabriel's first real album in 10 years, and it doesn't have any radio-friendly tracks. So there are probably a few people out there, even in this college town, who will be surprised by the lack of "pop" music on this album. But Gabriel never was a pop musician, even when "Big Time" and "Sledgehammer" were being played almost 24/7. \nAnd to anyone who thinks he is, let me learn you a thing or two. Even So, the most popular of his albums, is far too beautifully odd to be a pop album, and anyone who's bothered to listen to the first five songs or so would realize it immediately.\nSo while Up is more art-rock than pop rock, it's still an easier listen than Us, and a much better album overall. Though most of the tracks are around six or seven minutes long, they never really get boring. The beginning sections work almost as preludes in classical pieces and change just at the right time. As on Us, Gabriel builds up tension in each song, but this time around the resolves are more satisfying. \nThe album still has his characteristic weirdness and more interesting "world" rhythms than even Paul Simon has been able to come up with lately. Beyond that, the real treat is what makes Gabriel unique. With all the studio musicians, including long-time collaborators Tony Levin and David Rhodes, and electronically-produced music, one would expect a sterilized sound. Not at all. Gabriel conjures more breath from synths and samplers than most do with acoustic instruments.\nThough every note is thought out, and the album has a pristine feel, there's nothing dull about it. The mechanical noises sound all the more natural with Gabriel's arrangements and Levin's bass heartbeat. If anything, the electric instruments enhance the presence of Gabriel's voice, which is powerful enough to knock you down and mature enough to know how to quietly pull you in. Few rock musicians understand the voice as an instrument as well as Gabriel.\nSo while Up won't convert any new fans and may be a lot to take in at once, it has a certain brilliance in its balance of acoustic and electric, emotional and mechanical. And although it won't be as attractive to the general public as So, it's also arguably his best work since 1982's Security.