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No compromise, this album is definitely BIG FIVE STAR. Any of you who disagree with me should play it repeatedly and enjoy the total experience listening to this brilliant work of PETER GABRIEL! It's preferably enjoyed with loud volume. This might be the best that GABRIEL has ever produced in his solo career. I realize now that what my friend commented sometime in 80s: "If Gabriel did not quit GENESIS, he might go insane". My friend is right. GABRIEL is much better with his solo career. He has created a music of his own identity. No one can beat him. He created different kind of music; not a derivative of early GENESIS or even other musicians.

This album has been and will be my longtime favorite. It has a top notch production with many exploration of sounds in its tracks. The CD package is unique: no title at the CD cover but there is a sticker posted at the front side of the CD jewel. The other thing is that the disc itself has also no title; not even single character. It may confuse you as to choose which side will be put in your player. But if you are smart enough you would notice that there is a pink color spot at the inner circle of the disc which should be treated as UP side of the disc. Brilliant idea!

In this album, GABRIEL collaborates with many musicians with various musical backgrounds, for example STEVE GADD, a respected drummer in jazz arena. Also, he introduced new drummer GED LYNCH (drums) who supported him during GROWING UP Tour. MANU KATCHE, one of my favorite drummers also contributes in this album. This album still have DAVID RHODES (guitar) and TONY LEVIN (bass).

Let's talk musically. This album represents GABRIEL's exploration of his previous works. The music in this album is "discrete" and typically like the music of SAN JACINTO, WALLFLOWER, BLOOD OF EDEN, RHYTHM OF THE HEAT, THE FAMILY AND THE FISHING NET. Definitely, you would not find any song similar to SLEDGEHAMMER or BIG TIME or SHOCK THE MONKEY. You would not find any sort of "continuous" music that flows naturally as typical art rock music.

My best favorite track is SIGNAL TO NOISE. I cannot believe that human being could ever create this well-researched (in terms of sounds) and well-thought-of song. Every detail of this track is really great! Many melodies in its musical segments are really wonderful and memorable. When I spin this CD and reach this track, I always repeat this track 3 times (minimum) with my fingers keep adjusting amplifier volume to satisfy my enjoyment. Usually, I don't want to be disturbed by anything else when listening to this track. I'm so "entrance" with it. The tagline melody is great, combined with excellent orchestration at the background. The additional vocal of NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN is terrific. Many sound explorations are produced brilliantly in this track. I like the piece when GABRIEL sings "Turn up the signal wipe out the noise!" followed by sort of guitar rhythm and programmed drumming. WOW! What a wonderful piece here!!!! It makes me cry from my heart. (later when I got a DVD of Growing UP Live, my admiration of this track has increased dramatically as the live version is much much much better!!!). The ending part of this track is really stunning with orchestration and percussion / drums tone rising up until it ends.

Other tracks are also excellent. DARKNESS is a great opening track with surprising sound after quiet and silent keyboard introduction. The music is discrete at the beginning but when it reaches the part where GABRIEL sings "When I allow it to be / There is no control over me .." the continuous music flows in with great melody.

GROWING UP is an upbeat tempo track with sort of disco music, but it's nice. Tony Levin's bass guitar playing is stunning. Many strange sound effects are carefully produced throughout the track. SKY BLUE is a melancholy song with touchy melody. - The Blind Boys of Alabama contributes this track on vocals altogether with GABRIEL. NO WAY OUT has a funny sound of guitar with simple melody in its opening, great bass guitar and electric piano.

I GRIEVE is another track of my favorite. It opens with a percussion sound loop followed by heavy, low yet powerful voice of GABRIEL. Again, the music is discrete but it's very nice. All music instruments' sounds are not typically produced by typical music instruments. Almost in all tracks this kind of sound is produced. This indicates how brilliant GABRIEL is. MY HEAD SOUNDS LIKE THAT is also an excellent track. THE DROP is a piano based song. It reminds me to the piano version of HERE COMES THE FLOOD.

If you like PETER GABRIEL 4 (SECURITY) or US, you will definitely love this album. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! If you have enjoyed this album, I will recommend you to purchase the Growing UP Tour DVD. Masterpiece!! I'm not yet fortunate for having a chance watching PETER GABRIEL performs on stage directly!! It's my dream. - Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia.

Much better than ' Us'. 'Up' delivers a fine set of songs as usual in Gabriel's conceptual way. Up being ,moving on from mortality and as we assume going...Up! Essentially a dark, moody, sombre set beginning with the abrasive ' darkness' . 'Growing up' follows and this is by far the most riveting body moving song on the album. Sky Blue is next and is truly beautiful using the Blind boys of Alabama on vocals. 'I grieve' for me the saddest but most poignant track on Up. This song was used in the movie ' City of Angels' a good few years prior to Up's release.' The Barry Williams Show' is a rip off of Jerry Spinger and shock TV. Why people hate this track God only knows.Remember ' get em out by Friday' and ' Harold the Barrel' or ' Counting out Time'? Much in the same vein and good to see PG have some fun for a change. The album ends on a high note with ' The Drop' recorded with warts and all. It is an exceptional song! Well PG reckons he has enough material for five more albums. I hope that will be over a span of 20 years not 50. Why? Cos time is not on his side :-) and the world is a better place with his contributions. 4 1/2 Stars

It's now 12 years that had been gone as Peter Gabriel released his last studio album "Us". So it was very interestening to wait for "Up". Could the ex-Genesis mastermind set new standards again? Could he introduce the music of the last decade in his sound, but without catching trends? The question on both answers is: yes. The opener "Darkness" is a changing game off beautiful refrain and disharmonic guitars with Portishead-character, and is one of the best songs in prog since years. All songs on this masterpiece move on to think about things, like the wonderful "Sky Blue", the very melancholic "I Grieve", which moves on at the end and makes a positive mind about moving on in life, or the short, just with piano underlined ending track "The Drop". Any tune or note on this album have hand and foot, and there is enough place to breathe for the unbelievable musicianship. But there is only time to wait, how many people will interest themselves for the in truth kind of word progressive music of Peter Gabriel in a more and more faster changing world. Here's nothing really hard; the album doesn't work as background music. But who will dive in in this trip, will be very rewarded. "Up" touches the soul. Which album really can this today?

It's not a perfect album, but extremely rewarding in the end. I'll begin by going ahead and getting the weaknesses out of the way, so I can move on to far better things. First there's "Growing Up", which, while it's not bad, I have to be in a specific mood to listen to. It seems like every PETER GABRIEL album I've heard (minus the soundtracks) has at least one song that is aiming a little too obviously to be a hit single, and on Up, this is the one. There is something a little bit contrived about it. The other track I don't really feel the need to listen to is "The Drop". There just doesn't really seem to be enough to it...while I appreciate the contrast to the more heavily textured parts of the album, it just doesn't do anything much for me.

That's the key thing I like musically about it--the thick layers which, although there is a lot of electronically-based stuff, there are also generous numbers of analogue instruments to balance it out. This keeps it from sounding too harsh on the ears, although I think a certain amount of edginess is intentional on GABRIEL's part. The unique textures of the various songs, the number of moods he manages to capture, is quite impressive. But once you factor in the lyrics, some of them can pack an incredible punch. In one case, I didn't fully appreciate it until suffering for myself the very experience he describes, even though I already recognized what a good song it was. There was something about it I didn't fully understand--but now that I do, it is incredibly powerful indeed.

Let me tell you something about "I Grieve".

He got it right.

I went through a period around the end of 2003 where it seemed like I was experiencing one loss right after another, some of which hit me with a completely unexpected force. It was only then when I was able to understand for myself the feelings he described and captured in his music, only then when I was able to understand the gyrations in the mood of the song. When you're in the worst part of grieving, there are times when you feel positively bipolar, and a bit afraid of this because your mood seems to be entirely out of your control. One second you are in the throes of deep depression--the next you're filled with elation and peace. But that peace evaporates on you the instant you begin to believe it might remain. Yes, things eventually do even out, but it's hard during that time when you almost begin to fear it never will. He's captured that extraordinarily accurately, and now I am in a position to say so fairly authoritatively.

The other highlights of this album are "Sky Blue", with an absolutely wonderful appearance by the Blind Boys of Alabama. You'll also hear a variation on this theme on the soundtrack album Long Walk Home, if that intrigues you. "No Way Out" is also very powerful, and makes a good prequel to "I Grieve"...perhaps this song is the actual moment of the death. But also, there is some extraordinary drumming at the end of that song, that I very highly recommend hearing. (By the way, if you like that drumming style, I suggest Broken China by RICK WRIGHT for more.) "More Than This" is another incredibly touching song, that in some way sounds like the beginnings of recovery from the loss you hear about earlier in the album. At least, that's how it feels to me after my experience. But the one with the most "punch" to it of all is "Signal to Noise", with its climax that absolutely must be heard to be believed. Another song I very much like, although in my opinion one of the weaker ones musically, I have to say it--the lyrics to "The Barry Williams Show" are just TOO dead-on accurate!

Overall, although this album isn't perfect, I do suggest picking up a copy because most of it is truly spectacular. Don't expect the soft, soothing sound of Us or the completely pop sound of So...this one has got intricate layering and sharp edges. In a nutshell, don't give up after your first listen. This one will grow on you.

It took me almost two freezing weeks from the day I bought this album at a record store in Washington D.C. to finally had a chance to listen to it. A very long time in waiting, indeed. This happened due to the fact that I didn't bring any CD player when I visited the USA more than two years ago.

It wasn't (as in Bob Marley's song) a waiting in vain. First time spinned the CD: I was appalled at the uncompromisingly darkness keyboard sound brought by track number one "Darkness", and yet I was so appeased as there was parts with slow tempos and soothing melodies. This impression has always emerged every time I listen to it.

But darkness is not the only theme, as "Darkness" is also just the beginning of this incredibly, dense album. There are grief, meditation and almost anything people got when they delve deeper into their life and their mind, including hopes. This album grows stronger with every attempt to listen to it. Each listen reveals new moments and wider ground to anticipate what may come at the next attempt.

A decade after the last album ("Us"), Gabriel still has its uncompromising magic as a songwriter. And with contributing performances from friends and colleagues, including the great Toni Levin, this magic effortlessly transformed so many melodies to become powerful songs such as "Growing Up", "Sky Blue" and "Signal to Noise".

This album definitely is not to be missed.

Peter Gabriel has surprised his fans by writing a progressive and experimental rock/pop album this late in his career. The line-up Peter brought to create this album is extensive and full of talent. Also, Peter Gabriel's composition skills and creativity were as good as always. This album brings back the claustrophobia and darkness from his third album (the melting face)

The darkness of the album is introduced by er. well ... "DARKNESS" and it is one of Gabriel's best tracks. All instruments seem to be distorted when the musical explosion commences (the first time I heard it, my body leaned back in shock). "GROWING UP" is Peter Gabriel's catchiest track on the record which might be an attempt to score on the radio. The melodies are rich here. "Sky Blue" has a genius melody done in a vocal harmony that stays in your head. "No Way Out" and "Grieve" are two dark, and melancholic tracks connected together. "The Barry William show" is a funny mocking piece about shows. "My Head Sounds like that" is am experimental melodic piece which unfortunately does not excite me a lot. "More Than This" sounds like an outtake from His third solo album, it is excellent. "Signal To Noise" is the masterpiece of the album, and my favourite song from Peter Gabriel. It has a great and haunting percussion that reminds me of Biko. It has a guest vocalist who used his unique voice as an instrument with extraordinary and magnificent results. And of course, it has that symphonic finale!

Highlights : SIGNAL TO NOISE, darkness, and Sky Blue

Led Downs: The Drop, My Head Sounds Like That

Highly Recommended!

PS : It is very challenging music that requires repeated listens in order to find the beauty in the record.

My Grade : B

If you want to scare the holy bejesus out of someone just slip this cd into their headphones and wait about ten seconds. "Darkness" is frightening in its bleakness and a lot like tiptoeing through a haunted house. I, too, had waited 12 years since the inspiring "Us" had thrilled me and I naively expected more of the same from Mr. Gabriel. Not so. In fact, it is such a departure from his previous albums that at first I didn't know whether I liked it at all. But repeated listenings have endeared it to me. I must be in the minority from what I've read on this forum but I like "Barry Williams Show" because it is true satire in the same vein as "Big Time" and "Games without Frontiers." And the funky track is perfect. What a show... Another stand out is "More than this" which is one of his most infectious melodies ever as it builds both musically and lyrically. But it is "Signal to Noise" that elevates this endeavor to majestic heights. It pulls you along with its mysterious sounds until the introduction of the complex symphonic score that ascends into the stratosphere. It literally takes your breath away with its unorthodox chordings. If Peter had any leanings toward repeating the commercial success he had with "Sledgehammer" and "Steam" he definitely worked them out of his system long before putting this odd collection of songs on the market. And for that I applaud him. It was time to move on and he did. He took the high road and recorded what he had found in his heart and soul, not what his record company was probably begging him to produce.

I thought of making a good hedline for my review.Something like "A Classic Progger makes an excellent Modern Prog album".Or "Bold Peter and his Bold band strikes again!!!".Or "Did I believe this dream?Or did I dream this believe?".Or "I have ny fear but it doesn't have me".Or "Life carries on".

Anyway, apart of all jokes, this is a masterpiece.First of all,you must bhe really grown up enough for this album - I bought it few months ago but came to this review only now.Forget about weird rhytms and signatures - Gabriel makes his Prog mixing World music with Modern pop and a bit of Dark Magic.He has created dark mellow emotional CD of excellence,and I can't see any reasons why not to buy it.

The album opens with "Darkness" - fine song with some moments of ocassional madness.Then "Growing Up" follows - the best song of the whole album.It is just flawless,it contains everything this album can offer,and it's the best prog track I can dance to!!! "Sky Blue" is most lyrical song - very fine lyrics and choir closer to the end.Besides it's the only song not in 4/4 on the album ;-) ."No Way Out" ,as well as "More than this" (reminds me of later Marillion), has the most mainstream harmony - it is easy to sing, and I'd chose them both as singles for radio/TV rotation."I Grieve" in 3 parts has wonderful lyrics - I must say that Peter is the only artist whose lyrics I understand from the very first listening (I'm not the native speaker of English) without any translation - they penetrate right into very heart.The optimistic "Life carries on" part is one of the most joyful tunes I ever heard - a ray of light in the realm of darkness."The Barry Williams Show" with reality-show atmosphere shocked me at first - I saw the video and found there more blood than in all Cradle of Filth' videos taken together!!!"My Head Sounds like this" ,unlike tracks 4 and 8, has the most frightening and unusual harmony.At first it reminds of Beatles,but then into something incredible."Sugnal to Noise" is the most dramatic piece, with strong oriental flavour and huge orchestrations."The Drop" is nice closing track - just to make you relax after magnificient "Signal..."

This is a Masterpiece.I hope Peter will manage to create at least something related in his future - he has not much time to hesitate ;-) Highly recommended to every grown-up Progger.Don't you dare miss that!!!

Peter Gabriel's return to form after the underwhelming album Us came in the form of Up. It may have taken a long time to see this album come to life, but the end result is one that is near perfection. Gabriel greets the new millennium well with a very modern approach to his music on this album. The crisp audio production and the well-conceived arrangements are a definite plus, too, as they help create atmospheres that go with many different moods. I would probably say that this is my second favorite album from Gabriel, behind the unbelievable third solo album.

While I can't say that this album is a masterpiece, it certainly has some overwhelmingly brilliant songs. I remember the first time I listened to this album (in particular the opener), I was in awe at what I was hearing. The mysterious atmospheres of Darkness soon broke out into a screech of guitars and right then I knew I was in for a wonderful ride. And it didn't stop there. Growing Up is a fantastic piece with a magnificent chorus and some great interplay between Tony Levin and Ged Lynch. There's so much to this album on every level it's hard for me to even describe the power that is exuded from it.

Even though the songs are generally pretty long (around 6-7 minutes), they are filled with depth, focus, and undeniable cohesion. That's what seperates this album from Us. Where Us, in my opinion, lacked direction, Up makes up for that with incredibly inspired pieces that move the listener on every single level. Take Signal to Noise, it's unsettling atmosphere combined with the harrowing vocals of Gabriel creates a shocking, if not thought-provoking tone and it really moves the listener (at least I was in awe at this song).

That said, My Head Sounds Like That and The Drop could have been a bit more refined, but the rest of the songs on this album are generally of the highest quality. Again, I can't say that this album is a masterpiece, but it's not that far off from being one. Mr. Gabriel will have a hard time topping this one. Highly recommended.

After the great "SO" there was the somewhat disappointing "US". After "US" Peter Gabriel treats us with "UP"!

Actually after owning "SO" and "US" I really didn't keep track of PG's whereabouts until my brother bought the fantastic live DVD "Growing Up Live" in 2003. This made me think that perhaps the preceding studio album of this awesome DVD could also be of interest. And I could not have been more right about that! What a magnificent album!

I came across this album on some CD/LP open air market in the city where I live in for just 10 bucks or so and decided to buy it instantly. When I came home I put it in my CD-player and for some strange reason it stayed in there for days. This strange reason of course was that "UP" is a very good album. Maybe even just as good as "SO" was some 16 years ago.

If you liked "SO" and "US" you should get "UP" and "Growing UP Live" as well. The only minor negative point, as Gatot already pointed out, is that if you would be familiar with the Live DVD already some tracks on this studio album might sound a bit "cheesy". It's not bad or irritating. The problem is just that PG is such a great live performer that now I actually rather hear most of his tracks live.

This will surely be an excellent addition to any music collection!

Peter Gabriel is something else. Many people have great voices, many have great timing, many a amazing song writers, many are inventive, many combine all of these characteristics into one. However, few are able to imitate moods and colors musically as is Peter Gabriel. He communicates these feelings so fluently, showing an understand only parallel by few of his musical peers and the most learned in the scientific community. This I believe is the source of his cross-genre popularity, not the actual "sound" of his art.

I hear nothing to resemble pop on this album despite a bias which tells me there is. Gabriel takes his prog spirit and combines it with the sounds of world music. Now the world is a pretty big and diverse place, and so the album is also equally diverse. Heavy, airy, symphonic, electronic, tribal, all take a place in the album. Gabriel's voice has done nothing but improved since his departure from Genesis, and its at his peak on this release. He's parted ways with his heavily dramatic delivery, but retains his beautiful sense of timing and embellishment that he will put into his lines.

This is Peter finest post-Genesis hour, quite amazing given its release two decades after he began his solo career. When I listen to this album I give it no doubt 5 stars, but when I think about this album I only give it 4. And since this technically is a prog-related release, I will regrettably side with my brain and not my heart.

This release caught me by surprise: I thought the days of new PETER GABRIEL albums were over. I'm delighted to be wrong.

This album (plus the track 'Burn me Up, Burn me Down', which was included on pre-release versions of the record) is a summation of GABRIEL's solo career. 'Darkness', for example, could have sat nicely on PG III, and similar places could be found in GABRIEL'S back catalogue for many of the other tracks.

Two real highlights for me. 'The Barry Williams Show' is an excellent jab just where it is needed: take that, Jerry and you rubbish bin merchants! And 'Signal to Noise' is about as good a piece of drama as GABRIEL has ever been party to, including his GENESIS days. No weak tracks, and plenty of strengths. But it's not a masterpiece. It looks back rather than looking forward.

I wonder if we'll get another one from the fabulous PG? And if we do, what will it be like?

While I'm not a huge fan of Gabriel's solo material I really like this album. It's much better than US in just about every way.

Dark. Brooding. Classy. Strange. Foggy. Painful. Elegant glacial unease. Just some of the words that pop into my head as I think about what the music sounds like and what it makes me feel. The first three tracks are simply stunning material for any artist but even more so for someone who's been around this long. "Darkness" is like a living nightmare, a song that begins in a shocking manner and nearly jolts you from your seat. "Growing Up" is more typical Pete but still quite good. And then there is the money shot. "Sky Blue" is a phenomenally gorgeous ballad and a song that nearly brought people to tears when I saw Gabriel do it live. Yeah, "Barry Williams" is a little topical and breaks the trance-like intimate flow of the album but it's a minor complaint and an aberration. Once past that track you resume the emotional deep sea dive that is UP. He also helps the material by giving the songs 6-8 minutes to breath rather than doing 3-4 minute tracks. I believe he made a conscious decision here to largely pass up radio play, both by the lengths and the dark moods and I respect him for that.

Before this album came out I had zero expectation that it would be good. I figured we'd get more video friendly pop schlock like "Kiss the Frog." I was wrong. This is a deep and dark album with so many layers of atmosphere that I owe Pete an apology. I didn't think he had it in him any more.

A shame that his friends Genesis and Kate Bush cannot pull off material like this anymore. 3.5 appreciative stars for not simply repeating US.

Half a good album

I jumped in the car with a friend of mine not knowing what was in the CD player, the song Darkness started and I was immediately intrigued. Once I heard PG's voice I was shocked, not his typical fare, and I was quite enjoying it.

Darkness is a hard driving number that fits its name. One of the most artistic pieces I have heard from PG since his solo career began. Growing Up on the other hand is a little more familiar as a PG song, dance oriented but holding the listeners ear. Then a series of very somber, soulful songs, Sky Blue, No Way Out, I grieve all three hold the listener in a trance fostered by the grief of PG's loss of a friend. Then comes the rest of the album.

The Barry Williams Show is a nightmarish dive into the world of daytime TV with Barry Williams as the Springer/Povich style TV host. Yes, Springer is bad, we get it Peter. It's a concept as worn out as the shows themselves. Basically the the album is over at that point. The enjoyment of the first 5 songs is so shattered by The Barry Williams Show that it is impossible to resume the album in its presented context. Its the curse of the skip button. I actually later listened to only the last 4 songs. My Head Sounds Like That is not unlike the second 3 songs, but lacks the sense of feeling. More Than This is a radio song that seems out of place, not as much as The Barry Williams Show, but out of place anyway. Signal to Noise is the most enjoyable of the second half, with string orchestrations that renew the albums energy, but a bit to late. The Drop is a melancholy closer with PG on piano and vocals.

This album is a prime example of how a poorly placed song can really scramble an album. 5 points for the first half, 2 points for the last 4 songs, I firm shake of the finger for The Barry Williams Show.

Simultaneously modern and innovative, "Up" is probably Gabriel's best album to date, featuring masterful arranged songs which ooze class and emotion-- his vocals are more mature and poignant than ever before. Lyrically sound and sonically intense, the listener is treated to a usually dark palette of sounds which throb and slither. The first half of this album is probably the finest work ever, and I recommend these songs as a perfect place for a new listener to Gabriel's work.

I must be one of the few people on this site who definitely prefers Peter Gabriel's solo output to anything he did with Genesis. Even though some may vehemently disagree, I see his solo albums as nearly perfect examples of that notorious 'crossover' subgenre, blending mainstream appeal with more sophisticated, intellectual influences. True, some of his earlier work did indeed stray a bit too much into pop territory for some to feel comfortable with calling him a fully prog artist. However, Up is probably one of PG's most progressive offerings for years, and easily on a par with his Eighties classics, PG 3 (aka "Melt") and 4 (aka "Security"). After the huge commercial success of "So" (his most accessible effort by far), and the rather nondescript "Us", this is a strong return to form for one of the most stimulating, complete artists on the modern music scene.

"Up" is largely a dark, richly atmospheric album. What strikes me most every time I listen to it is the spacey, haunting overall slowness of the songs - the only exception being the upbeat, yet ultimately disappointing "The Barry Williams Show", which to be perfectly honest sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. Gone are the funky grooves of the likes of "Sledgehammer" or "Big Time" - the closest we get here is "Growing Up", which is nowhere as catchy or radio-friendly as those two songs, though still somewhat 'danceable'. On the other hand, the rest of the tracks are intense, rarefied, and ever so slightly disturbing, providing a great opportunity for Peter to display his unique vocal style. The opening "Darkness" is a perfect example of the general mood of the album, stark yet intimate, with Peter whispering and pleading over the heavy, stop-start percussive patterns - almost a throwback to my favourite Gabriel opener, the disturbing "Intruder" from Melt.

While the standard of all the compositions on "Up" is very, to these ears two tracks stand head and shoulders above the rest: the beautiful, melancholy ballad "Sky Blue", and the hauntingly dramatic "Signal to Noise". Both songs, in their own different ways, have a deeply moving quality, further enhanced by Peter's masterful vocals. There is no doubt that his voice has really matured a lot over the years, and his interpretation of the intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics is awe-inspiring. In some odd way, I see this album as more 'vocal' than 'musical': namely, the voice seems to be the main instrument, and the music more of a background that adds depth and texture to Peter's emotional singing.

If I had another half star at my disposal, I would give Up a 4.5 star rating. Those who were disappointed by "Us" or "So" could do much worse than give this one a listen - Peter is back, and he'll hopefully release another album of the same quality in the near future. Very highly recommended.

The Old Dog has some New Tricks

Peter Gabriel's album _Up_ begins with brief gentle rhythmic figure before bludgeoning the listener with a blast of industrial distortion that is the thematic riff for the opening song, appropriately named Darkness. The song continues to alternate between moments of catching your breath and spasms of pain, in one of the best musical depictions of depression I've heard. (Lord knows there have been many). The first time I heard this song, and then the entire album, back during a particularly dark time in my life in 2002, I was knocked back in my seat, thinking This is more like it. The old dog still has some life left in him.

This album was a long time coming, with Gabriel fans clinging to his soundtracks as the only new music since 1992's _Us_. Unfortunately, these didn't add a lot to his catalog that hadn't already been covered on the wonderful _Passion_ and elsewhere. In any case, I didn't have high expectations, but my brother (a bigger PG fanatic than me) reassured me. Well, _Up_ delivered completely. Along with plenty of the signature Gabriel sounds, with updated production, were a number of new elements, not least of which was the use of more aggression. A good example is "No Way Out" which updates his signature "Red Rain" sound with a low, twangy guitar riff along with Tony Levin's signature rolling bass. In fact, the whole album is darker than he'd been in almost 20 years, more personal and close.

Every song except one is excellent. "The Barry Williams Show," the first single, was a cheap shot in the bucket at daytime TV hosts, and a complete throwaway. But other more poppish singles such as "More Than This" and "Growing Up" are superb, up with any of his previous work. The song that is most often quoted, however, is "I Grieve" which had already appeared on the soundtrack to the movie _City of Angels_ 4 years before. (Yes I bought the album just to have the Gabriel song). The song is bonecrushingly sad and yet uplifting at the same time, an emotional masterpiece in a catalog that is filled with some of the most emotionally expressive performances in rock. I could go on. Suffice it to say, that each and every song stands on its own, but the album remains cohesive.

4.5 stars rounded down because you don't round up to masterpiece. Recommend completely.