That article kicked ass for all the wrong reasons. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be relevant and successful. It's as if 'successful' is a dirty word these days.
Reminds me of the time when 'selling out' was taboo...and then Nirvana and Green Day and all those other 'punk' bands exploded in the 90's and then it was about not living the 'rock star' life style (I'm pointing my finger at you Eddie Vedder). Funny, didn't Eddie just marry a model...
Whatever, if U2 wants to challenge the state of music this day, and land on the charts then kudos to them. I, for one, thought that NLOTH was a little self indulgent. I love some songs on it, but for the most part it left me feeling a bit flat. The 360 Tour turned out to be a retrospective tour and lost some of the intimacy for me (well that, and because it was a HUGE production).
So I like OL and Invisible...songs with heart and emotion. Telling a story that we can all relate to in one way or another. I mean, Unknown Caller...
...I love the guitar solo, but the lyrics did not do anything for me. Eno and Lanois are geniuses, but it's time to change it up. I look forward to the Danger Mouse produced album...and whatever else the decide to drop on us...
As for this article...
...it's his (and some other's) opinion and he certainly entitled to it. However he, like a LOT of other fans who love Pop, thinks its U2 by numbers since then, which is an insult to this band.