“At My Most Beautiful” is a slow, piano-driven ballad with Beatles-like harmonies. “Daysleeper” features a great melody and Stipe’s lyrics about insomnia.
Retrospect lyrics update#
It’s the first time that the band does not attempt to update its style. was an anomaly: a group in which every band member contributed to its sound.Īs a consequence, the R.E.M.
While Stipe may have been the figurehead of the group, it was apparent that R.E.M. faced up to the uncertainty of carrying on as a trio with a really good collection of pop-rock songs for the album “Up.”īill Berry’s departure as the band’s drummer had sent the group reeling. maintained complete over their decisions. Liked they’d always done throughout their careers, R.E.M. As far as career-closers go, Stipe, Mills and Buck delivered a respectable one. before they announced their disbandment in 2011, 31 years into their careers. It simply doesn’ have the stamina, or novel ideas.Īs it turns out, “Collapse into Now” was the final album by R.E.M. It never risks turning into one of their best albums. “Collapse into Now” is a nice remembrance of everything R.E.M. still possessed a love for catchy garage-rock singalongs. And “That Someone Is You” show that R.E.M. “Discover” shimmers like an indie-rock track from “Murmur.” “Überlin” is as moody and lush-sounding as an “Automatic for the People” b-side. There are plenty of nods toward the band’s past. It’s a much better chapter-closer than what their early 2000’s records risked being. prove with “Collapse into Now” that they can still play by their own rules and create good songs when motivated. But they were still supplying believers with confident, adult-oriented pop-rock. was not trying on daring innovation at this stage in their career. Meanwhile, “I’ll Take the Rain” and “All the way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star”) are pleasant and well-meaning.īuck and Mills’ love of The Beach Boys and complex orchestration can be sampled on “Beachball” and “Summer Turns to High.” Meanwhile, many of Stipe’s lyrics continue to express unwelcome mental anguish such as on “Disappear.” The lead single, “Imitation of Life” approaches the dizzyingly pleasant pop-rock of the 1990s. Drum loops and modern sound effects work alongside Joey Waronker’s percussion. But they also acknowledge the era in which they’re making the album. The band plays within its melodic strengths for much of it. “Reveal” is a more balanced effort than “Up” was. “Reveal,” was a satisfying listen to those hoping that the band would embrace its role as elder spokespeople for alternative-rock. nearly three years to provide a new album. And Michael Stipe, no a bonafide superstar, sounds boring rather than intriguing on the album’s lyrics. Peter Buck’s guitar is subdued throughout.
And “Final Straw” features electro shimmers over a country-rock instrumental.Įven as a conservative pop-rock record, “Around the Sun” lacks energy. “The Outsiders” samples vocals from rapper Q-Tip. “Leaving New York” is a saccharine number fishing for a hit single. The main trouble with, “Around the Sun” is that it doesn’t know exactly what it is. Many artists have had to accept a decrease in quality decades into their work. This is not to say that it’s an embarrassing release. But it dashed hardcore fans’ of a later career revival. “Around the Sun” was a pleasant enough affair for casual listeners. in order to rank their albums from worst to best. This is why today I’m embracing artsiness, pricking my ears to make out the words, and digging through the discography of R.E.M. I’ve found it impossible to talk about alternative rock on Alt77 without discussing R.E.M. And, in Michael Stipe, they had a reluctant but magnetic frontman who, for all of his misgivings, became one of the figureheads of his generation.
Their live shows were colossal, energy-filled events. Each was exciting and inventive.įurthermore, R.E.M. At its very best, each new band release involved a new artistic risk. albums are ranked so highly by critics and fans.īut R.E.M. And they proved you didn’t have to sacrifice your integrity to do it. is synonymous with the term “alternative rock.” They showed that quirky, guitar-based music had a place on the charts.
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