REM
Up
(Warner Bros.)
R.E.M.'s last studio album, New
Adventures in Hi-Fi, was fifteen minutes longer than any of their previous ones, which in
itself wouldn't be an issue if the group hadn't started relying less on songcraft and more on
guitar riffs and droning synth sounds. It was difficult for the band to sustain the listener's
interest for 65 minutes, and they often didn't succeed. On their new album, Up, the
remaining three members forego the riffs, banish fast tempos, and butcher the rhythms. All this
is deliberate; given the absence
of drummer Bill Berry, the group knew that if it tried to
continue
in a similar vein they would produce something that would only
suffer by
comparison. So hey, don't blame them for trying something
new. Unfortunately the new
album is exactly one minute shorter
than the last. It needed to be 30. The record starts out fairly strong (R.E.M. always puts its best material on the first half
of their
records), but few of the songs are memorable, the best melody
borrowed from
Leonard Cohen. Stipe gripes and moans as usual,
but no matter, his limited vocals remain
highly listenable. There's
a lyric sheet for the first time, if you care about such
things.
This is background music, but I'm not sure what for. Perhaps
you can play it
for your emotionally unstable house guests, who
will be totally unaffected by it. It's not
bad music, it just
seems to have no reason to exist. Their worst album; not bad,
just boring, like Brian Eno when he stumbles.
Rating: 6
Artists l Essays l The List l Sites & Sounds
New Issue l Best Of l Fave Links l About Us