R.E.M. return with Up, the much anticipated 1st by the
band's new 3-man lineup (Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe).
Musically ambitious, melodically rich and filled with provocative
new textures and sounds, Up marks the beginning of a bold new
creative era for one of the world's finest bands. The album was
recorded with producer Pat McCarthy (U2, Counting Crows, K.D.
Lang, Hole) and features the 1st single/video: "Dayer."
.co.uk
------
After REM's somewhat ambitious 1996 album, New
Adventures in Hi-Fi, failed to light up the charts, you might
have figured the band would return to the rock-solid bombast of
Monster or the consumer-friendly pop of Green. But REM have
enough cash not to worry about commercial failure, and they've
already been to the top of the ain, so for now they'd rather
explore its lush valleys and secret caves. Up is an atmospheric
journey as impressionistic as Enya and as evocative as John
Barry. Some critics have compared it with the band's delicate and
emotionally revealing gem Automatic for the People, but Up is
more ambitious and creative. Sure, most of the songs are
pastoral, but they're undercut with drama and sonic
experimentation. The melodies are generally spare, the beats
sparse. Guitars flicker in and out, providing tension and
dynamics, while quivering strings, layered keyboards, and washes
of feedback colour the songs like textured lines of paint in an
oil portrait. The only blatant pop song is the single
"Dayer". The rest of the album ebbs and flows, each song a
separate component of a complete artistic expression. The sound
may be influenced by guitarist Peter Buck's cinematic jazz side
project Tuatara or by Michael Stipe's celluloid excursions, but
its source doesn't matter. What's important is that more than a
decade after their sell-by date, REM continue to challenge and
inspire. Things are definitely looking up. --Jon Wiederhorn
BBC Review
----------
After the loud rock of Monster and New Adventures it's
probable that REM's music would have developed in a quieter
direction anyway. But Bill Berry's unexpected departure at the
very start of the sessions for their eleventh album undoubtedly
left the band in shock, and in the mood to ponder and reflect
rather than sing out. Up is a downbeat record in every way, with
lyrics where isolation, doubt and death are ever present.
It starts well, with the search for new ideas bearing fruit. The
lopsided funk, electric pianos and distorted vocals of Lotus is
surprising but it's a well-constructed song and a good
introduction to REM's new sound world. It also sets the mood, as
it sounds like someone willing themselves to stand up after a bad
fall.
The buzzing electronic pop of Hope which sounds like a mainstream
version of New York legends, Suicide, seems to inspire Stipe.
There are other good songs in Dayer, the compelling The
Apologist and the plaintive and beautiful You're In The Air with
its imaginative arrangement of mournful, fizzy guitar feedback,
gently ticking percussion and strings.
But Up highlights the major problem with this phase of REM's
music; poor quality control. At 14 tracks it's far too long and
sags badly in the middle of its 63 minutes running time, as Buck
and Mills indulge themselves in a series of Beach Boys pastiches.
Of course, no sane human being dislikes Pet Sounds. But there are
just too many tasteful chiming vibraphones and soporific
Californian textures. Stipe doesn't sound convinced or stimulated
as he mumbles and meanders through Suspicion and the irritating
At My Most Beautiful. One track of this kind of thing, for
example the edgy Parakeet, would have been enough.
At the time of its release Up seemed intriguing if a little
disappointing. With hind it's actually the best of the three
post-Berry studio albums. It's frustrating that the promising use
of electronics showcased here wasn't followed up. Instead REM
returned to being a big rock band, but with decidedly patchy
results. --Nick Reynolds
Find more music at the BBC ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/syn//albumreviews/-/music/ ) This link
will take you off in a new window