Which, I think is a fair enough comment. Reveal was an OK album, but Lifes Rich Pageant or automatic For the People it was not.
However, for you R.E.M. fans out there, do not fear. At their website, R.E.M have released a whole new album for download. Kinda.
The thing is a remix album. Tracks from Reveal, given to DJs and dance artists and ready for you to consume as fast as your modem or cable will let you.
And, OK, while R.E.M.IX is not an Automatic For The People, I do like it. It does what I like R.E.M. albums to do; approach new sounds and oppurtunities, without losing that R.E.M. quality that has made them one of the best rock bands of the past two decades. True, it could do without four different versions of I’ve Been High, but even have been approached from such different angles that they’re worth listening to.
True, a lot of people aren’t fans of electronic music. But even if you ain’t, give this a chance: after all, it’s R.E.M. doing electronic music. And this, I feel, is an indication that R.E.M. are still willing to try new things and go new places with their music. It could even be a glimpse of what Reveal could have been.
Wow, I guess I shouldn’t have let my fan club membership lapse, since this is the first I’ve heard of it.
I enjoyed a good chunk of Reveal. I liked more songs on Up, but they’re both still pretty good albums. I continue to be amazed at how many different sounds they can do.
That being said, I’m not crazy about this new stuff. I hate remixes in general. If you dig that kind of music, you might like these tracks, but I don’t, and being an R.E.M. purist turns me off even more. Of course, YMMV.
I think the electronica is just a fun thing on the side. They’re offering it for download, not releasing it on cd. Peter Buck just did an interview here in which he talks about the direction that he thinks the band is going in the next album. It sounds promising for those of us who prefer the more raw, immediate sound they used to have, but I suspect not even the band itself can accurately predict what the tracks will sound like when the album is done.
Although I’m not the kind of fan who wants her favorite bands to stand still and not change with time, I just saw Minus 5, a band Peter Buck also plays for, in concert (along with Tuatara and two other bands). Seeing Buck and Scott McCaughey (who has played for R.E.M. in the past) doing live rock and roll made me really nostalgic for old R.E.M. Pretty, lush music is all very well, but I miss the loud, loose stuff.