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I really want to hate R.E.M.. I want to hate them the same
way I hate U2. I want this band that I once liked to start
putting out crap albums so that the ever pretentious Michael
Stipe can be just another full-of-shit rock star. I want Michael
Stipe to get knocked on his ass and take a couple in the chin.
I really thought that 1994's Monster was going
to seal the deal and it came pretty close. I thought 1996's
New Adventures in Hi-Fi would prove them to
be has beens.... no dice. Then they released Up
in 1998 which was just so undeniably cool that I had to wait
until this release before I could even begin praying for their
demise. Looks like I may have to wait a bit longer.
Reveal lands somewhere between 1983's Murmur
and Up. The creative melodies that made R.E.M.
interesting in the first place have returned. The renewed
focus on catchy hooks and good pop music only makes you realize
that this is what has truly been missing from R.E.M. albums
for the last few years. It is only by listening to the lead
track, "The Lifting" that I begin to see why I wanted
them to fail. They were a band falling apart. Maybe it was
ego, maybe it was boredom but something was definitely changing
the bands perspective and philosophies on creating music.
Looking back on it and now, hearing a solid piece of work,
it seems so obvious where they were headed and why I was expecting
the worst with each release. "The Lifting" is like
the Pope visiting the Holy Land; someone who could be completely
corrupted by his power returning to the humble place where
it all started.
The posing and the melodramatic R.E.M., that's more about
proving the bands depth than it is about creating good music,
rears it's head more than once. "I've Been High"
is a little disappointing following up a great start like
"The Lifting". Falsetto singing and sparsely used
guitar accompany the unapologetically crappy synthesized drumbeats.
Is R.E.M. trying to bring back crappy '80s music? God, I hope
not because R.E.M. was the alternative to that when they started.
When everyone else was caught up in being new romantics, R.E.M.
was playing what could easily be called country.
"All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)"
makes up for the blandness and blatant self-affirming of "I've
Been High". The song is probably twice as long as it
should've been, but ultimately it's an un-compelling 4/4 pop
song that'll make you tap your toes and forget about your
bills for a few minutes.
"Beat A Drum" is R.E.M.iniscent of the untitled
track that ended 1988's Green. It lacks the raw emotion and
skepticism of the untitled track, but that may prove the difference
between R.E.M. now and the R.E.M. of thirteen years ago. A
few humble guys from Athens became international stadium acts
over the last 15 years. It's hard to lack confidence when
you're bossing around a personal assistant, you signed the
biggest record deal in history and housewives know your name,
face and the lyrics to "Shiny Happy People". It's
not R.E.M.'s fault, you can't blame them for being successful
or for suffering from the effects of that success.
Again, as soon as you're ready to write them off, another
track comes along and gives you pause. "Imitation of
Life" sounds like it was probably written around the
time of Life's Rich Pageant. To be critical
of this song would be to shoot myself in the foot. This recalls
all of the best aspects to R.E.M.'s music. The vocals are
understated, the guitar work is dark without sulking, Mike
Mills' bass is spot on (as always), and the song is unpredictable.
This is why I own the back catalog, because there was a time
when an entire R.E.M. album would sound like this song. You
didn't need to know what R.E.M. looked like, you didn't need
to know their names, you didn't really care if Stipe was admitting
he was gay… you were a fan of the music because it was
traditional and new and different all at the same time.
Reveal is a good album, but R.E.M. seem to have sabotaged
themselves by recalling what they once sounded like. Reveal
is a mixture of the styles they've explored over the last
18 years and most of it works, but when it misses the mark
you can't help but wince with disapproval. In the end, the
self-indulgent moments can be pretty easily overlooked by
the sheer fact the R.E.M. has made some of their best music
in 10 years on this disc. Who would've thought Reveal would've
been such an appropriate title?
-Tyler Jacobson
Track Listing:
1. The Lifting
2. I've Been High
3. All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)
4. She Just Wants To Be
5. Disappear
6. Saturn Return
7. Beat A Drum
8. Imitation Of Life
9. Summer Turns To High
10. Chorus And The Ring
11. I'll Take The Rain
12. Beachball
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