Saturday 23 July 2011

Fables of the Reconstruction - R.E.M.

As the ambiguous title suggests, R.E.M.’s third studio effort is difficult to place and may not make pleasant listening for fans of the band’s first two wonderful albums expecting to hear something similar. While Peter Buck’s characteristic jangly guitar is retained on songs such as Maps & Legends and Driver 8, ‘Fables is an album that sees the foursome experimenting both lyrically and instrumentally, containing songs with more obvious lyrics and a more layered sound.

This change can be heard immediately in the sudden opening guitar throngs of Feeling Gravity’s Pull which are then followed by the beautiful intertwining of Michael Stipe and Mike Mills’ voices – a combination which provided highlights on the band’s previous albums and continues to do so. New sounds for the band continue to manifest themselves on the album; the partnership of a jazzy guitar riff and a first use of a brass section for the band make Can’t Get There From Here one of the most impressive songs on the album and the final, banjo-led song, a slow ballad about an eccentric individual Wendell Gee provides a beautiful end to an eccentric album.

With references to both the Reconstruction period in America and the literary process of deconstruction in the title, the band’s lyrics on Fables are much more obvious influences than Murmur and Reckoning. Pastoral imagery of steam engines in Driver 8 and ‘the compass [that] points the workers home’ on arguably the best song on the album ‘Green Grow The Rushes’ show the influence of the landscape of the American South, while the slow ballads of Old Man Kensey and Wendell Gee show the band addressing the myth and legend of the period. As well as this the album also sees the band’s first song that is openly about a relationship in Kohoutek. However there are also songs focussing on old themes for the band; on Feeling Gravity’s Pull Stipe describes falling asleep while reading, reflecting on the power of art and this theme is continued on the impressive Life And How To Live It showing how art is subjective and open to different interpretations from different people.

Fables of the Reconstruction is a tough album to get into and may take several listens to appreciate it fully. It sees the band tackle many different themes and ideas and produce changes to their sound and writing techniques, while retaining their most compelling traits – their poetic and enigmatic lyrics and the harmonies of Stipe’s voice with Mills’. The band are aware they have achieved something but just as aware that they must move on from this period to achieve greater things.

Much like the innocence of rural townships before the reconstruction of the southern states, R.E.M.’s innocence as a new band has gone, and this album says goodbye to the simple life of a college band hello to the complexities of being a full-time touring band and the challenges they face, through a series of challenging and enjoyable songs.

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Article first published as R.E.M. - Fables of the Reconstruction on Blogcritics.

Friday 22 July 2011

The King Of Limbs - Radiohead

Any regular followers of Radiohead’s blog http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/ knew that this album would again be a leap away from the guitar-led anthems of The Bends and OK Computer which brought them worldwide acclaim a decade ago. Recent ‘Office Charts’ have included tracks by dubstep (N.B. I use the term loosely) prodigies Jamie Smith of (The xx) and Ramadanman as well electronic stalwarts Four Tet and Aphex Twin. The sound of the album, unlike the release, was something that could be predicted, albeit vaguely.


The album opens with Bloom, a juxtaposition of arpeggiated piano, fast drum beats and a strange bass melody which then leads to a wall of high-pitched synths in the second part of the song. As you work your way through the album this combination of fast-paced electronic drum beats and slower basslines (a method employed by The xx to great success recently) played by Colin Greenwood, dominate the album, forming the base of almost every song.

Despite a similar formula, each song is different in detail, and a captivating listen. The instrumental track Feral starts with angry drum beats punctuated with string squeals, while the slow piano melody of Codex, combined slow bass creates a standout track and rates as one of the band’s most beautiful and seductive of their entire catalogue.

However guitar is not completely absent from the album, while there is a few bends of Jonny Greenwood’s guitar on ­Little by Little, a song with Yorke’s traditional melancholy lyrics, the first and only guitar-led song comes with the light acoustic guitar on Give Up The Ghost. However the most noteworthy use of guitar comes with the final track of the album, Separator.

The song starts with bass drones, drum beats and faint guitar plucks before a beautiful guitar melody kicks in carrying you to a euphoric end of the album with the line ‘If you think this is over/ You’re wrong’. The song, as the album does as a whole, represents a moment of joy for the band. They no longer have to struggle to meet the deadlines of record labels, but can make music as they wish; comprising whatever styles and sounds they want, whether it is vintage Radiohead from the 90s, the experimental 00s, or something completely new.

The King Of Limbs represents freedom for the band and for music. Following the traditions of dubstep artists, the band urges people making music to produce and release it independently and to ‘do what you want’ (from the first single from the album, Lotus Flower). Once again Radiohead have made an intelligent, challenging album, completely in tune with the changing face of music today, and perhaps more importantly, highlighting what is to come.

As OK Computer was a zeitgeist album for 90s consumer society, The King Of Limbs is for the future of music in coming years.

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Reckoning - R.E.M.

R.E.M.’s stunning 1983 debut effort Murmur was followed quickly in the next year with their second album Reckoning and it continues largely in the same vein; Peter Buck’s guitar still jangles and Michael Stipe’s voice is still barely coherent, however it is clear that the band have evolved.

Harborcoat, the album’s upbeat opener, shows the subtle changes that Reckoning contains; Bill Berry’s drums begin the album with a ferocity not seen in Murmur while Buck’s guitar jangles with a more pronounced clarity and sound also. Although the most noticeable change is with the combination of bassist Mike Mills’ and Stipe’s vocals, with Mills providing new sounds and harmonies in almost every song on the album. However Stipe is not outshone, and in (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville, (a song written by Mills) he strikes probably the most beautiful vocal melodies he has recording thus far. Stipe’s lyrical style has also undergone a subtle change. While the trademark mumble of Murmur is still present on tracks like Letter Never Sent, he also conjures up thought-provoking images on tracks like 7 Chinese Bros. with ‘Seven thousand years the Communi did reign/Will she return?’ hinting at political motives, as well as the water imagery present on So. Central Rain and Pretty Persuasion portraying the changing life of the band as they gain fame and begin to tour.

Much of Reckoning then, is expanding the methods they used so well on Murmur, which they do successfully on the first side of the album, however the band also begins to demonstrate their experimental side and willingness to change their style. Time After Time (Annelise) employs hand percussion instead of normal drums and sounds like nothing else the band has released thus far, while the slow-paced Camera is powered almost exclusively by Mills’ bass and Stipe’s vocals, while Buck’s melodic guitar lines lurk underneath.

Clearly R.E.M. are a band with a lot to give. They are not afraid to move away from the successful style that brought them fame, employing different techniques to show off the talents of their different members, in their characteristically democratic way. However as the first four songs show, an indeed the album closer Little America, the band are still mainly fuelled by Buck’s ceaselessly inventive jangly guitar, and Stipe’s continuously provocative lyrics.

R.E.M. are in the process of evolving; Murmur and Reckoning can be looked at as the first chapter in their book, and it is undoubtedly a classic. Here are 22 simple stories, beautifully written and endlessly rewarding. The future is bright, with the sum of these four men’s talents, this band can go anywhere.

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