Lifes Rich Pageant - R.E.M.

Lifes Rich Pageant is R.E.M.’s fourth album in four years, and with such a prolific output of work it is no surprise that some songs begin to sound similar however this is no bad thing, for three reasons. Firstly, because R.E.M.’s music is good, secondly because their lyrics are always provocative in different ways, but lastly because it seems that what the band are giving us on this album is a snippet of what their life is like now as they gradually make the change from college rockers to a respected and successful alternative rock band.

The song that is most important in continuing this progression is the lead single ‘Fall On Me’. With its intricate guitar opening it provides a pensive mood for a song about oppression of ideas, but also a sing-a-long chorus which new listeners could enjoy. The album also has a much more upbeat feel than previous provided by the rowdy Just A Touch and the chirpy, piano-led Hyena. Despite this, references to previous albums remain; the riff to These Days is clearly in the jangle pop style which dominated the first two albums, while the completely acoustic slow ballad Swan Swan H would not be out of place on the band’s previous album with its bucolic imagery of the American South.

However this ‘day in the life’ of R.E.M. which the album provides is not solely concerned with past experiences and feelings. With one listen it is obvious Stipe’s mumbled delivery from previous albums has completely disappeared, and for good reason as his lyrics have become more poignant and focussed. Begin The Begin is concerned with the revolutions undergone in America in recent history, but could also be a reference to the band beginning again now they have made a name for themselves, while songs like Cuyahoga and Flowers of Guatemala clearly have man’s attitude towards the environment at heart.

Lifes Rich Pageant is a different album to place. While it contains classic R.E.M. traits like Stipe and Mike Mills’ beautiful vocal harmonies found on Fall On Me, there is also the unfamiliar territory found in the anthemic chorus of What If We Gave It Away and the memorable album closer Superman, which doesn’t seem to fit into the album, despite it being a catchy song. However the album also houses the song which gives the best insight into the methods of the band. Despite beginning in classic, jangly R.E.M. style, I Believe shows the band to be one which never stops moving and always crave to do something different from what they have already done as Stipe sings ‘and change is what I believe in’ and ‘perfect is a fault, and fault lines change’.

This song shows why it is ok for some R.E.M.’s work to sound similar, as it is clear that the band are always trying to change and evolve their style lyrically, instrumentally and thematically. This is part of their “rich pageant” as a college band beginning to draw a larger crowd and more attention, and confirms the quality of what has gone before and the promise of what is to come next.

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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.

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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Murmur - R.E.M.

Before sitting down to listen to Murmur, the debut full-length album by alternative rock band R.E.M., I read some other critic’s reviews. I was shocked that an album had gotten full marks from so many critics across the board and was interested to see how it would stand up almost 30 years after its release.

The first thing that struck was its expertise instrumentally. Bill Berry’s considered drumming, Mike Mills’ melodic bass lines, and Peter Buck’s chiming guitar chords, while fitting together similarly in each song, each time provide a layered, indie pop classic with a different feel. Pilgrimage is dominated by Mills’ prominent bass line, while Buck moves from reverberating chords on 9-9 to upbeat guitar chops on We Walk and of course his famed wide open-string guitar jangles which are prevalent on most songs. Although this is notably not the case on A Perfect Circle, a song composed entirely by Bill Berry, based around honky-tonk piano and a slow drum beat, and exemplary of the band’s variation on the album.

In the same way Michael Stipe’s vocals also undergo various guises on the album. He goes from his highest register on Radio Free Europe to lowest on Catapult, while adopting almost a yodel on Moral Kiosk. However, it is his lyrics and their delivery, which gives the album its name, which are most intriguing.

While his rambles are barely audible on 9-9 and completely obscure on songs such as Sitting Still and Shaking Through, there are tantalising hints that he is not just mindlessly rambling. The ‘empty mouths’ on Talk About The Passion suggest a hunger song, while the reference to ‘Laocoon and her sons’ in Laughing may be a reference to his own art and how people interpret it.

It is these two things which make R.E.M. and Murmur so special. Instrumentally, they are a pop band. Buck’s guitar hooks and the vocal interplay between Stipe and Mills are chart friendly, however their lyrics take them above this label. They are band for artists; they know what they are trying to say but this doesn’t matter – they allow people to interpret their songs however they want.

Approaching 30 years on this hasn’t changed. These songs are relevant to the past, the present, and the future, and still hold the same mystery and emotion that they have always held. There is only so much that can be said about music like this; people have to go out and see what it says for themselves. Maybe, like Laocoon, this is an artistic ideal.

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