I was recently challenged to consume an R.E.M. album a day for 15 days straight, and pretty much succeeded. Early REM was no problem: I'd latched on early as a result of having accidentally seen them perform pre-Murmur. I fell hard for that album and the next two especially, and hung on as a big fan through MONSTER when I lost the thread for good.
NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI, UP and REVEAL aren't their best three albums by a long shot but as I recently learned, each has their charms. As the Berry-less band bounced through lengthy experiments in mature, composed, electronically enhanced pop, each album became a 65-minute chore with moments of resplendence, none to my ears better than the opener on REVEAL, appropriately titled "The Lifting."
My old favorite band, y'all. New to me.
