R.E.M.

New Adventures In Hi-Fi - WB 9 46320-1 - 1996

Tracks: 1. How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us / 2. The Wake-Up Bomb / 3. New Test Leper / 4. Undertow / 5. E-Bow The Letter / 6. Leave / 7. Departure / 8. Bittersweet Me / 9. Be Mine / 10. Binky The Doormat / 11. Zither / 12. So Fast, So Numb / 13. Low Desert / 14. Electrolite

Comments:

Like its predecessor "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" is generally raw album with a lot of distorted guitars. It's fine to change approach from time to time, though in the case of R.E:M. I must admit I prefer their softer side.

The album starts off fine with one of the album's finest tracks "How the West was Won " - it took a few listens for me to realize that this was actually a great song, and my first impression of the album as a whole was really qúite disappointing. But as if usually goes with R.E.M.'s music , it grows on you.

The album is less melodic than most of their albums, and it was not until the closing track "Electrolite" that I first found the qualities that I usually like in R.E.M. Fortunately other songs like the waltzy "New Test Leper", the Dylan inspired "E-Bow the Letter", the rocking "Departure" and the droning and distorted "Be Mine" soon began to stand out and became favourites on the album. A good album but not a favourite in R.E.M. context

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