R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

Right out of Athens, Georgia legendary alternative rockers R.E.M. are back with their brand new studio effort, Collapse Into Now. The follow up to 2008's Accelerate finds the rockers returning to their sound that catapulted them into stardom and this is one of their best and most cohesive discs in years.

We kick things off with "Discoverer", an anthemic, arena ready rocker that is a great platform for lead singer Michael Stipe to reintroduce his powerful and lingering voice that emanates ever so strongly from one song to the next. "All The Best" is a carbon copy of the preceding song, but it features more varied guitar rhythms and greater variances in tempos that make this song really pop and stand out. My favorite song off the disc is "Überlin", an acoustic and melodic juggernaut that syncs in seamlessly with Michael's pristine vocal power and guitarist Peter Buck's masterful guitar work making his presence known. "It Happened Today" is a mellow, reflective rocker that features intricate guitar melodies layered upon Michael's simple yet elegant vocals weaving their way in and out of the song with no discernible trouble whatsoever.

The disc's second half roars out of the speakers with "Mine Smell Like Honey", a melodic and return to form tune for R.E.M. that hearkens back to their early 90's heyday with anthemic choruses and transcendent guitar riffs that makes this song a joy to listen to all the way through despite the song's odd title. "Walk It Back" is a low key, mellowed out acoustic number that appears to be a common theme for the band on this album with elegant melodies and light yet effective musical arrangements that make this song a very pleasurable listen. We head into the latter third of the album with "That Someone Is You", a quick and straight to the point one a half minute rocker that jam packs all of R.E.M.'s incredible talents into one quick, fell swoop that is a rare treat to hear from these guys. "Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I" puts the mood in order with a quiet, reflective number that once again finds Michael's vocals once again working their magic amid the flurry of acoustic guitars omnipresent at every turn. The disc's finale "Blue" is an experimental, drawn out tune that sees R.E.M. taking a slight detour on an advanced yet delicate track that shows R.E.M.'s resolve and proves why they're one of the most adventurous and successful alternative bands of the past 30 years. R.E.M. have found a pattern of consistent success, mostly in the early 90's with "Out of Time", "Automatic For The People", and "Monster" with a slight dropoff at the latter half of the decade. Slowly, the band began to rediscover their groove and on this, their finest effort to date, have rediscovered themselves as musicians and have proven that they are more relevant today now than ever.

To wrap it all up, R.E.M. have crafted one of their best efforts since 1991's "Out of Time" and have completely reinvigorated their careers as well with a sonic and ear pleasing gem that gives plenty of evidence as to why R.E.M. are one of the best alternative bands out there today. Buy this now, highly recommended!

                                                                                                                         Album Score: 4.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Discoverer
2. All The Best
3. Überlin
4. Oh My Heart
5. It Happened Today
6. Every Day Is Yours To Win
7. Mine Smell Like Honey
8. Walk It Back
9. Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter
10. That Someone Is You
11. Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I
12. Blue