R.E.M.
Collapse Into Now

The R.E.M. of the "Reveal"/"Around The Sun" diptych were criticized, often unfairly or at least exaggeratedly; instead, they were two good albums, the first being a heartfelt and passionate homage to the Beach Boys sound, the other a deliberately slow, overloaded work that sought (and often, despite what is said, succeeded) in gems like "Final Straw" and "Leaving New York" to express a sense of unease and inadequacy that very few bands in the world could have expressed with the infinite class of Michael Stipe and company.

Then came "Accelerate" (a more than fitting title), which somehow reset everything: the trio from Athens came up with an aggressive, compact, "urgent" album (as it used to be said), with which it seemed they wanted to communicate to the world "we are here, and we can still scratch, when we want." But, amidst all that guitar exuberance, a couple of gems like "Until The Day Is Done" and "Hollow Man" made us realize that even the more "classic" vein, still tied to the quintessential R.E.M. sound to which even the most devoted fans are still immensely attached, was ready to emerge, sooner or later.

And we have arrived at the much-anticipated (or feared, depending on the point of view) moment. "Collapse Into Now," the new and eagerly awaited studio effort of the American combo, sounds exactly and unmistakably like a compendium, a handy summary of what the (no longer so) young men have done in about thirty years of splendid and sparkling career.

But don't think of a tired and dull re-proposition of past styles: R.E.M. are here, indeed, and are finally back in top form. They no longer need to be fast and aggressive to communicate something; on the contrary, this time it is the nocturnal ballads, the more cryptic and essential melodic glimpses that most define the message of the album.

It starts with a "Discoverer" that calls to mind the splendid "Finest Worksong," with its full and rich guitars and a Stipe always in great shape, and continues right after with "All The Best," the usual great R.E.M. blend of almost perfect melody and a Buck who always knows where to aim in terms of melodic construction. But then, starting with the first European single "Uberlin," one enters an undergrowth of dark and introspective ballads ("Oh My Heart," "Everyday Is Yours To Win," "Walk It Back") or melodic glimpses worthy of the most inspired and concrete period of the band, sometimes embellished by prestigious guest appearances (the backing vocals of Eddie Vedder in "It Happened Today," worthy heir of the "Document" period, the always irreverent Peaches in the wild rock 'n roll of "Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter" - the only remnant of the previous "Accelerate" - and the Queen Patti Smith in the concluding masterpiece "Blue," between acidic and subdued atmospheres).

Also pleasant are the power pop interlude of the scarce minute and a half of "That Someone Is You" and the recovery of the fabulous acoustic sounds of "Automatic For The People" in "Me And Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I," although in both cases we are facing the two most derivative episodes of the album, perhaps too much so.

Trying to reconnect to a past sound and way of composing without appearing too much like "imitators" of themselves wasn't easy, so kudos to Stipe and company. Let's see now in which direction the future will take them.

Key tracks: "It Happened Today," "Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter," "Blue"