R.E.M.
New Adventures In Hi-Fi

A large part of “New Adventures in Hi-Fi” was written during the sound checks of the “Monster Tour” in 1995, the first tour REM participated in since 1989, when they traveled the world promoting “Green.”

While their compositional commitment even during tours is certainly admirable—an additional testament to their (truly extraterrestrial) dedication to work—we must be realistic and say that the spirit of relaxation that enveloped much of the album's composition is evident in at least four songs: “Bittersweet Me” and “So Fast So Numb” reek of routine: frankly, too ordinary for a group like them; “The Wake-Up Bomb” and “Departure” smack of bad taste and mar the album.

The other tour-driven pieces are instead excellent and pleasantly surprising in their depth, seemingly matching the quality of pieces crafted in the studio's peace: “Be Mine” (a sorrowful electric ballad); “Undertow” (a fine acid-rock piece with excellent counter-melodies); “Binky the Doormat” (with a nice riff and a good chorus, inexplicably ruined by Mills' unnecessary and ugly counter-melody); and especially “Low Desert” (a slow rock with a vocal delivery that makes it an emotional masterpiece, capable of touching like the best pieces of “Monster”).

The remaining five songs—which are the masterpieces of the album—were composed in the studio: “New Test Leper” (a tender folk-rock ballad); “How the West Was Won” (with simple and brilliant piano and drum work, and a classically flavored chorus, among the best in their repertoire); “Electrolite” (another piano invention by Mills, combined with a very delicate vocal); “Leave” (a splendid ballad starting with organ and acoustic guitar, then developing in a rock mode); and finally “E-bow the Letter” (a rewrite of “Country Feedback,” markedly superior to the original, without singing, but with Stipe's goosebump-inducing spoken word, complemented by Patti Smith's voice to amplify the chills).

These last 5 studio-made pieces, among the best of their production, make one think of what REM could have accomplished if, instead of going on the road, they had stayed home, considering, at least in their case, the futility of tours for selling records (16 million copies for “Out of Time” and 14 million for “Automatic for the People” —both without any promotion, beyond a few showcases).

The worst flaw of “New Adventures in Hi-Fi” is its lengthiness: 13 songs are really too many and there's also an instrumental: “Zither.” With their capabilities, they could have added lyrics and melody, made a nice slow track out of it, and saved it for “Up,” where it would have shined.

A 4.5 rounded down, because it doesn’t quite (overall) reach the emotion of “Automatic for the People” and the compositional value of “Monster.”

In any case, an excellent album.

From here will begin their decline.