R.E.M.
New Adventures In Hi Fi

THE REVIEW

Imagine you have to set off on a journey with your friends, done? Great! Now imagine you have to tour Europe in a camper, done? Perfect! What's missing? The music is missing, and I suggest this album, ideal for experiencing the thrill of life on the road! Just the cover is enough to grasp the concept.

Each song is the soundtrack of a particular moment. We set off: "How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us" slow, sly, and relaxing (with a horribly beautiful piano solo), warms you up to face the hundreds of kilometers ahead. On the highway at high speed, overtaking one car after another, you need something strong, "The Wake Up Bomb" is for you.

You have exited the highway and are traveling on lost roads with the moving "New Test Leper" playing in the background. Stop for a break, and while planning the next stops, "Undertow" keeps you company.

It's sunset, you are lying with a nice beer in hand talking about the future, on a hill overlooking a landscape of distant lights and colors, what better opportunity for "E-bow The Letter" to make its entrance! Okay, you've rested; it's a cool summer evening, and you're ready to hit the road again with the rocking and fast "Departure" charging you up (meaning "departures," what title could be more appropriate?).

The following tracks are all an interlude to be used for the rest of the journey: "Bittersweet Me" and "Be Mine" evoke melancholy and make you think of those who stayed behind, those who are far away; are you done being sad? Great, because "Binky The Doormat" is waiting to lift your spirits with some good old rock. "So Fast, So Numb" is simply rock 'n roll while "Low Desert" is a desolate rock driven by a tired guitar. You've arrived somewhere, but it's late at night; "20th century go and sleep" recites the verse of the last wonderful track "Electrolite". You'd better turn off the engine too and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep.