R.E.M.
Reckoning

1984, Athens, Georgia.
With "Murmur", REM experienced unexpected success and garnered a fair amount of attention; now everyone was waiting for confirmation of their talent... confirmation that came just a year later with "Reckoning".

This is an album that differs greatly from their debut: firstly, this LP has something vaguely dark, but not gloomy to the levels of "Murmur"; this album is more immediate regarding the finesse in melodies, quicker to listen to, less polished than its predecessor (in fact, it was recorded in 14 days); right from the first track "Harborcoat" one senses that the sound here is more direct and slightly more rock, Stipe's voice dares to emerge from the shadow where it stayed the year before. "Seven Chinese Brothers" is a simple song based on an elementary but effective riff credited to Peter Buck and a rather "counter-melodic" bass; the essential track of the album (but not the best) "So. Central Rain" is a "draft" of the classic pop rock for charts that REM will unfold over the years (it actually reminds one somewhat of "Everybody Hurts"); "Pretty Persuasion" is an old song that was played in the band's early live performances: it is a catchy track with a captivating melody and chorus; we now arrive at the first masterpiece of the LP, "Time After Time (Annelise)": an exceptional melody, overlays of guitar and drums crescendo that culminate in all their splendor in the final chorus... just listen and enjoy!

The fast and fun rock of "Second Guessing" leads to "Letter Never Sent", a song with a "jerky" advance and a sunny harmony that prepares us for the second masterpiece and the most touching track of this work: "Camera"; a song with a dark and gloomy progression in the verse, but comes alive in the chorus where Stipe's dark and sweet voice indirectly (obviously) sings his sorrow for the loss of a dear friend. After this injection of sadness, we completely change the topic with "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" a song entirely composed by Mike Mills with a vaguely country flavor; it is practically driven by piano touches and an absolutely unforgettable chorus, as none of the Georgians had been until then! The last track is a snapshot of the life on the road that the band was living at that time: it's a good rock song where in the chorus the front man ironicizes the fact that manager Jefferson Holt also acted as a driver by singing the line "Jefferson I Think We' re Lost".

"Reckoning" is (like every album) a milestone in the group's history that album after album will gain more confidence and technique. And it's a work from which the Georgians will draw in the future to create other gems of rare intensity. The story continues..