•
Rating: THE REVIEW
“Dear readers, my apologies.
I’m drifting in and out of sleep.
Long silence presents the tragedies of love.
Note the age.
Get afraid.
The surface hazy with attendant thoughts.
A lazy eye metaphor on the rocks.”
(Sad Professor)
The poetry.
Once again.
Beautiful and hermetic.
For the first time in the discography of R.E.M., the words that forge Michael Stipe's songs appear in black and white, squeezed inside a booklet.
This is R.E.M.'s most experimental album, certainly the one with the most electronics and desire for new.
Out of necessity: in some way, they needed to make sure Bill Berry's drums were not missed.
Out of will: they needed to bring the band's sound to new territories, to earn the esteem of other people and to avoid the implosion that was seriously risking to shut down the band.
What begins as a transitional record, meant to “ferry the band” towards perhaps calmer and safer territory, becomes itself a blazing beacon.
The album is full of smog, stress, infernal life rhythms.
It’s the metropolitan album of the band from Athens.
The 21st century invades rock music and clouds it with toxic gases: hence the slow, sad, deep bass lines, reflecting Stipe's voice and his desperate lyrics.
It requires a long period of digestion, especially for people who had just become fond of Electrolite and the “new adventures in hi-fi.”
From what was a nucleus on the brink of the most melancholic end births a small masterpiece that makes music magazines worldwide rediscover that there is a band that, when it truly desires, can take center stage like very few others in the world.
A record full of solitude, dated 1998.
The last great thing to remember in the discography of R.E.M.
For the moment.
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
R.E.M.'s 1998 album Up marks a major shift towards experimental rock with electronic influences, born from the absence of drummer Bill Berry. The album is rich in poetic lyricism and a melancholic, metropolitan atmosphere. Though initially challenging, it stands as a small masterpiece and a significant moment in the band's career.Tracklist Videos
R.E.M.
Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980. Core lineup included Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills; Bill Berry was the original drummer until 1997. Pioneers of alternative/college rock with a career spanning to their 2011 split.98 Reviews
Other reviews
By ste84
You've created another masterpiece.
It's often forgotten that [Peter Buck] is the true driving force of REM...
By STIPE
"It was a hard, painful decision; after Bill's departure, we were devastated, but music took us by the throat and made us continue."
"The album opens another chapter in the history of R.E.M., venturing into unknown territories with superb and excellent work."
By Rax
To describe the album... just read the interview Stipe gave to MTV Italy: 'After Berry's departure, we wanted to close up shop. Then we decided to carry on.'
Without Stipe's heavenly melodies, REM are what they are: a deadly bore musically mediocre.
