Automatic for the People

Today's Music That Has Held Up Over Time is R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People. In addition to having a pretty great title, this happens to be a really decent album. It's the last 'traditional' R.E.M. album, as after this, the band kind of went in a different direction with Monster and hasn't really found their way back, though some of the post-Automatic stuff is not bad by any means. This album was maybe a little bit lost in 1992, what with the musical landscape being dominated by grunge and gangsta rap; it probably also suffered for not having a radio hit as great as Out of Time's "Losing My Religion", which, while being a fine song, was guilty of being everywhere in 1991 and for some time after.

This is probably the first R.E.M. album I really felt strongly about; I don't know if it's still my favorite or not but I care for it a great deal. The album overall has a real haunted presence, as though each song is something of a ghost with a story to tell. Some of these ghosts are more personal, while others are more public and obvious (Monty Clift, Andy Kaufman, even Ronnie Reagan, lest you think that no politics made it in to this album).

Anyhow, Automatic has some songs that you will recognize instantly, songs that are typical of mid-period R.E.M. and fairly representative of the band in general: "Man on the Moon", "Everybody Hurts", "Drive". The rest of the album is excellent as well. "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" is basically just what it suggests, but it's a pleasant two-minute departure. Some of the songs are light and inviting ("Nightswimming", "Find the River", even "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"), some are filled with longing and regret ("Try Not To Breathe", "Ignoreland", "Monty Got A Raw Deal"). The common threads between songs being few but strong makes for a fine album.

So, to sum up: this isn't a rockin' good-time party album, but why you wouldn't listen to it is beyond me.

In Other News:
Man the blog has really been neglected lately.
I think this is the week I go to Planned Parenthood and see if I can start volunteering there on a regular basis. If you don't like it, that's fine, just don't expect me to care.