New Adventures in Hi-Fi

Today's Music That Jason Is Hollering About is New Adventures in Hi-Fi, by R.E.M. This is one of their more recent albums, having been released in 1996; it is also the last album that the group released before Bill Berry (the drummer) decided to leave the group.

This album sounds very much like mid-to-late period R.E.M. It's definitely more complicated, musically, than their earlier work, which can be either a plus or a minus, but it's quite apparent. There are a number of mid-period R.E.M. elements to the music: piano, synthesizer, the distorted guitar. The sound is all over the place - there are some Monster-style rock tunes, some that sound more in line with Green and Out of Time, and one song ("Leave") with electronic roots that give hints to the sound (though certainly not the mood) of the consequent album, Up. I do like this album, overall, even if it doesn't rank in the top two or three R.E.M. albums, in my opinion.

So why not? I really enjoy the quality of the songs - the mood and sound varies enough from song to song that these waters are hardly tepid. Sometimes the prevailing mood is melancholy, sometimes empty and longing, sometimes cheery, sometimes even snotty and cocksure. What the album seems to be missing, though, is the erudite quality that previous albums carried, maybe even Monster. There isn't much in the way of politics here, and the literate songs just aren't anywhere to be found. I do appreciate these songs, but there isn't a "Begin the Begin" or an "Exhuming McCarthy", even a "Let Me In" that allows this album to attach itself to my conscious mind. Cripes, I hope I'm not wishing for a more pretentious album; this one is certainly listenable, and even fun at times.

In other news:
I am puzzled today, and a little irritated. Chances are that it's not your fault, though, so don't worry about it. I'm also looking forward to the weekend. Mostly, though, I want to play guitar and practice that stupid damn F chord that I can't seem to transition into easily at the moment.