Review of New Adventures in Hi-Fi
By Eric Broome
Allstar
Rating: 7/10
R.E.M. reinvents itself with each album, and New Adventures in Hi- Fi is no exception. Resembling neither the polished elegance of Automatic for the People nor the crude and crunchy hooks of Monster, Hi- Fi is the band's darkest record ever, a moody growl of a disc with none of the expected commercial sweetening. Of course, the album's odd conception determined its anything but "hi- fi" sound-- the tracks were recorded on tour in nine different cities, often at soundchecks and even in a Philadelphia dressing room. This decade's Running On Empty? Perhaps. The muddy sound is an initial turn- off, and probably explains the disc's sluggish sales performance. Guitars and bass blend into a single gritty groove, and the keyboards used (Mellotron, ARPs, piano and organ) are daringly primitive. Michael Stipe's voice lacks some of its usual luster, but blame that on the fatigue of touring. But what the record loses in refinement it gains in immediacy. Rockers like "The Wake- Up Bomb" and "Departure" moan with power, while reflective moments like "Electrolite," "Be Mine" and "New Test Leper" burst with soul. "Bittersweet Me," "Binky the Doormat" and "So Fast, So Numb" land somewhere in the middle, and are just as impressive. Of special note are "E- Bow the Letter"-- an epic ramble with a striking Patti Smith cameo -- and "Leave," a seven- minute demon with a speaker- exploding synthesizer loop. Not surprisingly, Stipe's lyrics reflect his tour experiences-- several tunes suggest the open road and/or travel, while others muse about the repercussions of fame and idol worship. Typically, it's a remarkably unified set of songs.
This is R.E.M.'s longest release ever (a hefty 65 minutes), and there's not much fat to trim here. That singular feat is enough to suggest that this band, which released its first EP, Chronic Town, fourteen years ago, is still leading its field.
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