One for the road. (New Adventures In Hi-Fi - R.E.M.)

Member Name: Rumblefish

Product:	New Adventures In Hi-Fi - R.E.M.
Date:	04/10/00 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great atmosphere, some classics, understated production

Disadvantages: A few forgettable tracks.

Recording during their draining and ill-fated MONSTER tour, REM are in reflective and downbeat mood on NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI. Even the album's title is steeped in wearied irony, and nearly all the lyrics revolve around moving and epic journeys.

At it best, NEW ADVENTURES is excellent. The rolling piano on the opener 'How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us' warms up the engine, and the album chugs along with an easy charm. Highlights include the beautiful folk-pop of 'New Test Leper', the seven-minute experimental piece 'Leave', soft ballad 'Electrolite', and 'E-Bow The Letter', a doomy country-rock song featuring REM heroine Patti Smith.

Sonically it is a loose and varied album, made up of tapes from both live and studio recordings. However this lack of structure is perfect for the ragged, jumbled tone of the record's lyrics and instrumentation. Some of the hard rockers, which were mainly MONSTER out-takes, are not complete successes, and clocking in at over an hour, it is probably not for those who want a collection of short, snappy pop songs.

NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI is by no means one of REM's very best albums, but its delightfully winding, patched-together feel makes it a unique and thoroughly enjoyable entry in their illustrious recording career.

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