For some reason, I've managed to own five R.E.M. albums. Something causes me to come back to them every time. In spite of the fact that I find their egos highly disturbing, I can't disagree with the fact that R.E.M. has created some of the most groundbreaking music in pop history.
Murmur is the band's full-length debut, released in 1983. Although the album received little-to-no airplay with the exception of always-trendsetting college radio stations, its music had a unique sound and feel that can still be heard in music today.
Note: although I normally recite lyrics when analyzing song tracks in my reviews, for this one I will not, out of respect. To quote Michael Stipe, "The words to the songs are meant to be heard, not read."
Radio Free Europe (Track 1): Before purchasing this CD, the only version of this song was the Eponymous one, a much more raw, faster version of the song. This one is cleaner and, in my humble opinion, better. The slower tempo allows each instrument to be heard as it should. Underneath the song is a pulsating, sweet bassline. Stipe's vocals constantly try to harmonize with the instruments. It is a one-of-a-kind song; definitely sure to go down in history.
Laughing (Track 3): A very simple song by the band. This one very much proves how beautifully the band members (particularly Michael Stipe and Mike Mills) harmonize with one another. A unique combination of the played chords of an acoustic guitar with the differentiated notes of an electric guitar make this one especially unique, all with a backdrop of soft-but-constant percussion.
Talk About The Passion (Track 4): One of my favorite songs from the album, it is another extremely sweet song. The most unique part of this is the harmonization of the bass and guitar. If R.E.M. has one gift, it is the ability to integrate every single instrument in a song to make it have a unique sound, separate, but beautiful with the others.
Moral Kiosk (Track 5): My favorite track from the album. Likely because of its pulsating percussion combined with a unique round/harmonization during the chorus. The loud, snapping drums especially make this one a joy. Guaranteed to keep you boppin'.
Shaking Through (Track 10): By the time you get to this track, it has already been well-established that this album has a specific sound.
This one begins with a fast bass, overlapped by slow, simple chords played on a guitar. It gradually steps into that lovely R.E.M. blended sound, including that soft percussion, beautiful vocal harmonies from Stipe and Mills, and a nice piano reminiscent of Bob Seger's "Night Moves," surprisingly integrating with this song.
When one thinks of this album created in its time, a time of Eddie-Van-Halen-loud-guitar-solos-and-tiger-print-spandex, it is amazing to know that there was, indeed, an underdog somewhere lying beneath.
Murmur has already gone down in history as a groundbreaking, influential album that came way before its time. It still surprises me that I know so very few who own it. From the first time I put this album in my stereo, it changed me. It changed my views of the abilities of rock instruments and vocals to combine to create a uniform, unique sound. And it made me realize that throughout pop culture history, there's always been someone to come around and change the status quo, whether you realize it or not.
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