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R.E.M. lost one of its four founding members in 1997, when drummer Bill Berry announced he was leaving the band. But drumming was only part of what Berry did: He also played guitar, ba, and piano, sang background vocal, and wrote music for some classic R.E.M. song, including “Man on the Moon,” “Everybody Hurt,” “Leave,” and the sublime early song “Perfect Circle.” More immeasurably, he was the one who advocated for keeping the songs shorter and more accessible, earthy rather than arty. Released in 1998, and recorded during a period of escalating tension between R.E.M.’s remaining member, <i>Up</i> is often described as the band’s “electronica” album—and indeed, several of the songs have drum machines or loop. But the most electronic thing about the album might be the ghostly, distant mood of the song, which feel like something heard from an attic two stories above you. “Dream, dream,” Michael Stipe sings repeatedly at the end of “Suspicion”—and that’s the feeling conveyed by much of the album. Some musical touches stand out immediately: The distorted keyboard hook in “Hope” nearly recalls the proto-punk New York band Suicide, while the tacky drum machine and cheesy synth in “Airportman” sound like the Delta Airlines lounge circa 1978. And on “At My Most Beautiful”—a rare direct love song by Stipe—bassist Mike Mills’ backing vocals are a pastiche of The Beach Boys’ classic vocal harmonie. Keyboards dominate the album, but <i>Up</i>—and ye, Right Said Fred used the title way before R.E.M. did—has some clear links to the band’s earlier album. With its buzzing, slow-moving guitar line, “Lotus” would’ve fit in on <i>Monster</i>, while “Suspicion” and “Sad Professor” float as beautifully as anything on <i>Automatic for the People</i>. On “Daysleeper,” Stipe jumps 20 years into the future and sings about an unhappy office worker whose electronic devices rule his life. And the narrator of the jaunty, nearly anthemic “Walk Unafraid” is proudly at odds with the advice of his friend, which deepens the album’s theme of alienation. .

via Apple Music

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