:: Reveal

R.E.M.

There is much to embrace about the 12th album from this esteemed group from Athens, Georgia. After the relative disappointment of “Up”, it is fair to say there were probably some out there who were questioning whether the loss of co-founder Bill Berry would prove to be the death of REM. Since then, however, they have released the excellent single “The Great Beyond” and done the score to Man on the Moon. Happily Reveal continues this upward trend. It seems REM needed to redevelop as a three piece and for them it was a lengthy process. Now that they are comfortable with the new arrangements, they have been able to concentrate on writing some stellar songs and create this CD, which was mostly developed on the road during their 1999 tour. Reveal was recorded at a leisurely pace over the past year in various points of the globe, a process the band says was essential for this recording. Reveal takes some of the best bits of the past, welds them together, and creates a new sound that’s still familiar enough to not alienate older fans. You can hear 1992’s Automatic For the People in tracks such as “I’ve Been High”, “Beat a Drum” and “I’ll Take The Rain”, while REM seem to go further back for inspiration with a song like “Imitation of Life” (the current single) featuring a bright and breezy theme which could have been lifted off “Out of Time”. Mixed in with these are tracks such as “She Just Wants To Be”, “Disappear” and the opening track “The Lifting”, which all seem to show the listener where REM intend to take us next. Reveal is an excellent return to form for this magnificent band. One hopes they might possibly find their way to Australia for a tour. It’s been too long a wait.