"I was always unsure whether I was able to express myself clearly enough," Michael Stipe said in a recent interview. Probably with an ironic undertone, because Stipe is a master at writing cryptic texts. With (2008) the group especially appealed to fans of the sound with which the band distinguished itself in the eighties and Collapse Into Now continues that line. REM serves glowing indie rock, one
… moment sympathetically rattling, but in the next song extraverted and dramatic. Uptempo guitar songs like Discoverer and Mine Smell Like Honey set the tone, but echoes from later albums also resound. For example, Überlin's vocal line reminds something of their hit Drive. The thirty years of experience has given REM a recognizable sound. Fortunately the songs are still of a high standard. With that the group seems to have entered a new flowering period. That is good news for fans and no reason for Michael Stipe to feel insecure. (PdK)more
