Although the title suggests otherwise, this is the quietest REM CD to date. The familiar sound (whining guitars, choirs, cheerful sounding, up-tempo pop songs) has made way for a much more restrained approach, comparable to songs like Low from the CD and from . The main reason for this changed approach is the departure of drummer Bill Berry, whose absence has been made up by the use of drum machines
… and some guest drummers. Only in a number of cases (Lotus, Walk Unafraid and the single Daysleeper) is the old REM recognizable. The rest of the at first hearing quite sombre record has to rely on the beautiful melodies and the subcutaneous tension in songs like Suspicion, Diminished and the -like songs At My Most Beautiful and Parakeet. (WvdZ)more
