I had a tough time deciding this week. Not because it was a lean one (there are many, when it's difficult to find anything that piqued my interest) but because this week had an embarrassment of riches in terms of great songs (some Pet Shop Boys b-sides, the new Human League single, err...Avril Lavigne's new album). But by far, the soundtrack to the past seven days has been R.E.M.'s excellent new album Collapse Into Now.
As anyone with a radio knows, R.E.M. spent the 2000s struggling to connect with the American audience they enthralled in the '80s and '90s. After the departure of drummer Bill Berry in 1997, they released the quirky but low-key Up; the poppy Reveal, an album I quite like; and the charm-free Around the Sun. The rocky Accelerate had them sounding revived in 2008, something that Collapse Into Now expands upon.
This is their best album since Monster, and each day this week had a new favorite. Originally it was the harmony-laden "Mine Smell Like Honey" (terrible title, but best Mike Mills vocals since "Texarkana"), then the furious "All the Best." But I've settled on "ÜBerlin," the video for which has garnered a lot of blog press for its video with actor Aaron Johnson (no idea who he is—I've never seen him in anything) dancing through city streets. The melody just keeps worming its way into my brain, and the vague (of course) lyrics seem hopeful, embracing change. Here's hoping it gets R.E.M. back on top.
—Robb
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