Posthuman Blues

I've listened to R.E.M.'s "Around the Sun" a few times. Within the span of three or four listens, I abruptly realized how much better this record is than I'd thought upon my initial cursory spin. It's a much more substantial offering that its predecessor, "Reveal" (and that was a good one), and it certainly exceeds "Up," "New Adventures in Hi-fi" and "Monster."





I seriously think R.E.M. has the 21st century's equivalent to "Automatic for the People" on their hands. "Around the Sun" is lush, unaffected and endowed with an all-around confidence its prequels, while enduring, have somehow missed -- if only by a nanoscopic margin. And the lyrics are Michael Stipe's best in memory.