Generally, when an old band starts to slump, that’s the end of them. All it takes is that one bad record and their music will start getting worse and worse. For R.E.M., the band that produced masterpiece after masterpiece up until about 1992, this slump began with the departure of Bill Berry in 1997 – the band’s main reason to continue after this was Berry’s own request that they stay together.
In 2008, R.E.M. made their return to commercial and critical success with their minds set on their I.R.S. years, “Accelerate”. A year later, R.E.M. released “Live At The Olympia”, highlighting their newfound appreciation for both their ’82 debut EP “Chronic Town” and the 2005 critically panned “Around the Sun”. Now, in 2011, R.E.M. have released their best record for the last 15 years: “Collapse Into Now”.
Collapse forges a perfect balance between R.E.M.’s three distinct eras – the I.R.S. years, the early ‘90s, and the post-Berry years. Here is a band who have finally re-found (is that a word?) their feet, their confidence, and their enjoyment of what they do. Where “Accelerate” was made up of mostly Murmur-esque jangle pop (which by no means is a bad thing), “Collapse” sees the band embrace their entire history. Despite the cringe worthy album art.
The openers, “Discoverer” and “All The Best”, are powerful jangle pop songs songs that definitely bring forward memories of “Lifes Rich Pageant” and “Reckoning”. From here on, the listener is taken on a trip through R.E.M.’s back catalogue – and even through the catalogues of some of their friends (listen to the closing track. “Fitter Happier”, anyone?).
With a voice like a fine wine, Stipe has led his band through the thick of it, and thanks to the realisation that middle age really isn’t all that bad, has finally reclaimed his band’s spot on top of the music scene. “Collapse Into Now” sounds like a greatest hits record by the R.E.M. of a parallel universe – twelve songs that were each recorded at a different point in R.E.M. history. And with each song, a breath of fresh air. This wasn’t the R.E.M. anyone was expecting, but it definitely has what has been wistfully missed for the last 15 years – originality, creativity, and balls.
9.0
Posted by Pearly 
First off – If you liked MGMT’s singles, then there really isn’t much point bothering with Congratulations. Fans of “Kids”, or “Electric Feel”, really, don’t go expecting any more of them on this record. Because there’s none of it. No catchy hooks, dance rhythms, or lines to sing along to. Congratulations is a pure psychedelic freak-out, seeing MGMT pay tribute to the psychedelic bands of the 70s (such as King Crimson) in their own, unique way. This is MGMT playing the music they want to play, making music as art and not to sell.
Go is a very rare case where the first five seconds of the album are enchanting enough to hold your attention for the next fourty minutes. Jónsi Birgisson’s first solo record is a wonderful exploration of ambient, ethereal pop music. While his other groups, Jónsi & Alex and Sigur Rós, their whole albums are used to paint one picture, each track building upon the last to create one huge masterpiece when the album’s last moments go by. Nonetheless, it’s still one picture. Go has Jónsi create almost a mosaic – taking snippets of broken pieces, and creating something short, sharp, and bubbly, vastly steering away from his typical style and making something entirely new.
This is good. This is really, really good. Previously known as Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, A Silver Mt. Zion, Thee Silver Mountain Reveries, and plenty of varieties of that name, the quintet from Quebec have released another beautiful record.
Is This It is a hard rocking album. Julian’s edgy, slightly distorted vocals and the lo-fi guitar riffs drive this record forward, strengthening it and making it a raw, heavy record.
