Murmur

8.5/10

Murmur is R.E.M.'s first full length album and is considered by many to be their best.  I can't quite agree with that assessment, but I am a fan of it.  There are a few tracks that never floated my boat too much like Catapult, 9-9, and West of the Fields.  None of these songs are bad by any means they're just not especially highlights to my ears.  On the other hand tracks like Radio Free Europe, Perfect Circle, Sitting Still, Shaking Through, and We Walk are all strong enough to ensure classic status.

Much has been made of Michael Stipe's mumbling on this album.  While I agree there are many moments of incomprehensibility, there are also many phrases that are quite easy to make out.  That said, I'm not sure these phrases always make literal sense.  But that's okay.  I really don't generally turn to song lyrics to receive wisdom.  .

The classic R.E.M. sound is on full display here.  Peter Buck's guitar is jangling away.  Mike Mills plays melodic bass lines and adds a lot with his backing vocals.  Bill Berry isn't a flashy drummer but he serves these songs perfectly.  And Stipe's voice is distinctive but not obnoxious.

I didn't hear this album until about 8 or 9 years after it's initial release and it wasn't the first R.E.M. album I heard so it didn't really sound radical to me when I first heard it.  But compared to what 1983 sounded like in general, it must have been a breath of fresh air to the college kids that were into this sort of thing at the time.

In short, it's a good album.  I dig.