Saturday, January 25, 2014

Mojo Review R.E.M's Murmur

 
A word perfect pocket review of the first album I wrote about on here. From this month's Mojo written by the excellent Keith Cameron. Much better issue than it's been for a while. Less obvious selection of features; Small, Faces Hi-Records, Felt & Beck among others.
 
'Had they never made another record Murmur alone would guarantee R.E.M.'s legend: a conscious affirmation of the past in a decade when the new wave was ostensibly wiping the slate clean. Although some of their formative post-punk energy remains - 9-9's copped spasms clearly recall Gang of Four - mostly R.E.M's debut album feels rooted in a spectral revival of '60s counterculture by a younger, wiser generation. Key was how Buck's wistful guitar rocking vied with the startlingly abstract vocal arrangements from which Stipe drops nuggets of dream wisdom: 'Pilgrimage has gained momentum.' Over 30 years on, Murmur still has it all.'
 
Quite right!

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