REMtrospective, 3: Reckoning

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Title: Reckoning

Released on: April 10, 1984 (U.S.)

Favorite tracks: “Little America,” “Time After Time (annElise)”

Back when we were college students following R.E.M.’s new releases, a friend of mine once told me that he heard of a rock band that, after their Acclaimed Breakthrough First Album, wanted to call their next album Disappointing Follow-Up. (I don’t recall which band it was.) Reckoning, released 364 days after Murmur, shows no trace of the sophomore slump. In many ways, it’s a step forward: the songs are brighter, tighter and peppier, and the music draws on some surprising genres and cultural influences. It’s a good album.

So why do I like Murmur so much more than Reckoning? There’s nothing wrong with Reckoning, but it’s not even a close rival with its predecessor. I think it has something to do with the way that certain albums can be more than the sum of their songs.

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