Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Give 'em credit for realizing that Up was a dead end, an avenue paved with forced experimentalism that signified nothing. Dock them points for harboring the desire to wander down that path, choosing to indulge in fuzzy details that add texture but not character. These two impulses balance each other as R.E.M. delivered Reveal, an album that feels like their stab at All That You Can't Leave Behind -- a conscious return to their classic sound. Since they're fiercely protective of their anointed position of underground pioneers, they're not content to sit still and spin their wheels, turning out a record that apes Automatic for the People. So, they return to the lushness of Out of Time, melding it with the song-oriented Automatic -- and undercutting it all with the sober sonic trickery of Up and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Because Reveal is song-oriented, it initially plays more accessibly than Up, but these songs are cloaked in the same kind of deliberate studiocraft that made Up feel stilted. It's not as overt, of course -- the drum machines and loops have taken a backseat -- but it's still possible to hear the clipped Pro Tools effects on "Summer Turns to High," for instance, and most tracks are a little fussy in their aural coloring. This prevents Reveal from being an album to wholeheartedly embrace, even if it attempts to be as rich as Automatic and even if it succeeds on occasion. There are some very good pop songs here -- windswept and sun-bleached beauties like "Imitation of Life," the dusty "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)," and "Beachball," the one time their Beach Boys obsessions click. Still, none of these moments shine as brilliantly as the best moments of New Adventures and ultimately they're weighed down by the album's aesthetic, which emphasizes sonic construction over the songs. This is mood music, not music that creates a mood, which becomes evident as the record stagnates during its second half. Reveal winds up sharing the same strangely distant feel of Up, even if it's a tighter, better record. When R.E.M. weren't trying as hard, when they weren't meticulously crafting their sound, they made records that were as moody, evocative, and bracing as Reveal intends to be. Here, it's just all a bit too studied to ring true.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
R.E.M., Producer, MainArtist - MICHAEL STIPE, ComposerLyricist - PAT MCCARTHY, Producer - PETER BUCK, ComposerLyricist - Michael Mills, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
Album review
Give 'em credit for realizing that Up was a dead end, an avenue paved with forced experimentalism that signified nothing. Dock them points for harboring the desire to wander down that path, choosing to indulge in fuzzy details that add texture but not character. These two impulses balance each other as R.E.M. delivered Reveal, an album that feels like their stab at All That You Can't Leave Behind -- a conscious return to their classic sound. Since they're fiercely protective of their anointed position of underground pioneers, they're not content to sit still and spin their wheels, turning out a record that apes Automatic for the People. So, they return to the lushness of Out of Time, melding it with the song-oriented Automatic -- and undercutting it all with the sober sonic trickery of Up and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Because Reveal is song-oriented, it initially plays more accessibly than Up, but these songs are cloaked in the same kind of deliberate studiocraft that made Up feel stilted. It's not as overt, of course -- the drum machines and loops have taken a backseat -- but it's still possible to hear the clipped Pro Tools effects on "Summer Turns to High," for instance, and most tracks are a little fussy in their aural coloring. This prevents Reveal from being an album to wholeheartedly embrace, even if it attempts to be as rich as Automatic and even if it succeeds on occasion. There are some very good pop songs here -- windswept and sun-bleached beauties like "Imitation of Life," the dusty "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)," and "Beachball," the one time their Beach Boys obsessions click. Still, none of these moments shine as brilliantly as the best moments of New Adventures and ultimately they're weighed down by the album's aesthetic, which emphasizes sonic construction over the songs. This is mood music, not music that creates a mood, which becomes evident as the record stagnates during its second half. Reveal winds up sharing the same strangely distant feel of Up, even if it's a tighter, better record. When R.E.M. weren't trying as hard, when they weren't meticulously crafting their sound, they made records that were as moody, evocative, and bracing as Reveal intends to be. Here, it's just all a bit too studied to ring true.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:53:36
- Main artists: R.E.M.
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Concord Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
© 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C. ℗ 2014 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.
Playlists