R.E.M. is cashing in.
The band's latest release, "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" (HH, Warner Bros.), would be more aptly titled "Old Rehashes from the R.E.M. Songbook." With its collection of 14 tracks recorded at soundchecks, dressing rooms and a few studios, the record sounds like a b-sides compilation with some new material, but mostly re-used riffs and even alternate versions of R.E.M. classics.
"New Adventures" has three different types of songs: One sounds like leftovers from their 1994 "Monster" sessions, another sounds like "Monster" with a little oomph and innovation, but the third type are rip-offs of R.E.M. tracks from the band's "Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" albums.
The rip-off factor and failure to explore new territory make "New Adventures" a disappointing record. For the past 15 years, the band has been releasing constantly progressing albums. Each record built on the last and expanded the band's horizons. This time, though, the sky must be falling in as the band regresses to create one of R.E.M.'s worst albums, if not the worst.
The fact that the band tried to pass off old tracks with new names is insulting to the listener. "Electrolite" is "Automatic"'s "Nightswimming" - the two have almost identical piano riffs and Michael Stipe's same style of vocals. The instrumental "Zither" is "Automatic"'s "Star Me Kitten" without the words. Others like "E-Bow the Letter," the radio-friendly duet with Patti Smith, is the twin brother of "Out of Time"'s "Country Feedback," and "New Test Leper" sounds quite a bit like "Out of Time"'s "Half A World Away" (and Pearl Jam's "Elderly Woman" from "Vs").
Aside from the remakes, the majority of tracks continue right where "Monster" left off. "The Wake-Up Bomb" is a good track, as is "Departure," with its Bachman-Turner Overdrive-sounding guitar riff. "Bittersweet Me" is another solid rocker that borrows its intro from the R.E.M. classic "Fall On Me."
Despite its "Monster" sound, "New Adventures" does experiment a bit, in the same vein as U2's "Zooropa." "Leave" has a siren blaring throughout the track that gives it a good groove and interesting sound. The album opener, "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us," is a slow, entrancing song, with Stipe's mellow vocals caressing the track.
For the most part, though, R.E.M. is showing its age and burning out in an alternative world that it created. The album's tracks pale in comparison to the band's past five Warner Bros. albums and even their earlier IRS recordings. For a band that broke so many boundaries throughout their long and not-always-illustrious career, it's sad to think that R.E.M. has passed its peak and may be beginning its descent into REO Speedwagon don't-know-when-to-quit hell.
Peter Buck (far left), Mike Mills, Michael Stipe and Bill Berry, otherwise known as R.E.M., are back with another album, the mediocre "New Adventures in
Hi-Fi."