R.E.M. - Reckoning (Album Review)

 

R.E.M. - Reckoning

(1984)


My copy: 1984 press on translucent vinyl by I.R.S. Records. 


Following a promising start with the Chronic Town EP in ‘82 and Murmur in ‘83, R.E.M. carried their momentum in their 1984 sophomore full-length. Mixing jangled guitars with bright, sunny harmonies, the band found further success by focusing more on crafting friendly pop hooks than pursuing their potential for genre-bending guitar work. The result would launch R.E.M. into massive fame, despite how sickeningly sweet some of the new material would end up being. 

“Harborcoat” is a proper intro: guitars dance with fantastic syncopation and sparkling melodies while the rhythm section patiently builds anticipation. The choruses blow the doors wide open for Michael Stipe’s layered vocals with the instruments locking beautifully into place. This is one of the most energetic and fun verse/chorus setups they’ve released. Sadly, the album peaks with the first song. The chirpy guitar lines of “7 Chinese Brothers” are fun as they open to arpeggios in the chorus, but it lacks the powerful layering of the prior song. “So. Central Rain” introduces a swanky beat with jolly piano that becomes offset by the bass and vocals in a more stripped down chorus. They’ve descended into a more crude pop territory, further reinforced by “Pretty Persuasion” which features a Beach Boys-esque surf rock riff that only confuses the direction more. 

The album at least relishes in its ability to fall into a tight groove, with an amazingly produced rhythm section. “Time After Time (Annalise)” tries to be different with hand drums and seventh chords, but it comes across as awkward until the real drums emerge with droning guitars. The bass is the core melodic element on “Second Guessing” but really here the songs just sound like a poor man’s clone of The Feelies. “Letter Never Sent” is a bit more subtle though Stipe’s crooning can be a bit tiresome. There’s an interesting call and response section for the guitar and bass that help to inject a bit of intrigue to the structure, turning things around. 

“Camera” takes the mood down a bit with obscured sound effects and a disjointed solo featuring chimes. There’s a strange interlude that ends up being much more interesting than the eye-rolling honkey-tonk of “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville” which is almost so goofy that it becomes fun again. A sense of urgency rises on closer “Little America” though the verses are just a bit too cheerful to really sell something deeper.

Not their best outing, R.E.M. at least combine some solid ideas on what feels like a more transitional effort here. “Harborcoat” remains an amazing tune, though it sadly stands far and above the rest of the record. For the exceptional production, the album gets credit, as the power of the drums alone can carry many of the tracks.


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