Title: the decline and fall continues . . .
Product review: The most disappointing aspect of this album is its lack of focus. While REM lyrics have often been inscrutable, the music has been precise and evocative. Here, however, the songs are dull and muddled and repetitious. They've become drunk on distortion and use it to mask the inadequate melodies and arrangements. As hard as they may try, they are not David Bowie, Iggy Pop, T. Rex, or Mott the Hoople, and the glam accoutrements need to go. Skip directly to the last song, Electrolite, if you want to get a taste of what they're still capable of doing with a song.
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