| R.E.M. Out of Time
3.5 great
| Ranking: #182 for 1991 | |
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| Full Review | Ratings (808) |
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5.0 classic | christgauratings | May 23rd 14 | Hiding political tics behind faux-formalist boilerplate, pop aesthetes accused them of imposing Solidarity and Agent Orange on their musical material, but in fact such subjects signaled an other-directedness as healthy as Michael Stipe's newfound elocution. Admittedly, with this one beginning "The world is collapsing around our ears," I wondered briefly whether "Losing My Religion" was about music itself, but when Stipe says they thought about calling it Love Songs, he's not just mumbling "Dixie." Being R.E.M., they mean to capture moods or limn relationships rather than describe feelings or, God knows, incidents, and while some will find the music too pleasing, it matches the words hurt for hurt and surge for surge. The Kate Pierson cameos, the cellos, and Mark Bingham's organic string arrangements are Murmur without walls--beauty worthy of DeBarge, of the sweetest soukous, of a massed choir singing "I Want To Know What Love Is." A
2 Bumps | Bump |
3.5 great | Jack Fraser | April 20th 19 | Out of Time crosses the line from ?variation? to ?mess? a few times, counterpunching the poppiest songs of their career with unwieldy dirges (?Low?), spoken word, and instrumental filler. Many songs have brilliant sections nested within more questionable content (?Radio Song,? ?Belong?). As an album it does not hang together or flow, but four classic tracks including possibly their best ever in ?Country Feedback? keep this one afloat.
Bump |
4.5 superb | Tokyochuchu | February 26th 11 | After tuckering themselves out with the god-awful 'Green' in '88, R.E.M took a few years off and returned rejuvenated with a new sound and direction. 'Out Of Time' is a hugely experimental chamber-pop record, mixing the unusual melencholia of 'Country Feedback' and 'Belong' with the strident indie-pop of 'Shiny Happy People' and 'Radio Song' to fantastic effect.
Bump |
3.5 great | pencils3 | December 17th 10 | If every band has one decent album, this is R.E.M.'s. It's easy to see why the catchy melodies, diverse sounds, and memorable lyrics (in places!) won such a wide audience. The only weak song is the saccharine Shiny Happy People. If only every R.E.M. album had this appeal; it seems their desire for more poppy and radio-friendly music finds a resonance here that the majority of their previous material blandly and dismally fails to achieve. I suspect many new fans came to R.E.M. via this excellent album, only to go on in anticipation to purchase a back catalogue with occasional peaks and many, many troughs.
Bump |
3.0 good | doofy | January 7th 24 |
3.5 great | CamiloG | September 25th 23 |
3.0 good | Halez | June 1st 23 |
5.0 classic | kodama | May 6th 23 |
3.0 good | sambu | April 14th 23 |
2.5 average | Timmy | January 11th 23 |
5.0 classic | JEF9000 | December 31st 22 |
3.0 good | Matty CONTRIBUTOR | December 11th 22 |
4.5 superb | dmoz47 | December 2nd 22 |
4.5 superb | KManoc1 | September 16th 22 |
3.5 great | MUSEli | July 19th 22 |
4.5 superb | pihes | June 18th 22 |
4.0 excellent | Grungil | February 6th 22 |
4.0 excellent | Blurbs | January 7th 22 |
5.0 classic | Gazo | December 5th 21 |
5.0 classic | sarada | October 23rd 21 |
4.0 excellent | jsegura | October 19th 21 |
3.0 good | BoerK | October 18th 21 |
3.5 great | Zakusz | August 16th 21 |
2.5 average | pure22 | June 7th 21 |
4.0 excellent | AdamE | March 24th 21 |
4.5 superb | IlNotta | November 10th 20 |
4.0 excellent | luetin | November 9th 20 |
2.0 poor | Belbew | November 5th 20 |
3.5 great | heck | October 3rd 20 |
4.0 excellent | degina | February 29th 20 |
3.5 great | yoil | December 31st 19 |
2.5 average | bobbart | November 24th 19 |
5.0 classic | edirp | November 21st 19 |
3.5 great | Jan555 | October 2nd 19 |
3.5 great | Juanpa | August 18th 19 |
4.0 excellent | Josh | August 11th 19 |
5.0 classic | kb3984 | August 6th 19 |
4.0 excellent | OliKad | July 4th 19 |
4.0 excellent | Gueero | June 7th 19 |
4.0 excellent | YayoG1 | June 1st 19 |
3.0 good | Onater | April 26th 19 |
3.5 great | Sarah | April 20th 19 |
3.0 good | JS98 | April 1st 19 |
3.5 great | FLRTE | December 23rd 18 |
4.0 excellent | Valeron | December 23rd 18 |
4.0 excellent | Pangea | December 9th 18 |
3.5 great | Juca89 | November 7th 18 |
4.0 excellent | NateMa | October 20th 18 |
4.0 excellent | Nine | August 22nd 18 |
4.0 excellent | bSmith | February 17th 18 |
4.0 excellent | maxer | December 22nd 17 |
2.0 poor | Rdv | December 7th 17 |
4.0 excellent | igi78 | November 4th 17 |
4.5 superb | gschwen | September 9th 17 |
3.0 good | gilly | June 24th 17 |
4.0 excellent | Jordan M. EMERITUS | June 12th 17 |
3.0 good | wg98 | May 12th 17 |
3.5 great | 747727 | April 12th 17 |
4.0 excellent | jpjpablo | December 29th 16 |
3.5 great | Log S. | December 10th 16 |
4.0 excellent | ramoncd | December 6th 16 |
3.0 good | Devius | December 2nd 16 |
4.0 excellent | Xurxo | November 10th 16 |
4.0 excellent | Gozpot | October 20th 16 |
4.0 excellent | Lodger | September 7th 16 |
4.0 excellent | old | August 24th 16 |
3.5 great | Ankit | August 10th 16 |
3.5 great | rasi | August 7th 16 |
3.0 good | SB129 | May 16th 16 |
4.0 excellent | benkim | April 24th 16 |
3.5 great | jesper STAFF | March 17th 16 |
4.0 excellent | cb123 | January 16th 16 |
3.0 good | Sysk | October 27th 15 |
4.1 excellent | Rowan5215 STAFF | October 21st 15 |
3.5 great | F1Aaron | September 27th 15 |
3.5 great | manu8a | August 9th 15 |
3.5 great | Ledgy | June 14th 15 |
4.0 excellent | Rakkie | May 22nd 15 |
4.0 excellent | aeroguy3 | November 12th 14 |
4.0 excellent | Titan | October 19th 14 |
3.5 great | Matski | October 11th 14 |
4.0 excellent | bjb | October 8th 14 |
4.0 excellent | mrfixit | October 3rd 14 |
3.5 great | Riviere | September 9th 14 |
3.5 great | CamCar | July 23rd 14 |
4.0 excellent | Recoat | February 24th 14 |
3.0 good | qwe3 | February 24th 14 |
4.5 superb | powrnap | February 8th 14 |
4.5 superb | DarinRG | November 16th 13 |
4.0 excellent | unkle | November 6th 13 |
4.0 excellent | vai90 | November 5th 13 |
4.0 excellent | boleyn2 | October 24th 13 |
4.0 excellent | Kalhur | August 11th 13 |
3.5 great | ramon | May 15th 13 |
2.0 poor | goguey | April 18th 13 |
4.0 excellent | bol90 | March 24th 13 |
4.0 excellent | Basman | March 14th 13 |
2.5 average | bobbi | February 21st 13 |
3.5 great | zakalwe | February 20th 13 |
3.5 great | Doxxman | November 26th 12 |
4.0 excellent | dwejkk | November 20th 12 |
3.0 good | Sunlar | October 30th 12 |
4.0 excellent | Qwedger | July 31st 12 |
3.0 good | ADM20 | June 19th 12 |
3.5 great | PAT33 | May 20th 12 |
4.0 excellent | WJM73 | April 28th 12 |
3.5 great | Lakes. | April 20th 12 |
3.0 good | virpi | February 25th 12 |
4.0 excellent | fog CONTRIBUTOR | December 29th 11 |
4.5 superb | stotty | September 29th 11 |
3.5 great | BigHans | September 21st 11 |
3.5 great | Bossie | September 16th 11 |
3.5 great | Splint | August 26th 11 |
4.5 superb | thawey | July 24th 11 |
4.5 superb | Muzix | May 25th 11 |
4.0 excellent | Caco | April 27th 11 |
3.0 good | Dionni | February 10th 11 |
3.5 great | Tulten | February 4th 11 |
3.0 good | Jarvig | February 1st 11 |
4.0 excellent | conorm11 | November 21st 10 |
4.5 superb | AlecF | November 15th 10 |
4.5 superb | mdenn69 | October 20th 10 |
4.0 excellent | Tolo | September 24th 10 |
5.0 classic | Ydun | August 20th 10 |
3.0 good | mcdaid | August 6th 10 |
3.5 great | BlueW | July 5th 10 |
3.5 great | csholm | June 10th 10 |
3.5 great | Kaig | April 18th 10 |
2.5 average | Jumaos | February 14th 10 |
4.0 excellent | Smevin | February 10th 10 |
3.5 great | 03TTAM | February 6th 10 |
4.0 excellent | cumverg | January 26th 10 |
3.0 good | rc1288 | January 5th 10 |
4.5 superb | Sle | December 23rd 09 |
4.0 excellent | latervol | November 14th 09 |
3.0 good | mallen | November 10th 09 |
3.5 great | ferrum | November 9th 09 |
3.0 good | JoRos | October 5th 09 |
4.0 excellent | scotish | September 29th 09 |
3.0 good | blurkom | September 28th 09 |
3.5 great | JesusV4 | September 17th 09 |
3.0 good | timbo8 | September 10th 09 |
4.5 superb | cjboog | September 7th 09 |
4.5 superb | mvdu | June 6th 09 |
3.5 great | pettri | March 21st 09 |
3.0 good | Aids | March 17th 09 |
3.0 good | valrus | January 7th 09 |
3.5 great | jomyers | December 29th 08 |
4.0 excellent | sachinc | December 25th 08 |
2.5 average | ECRbubs | October 14th 08 |
4.0 excellent | AliW1993 | September 6th 08 |
3.5 great | kromml | March 14th 08 |
2.5 average | Piotrek | February 1st 08 |
4.0 excellent | taylork | January 4th 08 |
2.5 average | donovr | December 18th 07 |
2.5 average | Bak | October 15th 07 |
2.5 average | Altmer | September 8th 07 |
3.5 great | cpd38 | September 6th 07 |
2.5 average | jk2two | September 5th 07 |
3.0 good | Mikesn EMERITUS | August 5th 07 |
2.5 average | Zebra | October 18th 05 |
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