VIMTV Episode #292: R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now

Jake: Not Recommended, 64/100

Tom: Sort of Recommended, 67/100

Overview: As R.E.M.’s 15th studio album, Collapse Into Now features a few great songs and unfortunately a lot of forgettable ones. This is truly a case of the hype purely coming from the name they’ve already made for themselves over the last 20+ years, and while this album isn’t painful to listen to, it just doesn’t do much. Plus, the lyrics are generally quite putrid and distracting. Recommended for fans of the band who will listen to everything they do anyways, but not recommended as a starting point for those who are just now jumping on the R.E.M. bandwagon.

Recommended Similar Artists: The Smiths, The Replacements, The Decemberists

Jake’s Track Picks: 

• 1. Discoverer
• 3. Uberlin
• 8. Walk It Back

Tom’s Track Picks: 

• 3. Uberlin
• 6. Every Day Is Yours To Win
• 10. That Someone Is You

VIMTV Research Links:

• REM Website
• Wikipedia – REM
• REM – Collapse Into Now reviews at Metacritic
• Lyrics – REM Lyrics
• MySpace – REM

The Making of Collapse Into Now:

“Mine Smell Like Honey” Studio performance: