R.E.M Everyday is yours to win

Cover Artwork 

Contrasting Reviews

 1) For me, this was one of the albums of 2011 and such a shame that this was their last. I believe R.E.M only ever realeased one bad/mediocre album (Around the Sun) so every time they released an album of late, they risked their legacy. With this record they put a bit of added sheen on that legacy. Great that the band finished on a creative high. It does fade a little in the 3rd quarter of the album but the first half and finish is as strong as any REM record. It really is a pity we won't ever have another R.E.M record but what a back catalogue we have to remember them by.

2)What a pleasant surprise this album was! Accelerate was nice nod to R.E.M.'s glory days but Collapse into Now is far superior in that the melodies are catchier and the weirdness of the last three tracks of their previous album isn't as apparent here. I'd even go as far to say that this album edges out New Adventures in Hi-Fi for their best album post Automatic for the People. The uptempo rockers are solid especially the single "Mine Smell Like Honey" I'd almost put that release on their next release of greatest hits not to represent the latter stages of their career but becasue it actually belongs on such a list. "Allligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter" is a guilty pleasure that has a horrible catchy vocal melody which mitigates the ridiculous lyrics. 

Even the slower paced tracks are up to par with some of the bands' best work. The worst comment I can muster about these tracks is that they sound a little like reworkings of their previous classics but I don't usually complain about a band going back to what it does best. I suppose the big difference between this album and Accelerate (near identical rating) is that I can see myself eagerly returning to this album some time in the future. This album also makes more upset that they've decided to hang it up just as they were getting their chops back. I wasn't a big R.E.M. fan when they were in their electrnoic era but I'm sure the 2005 version of myself would have begged the band to hang it up. Now I'm not so sure. 

Biography

R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's unclear vocals. R.E.M. released its first single, "Radio Free Europe", in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone. The single was followed by the Chronic Town EP in 1982, the band's first release on I.R.S. Records. In 1983, the group released its critically acclaimed debut album, Murmur, and built its reputation over the next few years through subsequent releases, constant touring, and the support of college radio. Following years of underground success, R.E.M. achieved a mainstream hit in 1987 with the single "The One I Love". The group signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988, and began to espouse political and environmental concerns while playing large arenas worldwide.
By the early 1990s, when alternative rock began to experience broad mainstream success, R.E.M. was viewed by subsequent acts such as Nirvana and Pavement as a pioneer of the genre and released its two most commercially successful albums, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), which veered from the band's established sound. R.E.M.'s 1994 release, Monster, was a return to a more rock-oriented sound. The band began its first tour in six years to support the album; the tour was marred by medical emergencies suffered by three band members. In 1996, R.E.M. re-signed with Warner Bros. for a reported US$80 million, at the time the most expensive recording contract in history. The following year, Bill Berry left the band, while Buck, Mills, and Stipe continued the group as a trio. Through some changes in musical style, the band continued its career into the next decade with mixed critical and commercial success. In 2007, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. R.E.M. disbanded in September 2011, announcing the split on its website.

Opinion

This song in my opinion is a bit too simple. If you see the lirics are very simple, most of the song is the same rithm, the chords and the riff of the guitar, the same slow drums and bass, and a lot of electronic noises. I don't know, if this is the R.E.M they want to sold us, i wont even listen to it. I have seen better songs written by Ringo Starr and with better drums, I can prove it. I really dont like music of today, maybe thats the reason that i don't like this song, but I thought that a song by an old group like R.E.M won't be that simple. Actually most of the new songs that you listen today are always the same, I would compare this song to any song of coldplay, I think maybe the sound is most similar to them. Well in general, I don't like this song, a good message in the middle of the song, actually you can put a good message in any song, it's not quite hard. If at least there was a good instrumental, I would have give a point to this song, the only interesting thing is the video, and I don't listen a video... Quite a shame for this group