“The Wake-Up Bomb” is a wonderful and jangling rocker, exciting organs pouring over revved-up guitars. It’s intelligent rock and roll, and it works. Stipe is also at the peak of his ambiguous-with-grand-meaning lyrics here:
Yeah, atomic, supersonicWhat a joke, I'm dumb
See ya, don't wanna be you
Lunch meat, Pond scum
My head's on fire in high esteem
Get drunk and sing along to Queen
Practice my T-Rex moves and make the scene
Yeah, I'd rather be anywhere doing anything
“New Test Leper” and “Undertow” are moody mid-tempo numbers that help to build a strange sense of foreboding as the theme of looking at the landscape of society from the road is established. It should be noted that “New Test Leper” is the one song that is significantly enhanced by the DVD-A Surround Sound remix. It sounds far fresher and attains a mildly ethereal flavor that the original album cut never achieves.
The climax of this mood-build is achieved via “E-Bow the Letter,” a goosebump-popping emotional and personal song that sums up the fear and strangeness of life in late 20th Century America.
Aluminum, tastes like fear, thereAdrenaline, it pulls us near
I'll take you over
It tastes like fear, there
I'll take you over
Patti Smith – an innovator in folk-punk and early inspiration to R.E.M. – backs Stipe while a saw (played with a cello bow, the saw is curved and manipulated to create notes) wails away. A blissfully sad organ underpins the piece: the perfect late-night sad song, on the road and teary eyed, coffee and cigarettes at the Grim Diner.
“Leave,” the longest track at the album at seven-plus minutes, builds upon a whirring siren that is first irritating, then soothing, and finally seductive. “Departure” sounds like a call to R.E.M.’s past, perhaps to the Document-era, with rollicking guitar and shout-out, rising harmony chorus.
“Bittersweet Me” is a remarkably powerful and accomplished rock song, swaying sweetly from gentle pop verses to hard rocking chorus. Stipe holds the mix together with his voice, a commanding presence that guides the listener through a soundscape of innocence lost.
Article comments
1 - Tim Jarrett
Nice. This has always been one of my favorites of the Warner Bros. era R.E.M. albums.
2 - Eric Berlin
Thanks Tim. Just last night, as I was finishing off this piece, I realized that New Adventures is my favorite late-era or Warner-ear R.E.M. album. The early favorite is much harder, but probably between Murmur and Life's Rich Pageant.