Autobiographical Order Nos. 1175-1177: R.E.M., Dos Santos, and Rocket from the Crypt

R.E.M. - New Adventures in HiFi A few months ago (a year ago? I don't even know anymore), a Twitter prompt was going around, asking what the best American rock band was (if it wasn't The Grateful Dead, if I'm remembering this right...). Well, it's not the Grateful Dead from my perspective—they've never been my...

Autobiographical Order No. 1027-1029: R.E.M., Pharmakon, and Destruction Unit

R.E.M. - Reckoning Way back when my music brain was still forming, I remember R.E.M. being one of the earliest bands I'd ever heard described as "post-punk," which is maybe kind of funny since that's rarely how they're recognized anymore, and for most of their career they were something else. That something else tended to...

Autobiographical Order No. 701: R.E.M. – Automatic for the People

There's a lot of things you can say about R.E.M., but chief among them is that they were one of the best American bands of all time. (Or are, but they broke up a decade ago and that was that. A decision that I think probably makes perfect sense, even if I would love to...

Autobiographical Order No. 40: R.E.M. – Lifes Rich Pageant

Every R.E.M. album, at least up to, say, Reveal, is notable for some reason or another. Murmur is their groundbreaking debut. Automatic for the People is their acclaimed Warner-era masterpiece. Even Monster has had something of a recent nostalgia wave thanks to everyone celebrating every album anniversary ever. Life's Rich Pageant doesn't fit easily into...

Autobiographical Order No. 32: R.E.M. – Murmur

I wasn't expecting to take a two-month hiatus from Autobiographical Order, but sometimes you get wrapped up in stuff and you don't realize how much time has passed. I took a trip out of the country in September, which was a nice break. And then after that, I ended up a little behind on other...