R.E.M. – Murmur Review

How R.E.M. grew as a band would be near impossible now. The necessity of popularity as a trade-off for consistent revenue from smaller releases is what keeps people invested now. Without a social presence there is little hope of success. Even less if a band takes their time with releases without an established following. For R.E.M., the time the Michael Stipe-fronted group were given to iron out their sound, to figure out where they wanted their influences to take them, is crucial. You can hear that much on Murmur, a phenomenally strong debut album. Substance and style are no longer inevitable bedfellows but happenstance neighbours in the studio. Marrying the two? Few can do it as convincingly as R.E.M. did on their first try. A benchmark album not just for alternative rock but for the band itself. Some would argue they never bested the artistic value of their first releases, though they would grow as a commercially interesting unit. Whatever the case, Murmur was a rarity. One of the all-time greats. It still is. 

From the very first few notes of opening song Radio Free Europe, pangs of Elvis Costello can be heard. Not his vocal style or instrumental tone but the influence of his work on a new generation. R.E.M. are quick to make sure they stand on their own two feet. If you stripped their influences and interests at the time, Murmur would still sound incredible. Pair Radio Free Europe with Pilgrimage and you get a perfect feeling for what the band are trying to accomplish. You can discern a meaning or two behind these lyrics but the bulk of it is written to serve Stipe and Stipe alone. He needed something for his voice, and he gets a brilliant collection of moving, swaying words in place. Happenstance meaning is then applied by listeners who feel they can pick apart the likes of Laughing. But there is much to love in allowing for the surrealist in Stipe to take control. To engage with that is just as life-affirming and inspired as discerning a meaning in songs which are open-ended to say the least.  

Weightless tones are, ironically, heavy flourishes for those who connect with the band most of all. Talk About the Passion does as its title suggests. It talks about a passion so clearly relevant to the song, and it marks one of the more straightforward efforts from Stipe and the band. Even when it comes to simpler touches, the message is dark. What if the world is too heavy for some to deal with? Do we allow them to cave in? Yes we do, but we talk about that need to carry on, too. Murmur is filled with an honesty which seems to have been influenced by the colder but socially relevant and raging post-punk scene in the UK. An excellent A-side of instrumental bliss is held up well by the likes of Moral Kiosk, though the B-side struggles under the weight of wider genre influences.  

That doesn’t steal away from the thrills of Catapult, though. A wonderful piece of guitar work is embedded in this track, and ultimately, Murmur becomes a quality mood setter. A series of songs brought to life best of all by the instrumental direction of the band. Where the group may not like the snare drum added to Radio Free Europe, the rest of the songs featured on Murmur are left well alone. Instrumental bliss is what the band offers throughout Murmur. Shaking Through is built around the piano work more than the vocal pieces. One of many quality moments from the band, with their work already sounding fully-fledged and filled with a confidence you would not expect from a group releasing their first album. Truly a benchmark. All their stylings featured on albums to follow can be traced back here, and even if the B-side is not as strong as the A-side, that momentum carrying R.E.M. is unstoppable.