Alternative rock darlings R.E.M. have banished the acoustic instruments that figured so prominently in their recent recordings and cranked up the guitars with mediocre results. It’s good to hear lead singer Michael Stipe and company getting their hands dirty, but there’s nothing here as haunting as “Losing My Religion.”
R.E.M. has overstepped their bounds a bit; Nirvana they’re not.
GRADE: C+
