Like Paul Simon’s latest, R.E.M.’s Collapse Into Now is another album I reviewed four months ago. At the time I praised it as not quite a return to form but at least a reminder of the band’s heyday.
Revisiting it now, I stand by that assessment, especially when comparing the disc to the band’s other output over the past decade. But I can’t say I’ve returned to Collapse Into Now very often since first putting it into heavy rotation when I bought it.
I’ve always said that I know how I really feel about a movie only after a lot of time has passed (and generally after seeing it more than once). The same holds true for albums. I listen to new CDs pretty much on repeat when I first get them, but only time reveals whether I’ll reach for them frequently after the new album smell is gone.
Collapse Into Now so far hasn’t passed that test. And given the quality of R.E.M.’s early catalog, it’s unlikely that it will find its way back into my CD player very often. Sure, I’ll dust it off occasionally as I do with all of my albums, but when I’m really in the mood to R.E.M., I’ll be turning to Fables of the Reconstruction, Lifes Rich Pageant, Automatic for the People or any of a half-dozen others.
That said, there is a lot to like on Collapse Into Now, including the first single, ‘Mine Smell Like Honey.’ Despite the vaguely disgusting title, this song is a burst of energy that channels moments off of those other classic records.
You’re going to do just what you want to
You’re going to take the leavings here at the fairground
You’re going to sing the praises of your fruit
Mine smell like honey, uh!
Mine smell like honey, uh!
Mine smell like hu, hu, hu, hu, honey, uh!
Dig a hole, dig it deeper, deeper!
Climb a mountain, climb it steeper, steeper!
Dig a hole, dig it deeper, deeper!
Track a trail of honey through it all
If the end comes faster than we had expected
And predictions lead us to the final fall
If the flowers crack the grave (grain?) and leave the patterns of the pavement
I can hear you shouting over it all
Mine smell like honey, uh!
Mine smell like honey, uh!
Mine smell like hu, hu, hu, hu, honey, uh!
Dig a hole, dig it deeper, deeper!
Climb a mountain, climb it steeper, steeper!
Dig a hole, dig it deeper, deeper!
Track a trail of honey through it all
Dig a hole, dig it deeper, deeper!
Climb a mountain, climb it steeper, steeper!
Dig a hole, dig it deeper, deeper!
Track a trail of honey through it all
You track a trail of honey through it all
You track a trail of honey
Meet Me In Montauk 
I think I have a very different experience with music (and maybe with movies, too). While I agree that only the passage of time can demonstrate whether a work of art passes the “test of time,” I usually know during the first listen/viewing whether this particular album/movie stands a chance of passing that test..
For instance, lots of films I enjoy immensely as I’m watching, while I know I will forget them instantly. For an album to grab me, it has to make me want to listen to it again. That’s actually my test for any new television show, too. If, at the end of the show, I want to watch the next one, that’s a good sign.
We’ve recently been listening to the new Matt Kearney album, and it’s just delightful. Each song makes me want to hear the next one, and as soon as the album ended the first time, I was ready to give it another listen. Will it be one I reach for next year or ten years from now? No idea. Still, there are albums I don’t want to listen to a second time (and I’m talking about good albums by artists I admire, sometimes love), and those I can virtually guarantee won’t pass the test.
Today’s SOTD, while enjoyable, made me want to go fetch my favorite REM albums to listen to an REM song I REALLY like. So, yeah, I don’t think this new album would find its way into my handful of REM albums that I would never dream of not owning.
Well, I think you kinda made my point from yesterday (though it appears that you elevate the Simon album to a higher level of repeated listening and rotation than this REM record).
This type of cluttered, almost grunge, sound from REM is really just not one I enjoy. Amy, for reasons I don’t quite understand, seems to like it more than I do as evidenced for her love of “Crush with Eyeliner.” And you clearly appreciate this sound as well. For me, I’ll take their Life’s Rich Pageant, Automotic for the People, Out of Time sound over this stuff any day. Now, I’m sure there are songs, even on this new record, that more closely resemble the songs I love from REM, but, as Amy suggested, that’s what the Itunes/IPod single is for:)
I definitely see your point from yesterday… I just don’t see how it applies to Paul Simon! 🙂
And how can you not love ‘Crush With Eyeliner’??
I’ve given other Simon albums a chance, sometimes even with some steady rotation when they come out (like Capeman, You’re The One and this new one), but after the newness wears off and some time passes, I generally just want to go back to Rhythm or Graceland.
As for “Crush,” I just hate the way the song is produced, with the vocals so low and guitars louder and more cluttered with distortion. I see the appeal of the song, and if it were produced differently, I would certainly enjoy it more.