Yeah, I know, every indie artist lists R.E.M. as an influence... but there is good reason. I was a late bloomer with R.E.M., although I did get in just before everyone in the world jumped on board with "Losing My Religion." I have to again give credit to my same ex-drummer and former best high school buddy who introduced me to The Who, Eric Lindberger. When he first played "It's The End of the World as We Know It" for me, I thought it sounded like a bunch of old, fat, country guys. Wasn't very impressed. But then I heard more from them and realized that they were nothing like the impression I got from my introduction (although one may argue that they are steadily moving toward that image now). I became an absolute R.E.M. fanatic. Just as I mentioned with The Who, I think it's best to start at the beginning with R.E.M.. Murmur, their first full-length release, is one of the best indie/alternative/whatever-they're-calling-it-these-days rock albums ever.

At the risk of sounding like every review of R.E.M. I've ever read - I am going to say that the combination of Peter Buck's Byrds-like guitar jangles, with folk, country, and punk elements is what makes the sound for early R.E.M.. Throw in a heaping spoonful of Michael Stipe's nasally, mumbled, passionate vocals and I was hooked. Murmur opens up rocking with "Radio Free Europe." Don't ask me what it means, or even what Stipe is saying, but this track rocks. Stipe's lyrics are just decipherable enough to keep you interested - and whatever he's saying, you know he means it. Possibly my favorite stretch of the album starts with "Talk About The Passion" - a jangly pop song that is uniquely R.E.M. R.E.M., at least in their early days, always have a couple radio-friendly pop songs on their discs that usually manage to maintain their originality and indie credibility while opening their music up to a large audience. "Passion" fits this category. The next track, "Moral Kiosk" is a driving tune with a solid beat provided by drummer Bill Berry. The chorus makes this song, with Stipe singing a choppy melody line on the upbeat that makes you want to sing along, even though it's next to impossible to match his phrasing. The melodies Stipe sings are rarely complex, but are definitely unique and complement R.E.M.'s music perfectly. Stipe is one of the greatest early influences on my writing style. I have a definite aversion to going with safe, obvious melody lines - and like to try to keep things creative throughout the song, changing up phrasing and patterns so that each verse and chorus is at least slightly unique (that's not to say I'm always successful!).

The capstone track on this album - and incidentally the song that R.E.M. claim convinced them they were a "real" band - is "Perfect Circle." It's a gorgeous, moody ballad (what a surprise that I'd like something like THAT! ;-)) that I listened to non-stop when I first heard it. Buck plays a mandolin on it, as he does on many of their best songs. Again, it's hard to figure out exactly what Stipe means with lyrics like "Who might leave you where I left off/A perfect circle of acquaintances and friends/drink another/coin a phrase." But his delivery hits you in the gut, and you don't need to analyze the words to feel the song.

"Perfect Circle" is only about halfway through the album and each track on the disc stands on its own merits. R.E.M. have always had a style all their own, and Murmur is their first defining statement. They introduce themselves as a band that's clever, passionate, and political, all while maintaining a sense of humor about themselves and their music. R.E.M. played a huge role in teaching me about originality in songwriting - especially the fact that if you write a song that genuinely moves you, that will come through above all else, and your audience will recognize it.