105 replies to this topic

[REMCHICAGOBOY]

Ya know, it's pretty bad when I actually like 'A Month of Saturdays' more than 'We All Go Back to Where We Belong'. I'm a really big Pylon fan so Mike is completely right about the Pylon guitar riff, and it's really dancy like Pylon as well. And I think it's pretty great that R.E.M. can write something "goofy" like 'A Month of Saturdays' and it's still better than 99% of the current garbage that's out there at the moment by other bands and artists.

Hallelujah - Just a really cool ending to a really great compilation from one of the best bands to ever grace this planet. A little bit of NAIHF in there mixed with a little bit of CIN. Moody, dark and wonderful.

I will now patiently await the liner notes...

*** I watched Austin City Limits 2008 over the weekend. They were so massively great live... 'Bad Day' isn't a favorite of mine, but it just kicks live on ACL.

[Bitter Lime Parakeet]

I wanted to wait until the release to hear the new songs, but I am so weak willed where new R.E.M. songs are concerned!  I gave in all too easily.  All I can say is wow, "Hallelujah" is just gorgeous; I can't stop listening to it.  What a perfect song to end on, although it just makes me even sadder that this is the last we will hear from them.

[MAK]

A Month of Saturdays for me is a filler, not a bad song though.

Hallelujah... well damn!.. best last song they could come out with, I tried not to have high expectations on that last song ever but the music, the lyric, the beat it made it for me my favorite of the 3 new ones and in my top song of the last decade.

As someone else said it sound like a mix from NAIHF and CIN (2 of my favorite albums) but also I hear in this song the influence of Radiohead as I've never heard it before in any other REM song, The drum beat at the end of the song and something about the melody makes me remember of Radiohead I dont know why. Maybe is just in my head but Is as if they are like passing over their legacy to them in this last song, trying to say that now them should continue as alternative rock icons.

[bluemookie]

Will someone please make an MP3 of these new songs so I don't have to listen to the entire disc to get to them?

[MAK]

bluemookie, on 07 November 2011 - 07:27 AM, said:

Will someone please make an MP3 of these new songs so I don't have to listen to the entire disc to get to them?

you don't have to listen the entire disc, you can forward it to the desired tracks

[Kimo]

bluemookie, on 07 November 2011 - 07:27 AM, said:

Will someone please make an MP3 of these new songs so I don't have to listen to the entire disc to get to them?

I can't get enough of it. It's so bittersweet.

[franckyis]

"A month of saturdays" totally reminds me of "Chance", for which I never really cared. Thus, I don't really care for "A month of saturdays". It really sounds like something they put together quickly, for fun. Not sure if it was the intent, but I feel a bit disappointed. Surely they had other, stronger contenders as one of their 3 last songs?

"We all go back to where we belong" is very pretty. I typically prefer my R.E.M. rougher on the edges and less orchestrated, but it grew on me.

"Hallelujah" is the winner. They somehow managed to successfully mix the pretty with the "rougher on the edges"! That's the R.E.M. I love and the one I will miss the most. They could release a full album of songs in that vein and I would be the happiest man.

Still not adjusting that well to their split... I'm not the only one apparently -> http://www.pitchfork...9-chris-martin/

[GreeneGrowTheRushes]

Hallelujah is brilliant. I love the "Radioheadesque" drum intro, goosebumps at the chorus, Mike's harmonies... really makes me sad that it's the last "new" R.E.M. song I'll ever hear.

[Thornado]

Right....now I heard all three songs I really feel the sadness kicking in for the first time since R.E.M. disbanded...
They're done now...

[CONNMAN]

Oh my!

The chorus in Hallelujah, wasnt expecting that, fecking brilliant!!!

[Pete B]

Hallelujah !!! Wow i love it great way to finish

Month of saturdays is how i feel with my job at the moment it s the anthem of my working week !!!

Hoping for studio versions of On the fly,weatherman & middle distance at some point !! as the Xmas single would be nice

[ebowtheloser]

king.of.comedy, on 07 November 2011 - 01:09 AM, said:

I don't want to listen to the new songs until the release... but your comments make me happy...

C'mon... All the COOL kids are doing it!

[robertandrews]

I love that R.E.M. gives its one-week exclusive window to NPR again.

Haven't listened yet to the new stuff.

[Rockboy]

I can't imagine a better last song! Now my heroes are gone......HALLELUJAH.......:-((......

[ThunderRoad]

OK, I am probably gonna be crucified for it, but I think I will be the one starting the negative comments:
I really don't like Hallelujah.
I was reading the comments in this thread getting into a frenzy, then I heard the song and it was a real anti-climax.
Since A Month Of Saturdays is really throwaway, this leaves me with We All Go Back To Where We Belong as the best of the three songs (even though I was also a bit "meh" about that in the other thread).
Maybe it's all for the better that they quit.
If I had to choose a swansong from the "three-legged" R.E.M., I'd go for Blue.
The real R.E.M. ended with Electrolite.

Now I am gonna look forward to the box-set which will hopefully eventually appear.

[bluemookie]

ThunderRoad, on 07 November 2011 - 01:34 PM, said:

OK, I am probabaly gonna be crucified for it, but I think I will be the one starting the negative comments:
I really don't like Hallelujah.
I was reading the comments in this thread getting into a frenzy, then I heard the song and it was a real anti-climax.
Since A Month Of Saturdays is really throwaway, this leaves me with We All Go Back To Where We Belong as the best of the three songs (even though I was also a bit "meh" about that in the other thread).
Maybe it's all for the better that they quit.
If I had to choose a swansong from the "three-legged" R.E.M., I'd go for Blue.
The real R.E.M. ended with Electrolite.

Now I am gonna look forward to the box-set which will hopefully eventually appear.

^^^ THIS

...except for the comment about Blue.  Blue sucked.  It's the only song I skip on their last album.

[ebowtheloser]

Hallelujah sounds... dare I say it... "Primitive and Howling."

[ebowtheloser]

ebowtheloser, on 07 November 2011 - 02:14 PM, said:

Hallelujah sounds... dare I say it... "Primitive and Howling."

In a GOOD way, I should say!

[Duh_Prez]

A Month of Saturdays made me hold my breath, then laugh and smile until the end   Yes, it's a goofball song. But I really like it   Part of me wishes Michael had gotten more enthusiastic with his delivery, but the voice he used is so clearly intentional that I'm happy with it, as it's something new and interesting.

We All Go Back to Where We Belong - I've heard this a lot by this stage, but that song now felt classic, luxurious and beautiful.  The contrast to the previous track really makes this stand out.

Hallelujah - I will not declare it their greatest song ever but... wow.  Took my breath away.  Honestly blew me away. The haunting backing vocals. The lyrics. The music. The crazy Radiohead drums. The... yes, I'm saying it too... "primitive and howling" chorus.  This songs sounds like so many R.E.M. elements, and yet absolutely nothing like I've ever heard before.

This is why I love R.E.M.  And, as I lay on my couch typing, I realise that I now have closure.  When "In Time" was released, I remember be so disappointed by Animal that I wondered whether the creative juices had run dry.  With "Part Lies...", we've just been given - in my humble opinion - three new tracks with incredibly different styles of music, and at least one track that for me has joined the likes of "Leave" "Ebow" and "Sing for the Submarine" in the "woah... what the hell did I just hear/feel" category.

To still give something new, and to still wow me with their last ever offering, when I felt I was building myself up for a fall... I'm so impressed. I love this band and to go out like this is such an incredible high.  Still trailblazing all these years later