R.E.M. Up

"...a look back and a dream forward from the greatest rock-ballad band that ever existed....Buck and Mills have orchestrated their rock as never before. Losing Berry has allowed R.E.M. to literally think outside the rock box..."
Ranked #15 on Spin's list of "Top 20 Albums of '98."
8 (out of 10) - "...UP floats away from R.E.M.'s past moorings in weighty, enigmatic symbolism....UP's lushly arranged tunes show off Stipe at his most, er, beautiful; narcissistic retreat into private space, a self-indulgence for some celebs, is a necessity for him..."
"...UP is the sound of the band trying to reshape its sound and vision. Their solution is to focus on mid-tempo, or often no-tempo, hymns and ballads. The shift suits them..."
- Rating: A-
- Stars (out of 5) - "...R.E.M.'s great knack is to make everything they play sound organic....Up's bashfulness brings with it a peculiar grace....there is a market for warped, experimental rock music as beautiful as this..."