In making music for the better part of twenty years, "R.E.M." seemed to feel they needed to reinvent themselves to an extent, and take a step in the direction of their earliest records, where the music generally came out half-cocked from every which angle, but was always unpredictably appealing. With "Up," they've re-written their own history with an album that's straight out of left field, yet continues on the exploratory path last heard on 96's, "New Adventures in Hi-Fi."

Admittedly biased toward my expectations of what the band has inside after all this time, I was expecting the usual hit singles spaced every couple of songs apart, while the rest would remain lifelessly casual or unassumingly dull. I have to admit I was surprised after listening to this album. So much so in fact, I put the disc back in the player and listened to it again. You will too, because there's so much here to absorb. But even aside from that, "Up" is "R.E.M." at their most challenging.

Having been forced into continuing on as a threesome just shortly before recording began, the rest of the members each shared in the instrumental duties, while enlisting a number of guest musicians to add a unique flavor toward the percussive end of things. The results can be heard on the opportunistic opening track, "Airport Man," as well as the closest hit single candidates, "Lotus" and "Hope." "You're In The Air" has a sort of effervescent feel to it, though it's probably a bit too deep for radio play. It's a treat to sift through the mind-bending and personal lyrics that each of the fourteen songs possess, as you peruse the liner notes. Yes, their quick decision to continue on as a three-piece was undoubtedly the right choice. My suggestion is to load in the disc, snap the headphones on, and let the latest "R.E.M." musical craft take you on a mind-bending odyssey "up" through the stratosphere and beyond the basic boundaries of pop culture.