Museum Musica

USA, 1991, alternative rock / jangle pop

R.E.M. – Out of Time: This is the gateway to the 90s for a lot of people. It helped define the decade, evoking the illimitable joy of “Near Wild Heaven”. This album is all over the place as the band is trying to figure out what direction it wants to go in after having enjoyed a stellar 80s. I guess these tunes are more radio friendly, which is kind of what they’re talking about in the opening track. I even enjoy the instrumental track, “Endgame”, wherein Stipe goes fa la la la la la la la la la. I love the name of this album, too, since it was the name they chose because they hadn’t chosen a title yet, were out of time, and the album was being sent to print.