R.E.M.: Finding Their Religion

In your leisure time, you most likely enjoy fun, which is why you most likely did not enjoy any of R.E.M.'s past three albums. If memory serves--and the thick layer of dust coating 1998's Up, 2001's Reveal and 2004's Around the Sun is a stern warning to let it--these records paled in comparison with R.E.M.'s earlier, essential material but were right on a par with Woody Allen's recent output. Which is to say, there were vestigial hints of artistry but a disturbing lack of purpose and energy. Facing the age-old choice of burning out or fading away, R.E.M. appeared to have...