R.E.M.

Murmur Deluxe Edition (A&M/Universal)

Before “indie rock” had a name, R.E.M. discovered a vaguely gothic sound signaling something new. Now, the 1983 indie rocket that carried the Athens, Ga., quartet to college airways, Murmur, has been given silver anniversary treatment. The murky original today shimmers with the gloss of a swamp-bound oil slick, while fluttering high and dry are Michael Stipe’s famously oblique lyrics. Seattle was a decade away, but the singer still had a full head of hair and a heart full of soul. It’s pure nostalgia to hear him soar on the opening twofer “Radio Free Europe” and “Pilgrimage.” And with the sonic cobwebs cleared, drummer Bill Berry emerges as the group’s sole polished talent. Guitarist Peter Buck never even attempts a solo. A bonus live disc recorded in Toronto the same year as Murmur reprises the album and offers a telling Velvet Underground cover, “There She Goes Again.”

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This article appears in December 19 • 2008.

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