Sounds Socialist To Me

Kurt's on vacation, so you get to read about music he'd rather be listening to, if only Abby hadn't taken control of the stereo.

R.E.M.

Automatic for the People

Maybe it's a little too early to call this album a modern classic, but I think history will vindicate me if I give it the honorific title prematurely.

Widely considered the best album from one of the most influential bands in recent history, Automatic is, quite simply, a beautiful album about death. It came when R.E.M. were at the top of their game, nestled between Monster and Out of Time, and while it contains neither of the band's most enduring hits--those being Losing My Religion and It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)--it is still a monumental piece of pop poetry.

It's contributions to radio include Drive, Man on the Moon, and the fabulously drab Everybody Hurts, but if you're like me you'll find that the songs in between are much better. Actually, this album is a lesson in ways to write interesting song titles, by joining words needlessly (Ignoreland or Nightswimming), by turning accusatory phrases (Monty Got a Raw Deal), by sending up other well-known song titles (The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight, also Everybody Hurts, which is loosely based on Love Hurts), or simply by streaming random words together, as in what I consider to be the best song title ever: Star Me Kitten. (Actually, it's not that random, there's a line in the song that occurs several times: "Fuck me, kitten").

From start to finish, this disc is packed with emotion (mostly sadness, but whatever), introspection, and discovery.

Favorite Lyric: "Baby, instant soup doesn't really grab me, today I need something more sub-sub-sub-substantial, a can of beans, some black-eyed peas, some Nescafe and ice, a candy bar, a falling star, or a reading from Dr. Seuss" (from The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight)

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