Kevin’s posted an excellent review of REM’s new album. He makes it sound pretty downbeat. Crud. My fandom has really never recovered from shelling out for the “deluxe” CD edition of Up only to discover that I couldn’t tell when one depressing song ended and another depressing song began. (Not to mention the fact that it was advertised as coming with a “poster” which actually consisted of the pages of the lyrics booklet, which you were supposed to disassemble and tape together or something.) I didn’t even bother getting the Greatest Hits CD, though I suppose I will if I decide to get the new album. My obsessive-compulsiveness wouldn’t be able to stand having a hole in the chronology of my REM catalog…