R.E.M. is a very special band to me, their song crafting was an incredible influence on me when I first started writing and recording songs with a Rock Band microphone and would have a lasting effect to me even later on. But a lot of people, for good reasons, tend to ignore much of the later material that the band released because of how varying in quality it was.
The song 'Parakeet' comes from their 1998 album Up, and to me was the last great album R.E.M. put out right at the end of their superb and varied 90's reinventions. Devoid of any jangle-y guitars and obscured lyrics by this point in their career and having recently lost Bill Berry as their drummer, R.E.M. turned to more electronic, subdued, and lush sounds as a result.
'Parakeet' is one of the lush cuts from the album and is rightfully so with it's sleigh bells, use of Leslie treated keyboard, pipe organ, and Michael Stipe's drawling vocals. The lyrics are bittersweet and brilliantly describe the modern difficulties of living in broken aspirations, which brilliantly contrast with the music until the very end. One of the strongest tracks in the entirety of R.E.M.'s post-Bill Berry era and, in my opinion, one of their best songs in their entire discography, 'Parakeet' is a song for all the naysayers of late era R.E.M. to hear.
(Couldn't find the studio version, so enjoy this live version)
No comments:
Post a Comment