A Quick Look at R.E.M.’s ‘Reveal’ at 25

Best Record of 2001: Day 46 Cover art courtesy of Warner Brothers Good morning! Today we’re taking a look at R.E.M.’s 2001 LP, Reveal. Sometime ago, I raised some eyebrows not by declaring that Document was R.E.M.’s best record (a relatively safe pick, tbh), but by ranking Out of Time so high and slotting in AFTP so low at 9th. There were a couple of caveats and carve-outs (it’s my list!). First, Up punches above its weight for the simple reason that no other song so perfectly describes the feel of an airport at 03:30 AM as Airportman does. This is a side of travel few see, but one that’s been my world for most of my adult life. Second—and I think more relevant here—REM’s discography can be broken into three distinct eras, and the order you slot these records in depends a lot on which one your on-ramp was in. For me, this was Green and Eponymous. The latter is a comp, but there’s a very real calculus behind why the former sits at #5 for me. I also feel like the post-Bill Berry years…