“The truth of it all is simple: R.E.M. had become older, wiser and sadder. The songs from Automatic for the People offer a complexity the band had not yet honed; there was a resonance in the album’s perspective on life’s mortality and loss. Their preceding albums were more buoyant. The landscape of Out of Time, in particular, was brimming with genre experiments the band hadn’t yet mustered up the guts to take ownership of.”

Paste magazine’s Matt Mitchell looks at Automatic For The People on the 30th anniversary of the landmark album’s release.

Read “Goofing on Elvis Without Losing Touch: How R.E.M.’s Automatic For The People Finds Pride In Sadness” HERE.