REM - high speed train, 2004

"Multiple times I've stumbled into the back part of this album and forgotten how many songs are crammed in here, there's definitely an overproduction adding to the sameness, but I wonder what dropping some and re-sequencing the album might have produced. The next two songs are very similar and although I love this song it doesn't grab me like it wants to and zooms past me. This is one of the songs name dropped in ACCELERATE's 'Sing for the Submarine' along with 'Feeling Gravitys Pull,' 'ITEOTWAWKI,' and 'Electron Blue,' which Michael has said puts them in the same futuristic water-world and seeing the song from that sci-fi theme furthers my interest. The lyrics are back in top form here and perhaps it's the eerie sounds Peter and Mike are laying down egging Michael on. It makes me think this is where R.E.M. are at their best, mining the possibilities of dark obscurities--the 'surface that forms underneath the underneath' so to speak. The feeling of this track reminds me of something from FOTR, but sits solidly in Michael's current obsession with desire, forgiveness, and intimacy. If the band were not rattled by what 'E-Bow' did to their standing I would've nominated this as a single, double down on the new direction rather than try to say all is well with something like 'Aftermath' or even 'Wanderlust.' What drives me nuttiest is that the band are almost there, they're getting through this phase and in hindsight, you can detect ACCELERATE is coming. Just a few more songs."