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10.0
3562
10.0 |
Uncut
Reckoning, remarkably, deepened the band’s mythology, projecting a kind of existential restlessness wrapped in webs of gorgeous guitar arpeggio and interweaving vocal textures
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10.0
3563
10.0 |
Pitchfork
Declaring Reckoning to be R.E.M.'s ""best"" album sells short just how many different kinds of great albums R.E.M. have released. But, more so than any other R.E.M. record, Reckoning is unified and energized by the very restlessness that has driven the band to explore so many different ideas and identities... Any way you look at it, this is R.E.M.
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10.0
3564
10.0 |
No Ripcord
Reckoning is the work of a band who have been exposed, no doubt more than they were prepared for, and the music is more direct and ""live"" sounding than its predecessor. Similarly, Stipe's vocals have been pushed to the forefront more, although the lyrics are no more decipherable for it. Despite these differences, Reckoning is very much the work of the same band as Murmur
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10.0
3566
10.0 |
The Times
At this time, according to Buck, R.E.M. were averaging two new songs a week. Reports on the time taken to record Reckoning vary between ten days and three weeks. If these facts depict a band who had yet to discover how difficult the creative process could be, the energy of these performances confirms it
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10.0
3567
10.0 |
Mojo
Print edition only
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10.0
3569
10.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Whatever your thoughts on R.E.M. in any form, you really should check Reckoning out – the odds are you owe it one.
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10.0
3570
10.0 |
The Independent
Far from being that difficult second album, it sounded wild and free, easy and natural. Compared to the crepuscular tone and smoky, introverted mystery of their debut Murmur, Reckoning was ebullient
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9.0
3561
9.0 |
PopMatters
Neither a total departure from big brother Murmur, nor a redundancy. And as such it remains nearly as heralded and celebrated a quarter of a century later
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8.0
3560
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
Murmur is the more inventive of R.E.M.'s early albums, but their second disc, the powerful Reckoning, established the band as bona fide leaders of the new American indie-rock underground
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8.0
3568
8.0 |
Q
Print edition only
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8.0
3565
8.0 |
The Guardian
Although never quite the equal of its mysterious predecessor, Murmur, it is the sound of a band refusing to rest… Wonderful stuff, and even better was yet to come
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