Murmur
| R.E.M.
Murmur
Murmur is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 12, 1983 by I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its unusual sound, defined by lead singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bass guitarist Mike Mills' melodic basslines. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
The legendary band reissues and remasters its debut, and still arguably best, album, adding a bonus disc that marks the first time a full R.E.M. show has been released on CD.
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Rolling Stone
Murmur is a darker record than Chronic Town, but this band’s darkness is shot through with flashes of bright light.
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Slant Magazine
R.E.M.’s career has been propelled by musical evolution, and they’re only one of a handful of bands to have skillfully mastered so many styles.
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BBC
Unapologetically intelligent, Murmur is a fully-fledged classic.
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Drowned in Sound
Contextualise it in indie history all you like, but ultimately Murmur stands alone, a perfect circle.
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Sputnik Music
The legendary band's tour de force; Murmur is one of alternative rock's earliest and finest records.
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Sputnik Music
Quite the fun listen, and definitely worth looking into.
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Diffuser
‘Murmur’ is college rock’s starting point and its greatest achievement.
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Pop Matters
Even if I can’t be young forever, I can hold on to that feeling every time I hear this album.
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All Music
R.E.M. may have made albums as good as Murmur in the years following its release, but they never again made anything that sounded quite like it.
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Prefix Mag
Murmur is a pure joy, one the world was lucky to see at exactly the right time.
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Paste Magazine
The uncomplicated magic of Murmur remains elusive, even to the band that created it.
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The Guardian
Shows how thrilling a band REM were so early in their career.
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Clash Magazine
It is the carefully crafted subtleties within it that have made it such a highly referenced influence.
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Treble Zine
An album so unique at the time with a sound that had not been heard previously that it became a rallying cry, or a rallying murmur, for the American music underground.
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Albumism
Murmur introduced the world to the workman-like stylings and guitar-driven melodic sound of the Athens, Georgia based band’s compositions.
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Seattle Pi
This is an artistic ideal.
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Consequence of Sound
Not bad for a bunch of mumblecore weirdos with bad hair.
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Ultimate Classic Rock
Murmur came out at a time where it was unusual; nothing else sounded like it that year.
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Stereogum
Rarely has a young band sounded so assured in their initial outing.
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Riverfront Times
Part of the album's beauty is how its messages and textures remain cryptic and mystical, even a quarter-century later.
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John McFerrin Music Reviews
The more I listen to this album, the more I'm amazed by something that I don't really see mentioned much by other people.
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The Crimson
Eternally original.
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R.E.M.
A very unique, organic-feeling album with a mystique and flavor its legions of imitators have never come close to capturing.
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Prindle Record Reviews
There is much real beauty to be found here.
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The Atlantic
One of the most assured debuts in rock history.
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Adrian's Album Reviews
The whole is more than the sum of it's parts. They found a sound, of their own, and worked with it.
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Don Ignacio's Music Reviews
You'll listen to it, and I'm positive you'll like it.
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Louder Sound
Straight out of the blocks, R.E.M. announced their polarity to the 80s rock scene and their graduation from garage punk with a full- length debut that throbs with intelligence and atmosphere.
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The Hi-Fi Celluloid Monster
Immortal album-5 out of 5 stars…but you didn’t need me to tell you that did you?
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We Heart Music
REM's style of alternative music was a breath of fresh air.
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Mike Mills Tribute
R.E.M. hit it big with Murmur.
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Ruth and Martin's Album Club
It’s not only one of the best debuts ever, it’s one of the best albums ever.
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Robert Christgau
They aren't a pop band or even an art-pop band--they're an art band, nothing less or more, and a damn smart one.
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Entertainment Weekly
One of the most important albums of the ’80s.
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Aphoristic Album Reviews
R.E.M.’s debut album is an absolute critic’s favourite, and it’s not difficult to see why; the group already had their entire sound figured out, and they’d only get more mainstream and less interesting.
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Elsewhere
R.E.M's first three albums were arguably their best, and have been reissued in beautifully expanded editions.
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Independent
Sounding like nothing else but itself, Murmur is the starting point in what is probably rock'n'roll's longest winning streak.
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The Thin Air
Although much has been made of Murmur’s importance in the alt-rock movement, it really can’t be overstated.
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Classic Rock History
This is where it all began. Not just for the band but for an entire genre of music which is still hugely relevant today.
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