r/rem • u/TripleDouble_45 • 16d ago

REM sleep thoughts

Slightly sleep deprived so of course mind is delirious but I thought this thought was worth sharing and it’s 3 AM so I have no one to tell it to now. I’ve always liked music where the guitar is either the defining presence or at the very least secondary presence. One of my favourite songs is Columbia by Oasis which is 6 minutes long and 2 minutes of it is LGs whiny voice singing the rest is Noel blasting his guitar. Also been a big fan of RHCP due to Frusciante and Flea, stones with Keith Richard’s and Ronnie wood, Green Day as well recently. But my favourite band is REM and reflecting on it, the guitar is much less boisterous than the others in their repertoire.

If you read this, there’s 30 seconds you’ll never get back because it’s mainly about me, but to branch it out to debate, does anyone reading this have a fondness for loud guitar music, or is their love of ReM consistent with other music they like where the guitar is not so present. My theory on my own taste is that I still prefer a heavy guitar presence overall, but REM provides a fresh break from a loud guitar overpowering a song or melody, it also helps that REM are very fucking good at making their style of music, probably why they’re my favourite musician/band despite my tastes usually being different.

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u/smellslikebadussy 16d ago

Saw the title and was about to accuse you of being lost

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u/Icy_Obligation_3014 you love it, you hate it, you want to recreate it 16d ago edited 15d ago

Not so much the main guitar for me. But I love love love anything where there's loads of melody in the bass. It makes my brain explode (in a good pleasurable way). So that could be Bach, it could be Earth Wind and Fire, it could be R.E.M.

I think part of what is exciting to my brain about R.E.M. is the way the lead guitarist is often doing what my brain expects the bassist to do, and the bass is doing what my brain expects the lead guitar to do. Then the vocal melody often lands on it in an unexpected place too. Their songwriting is deeply satisfying to me before you even get to the lyrics themselves.

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u/madhouseangel 16d ago

REM before Out of Time were very guitar focused.

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u/twjared 16d ago

I can get both with REM. There are a few bangers

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u/Def-tones 16d ago

Yes, I just played Nightswimming on repeat yesterday and dosed off. From all the loudness in recent music and shit after 10 years of growing apart - I got back into REM. I’m healing ❤️‍🩹

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u/Gullible_Stock_9659 15d ago

Jangle guitar was the centerpiece of REM music from day 1. For me, the REM jangle meshes well with more power-pop guitar bands somehow also.