Around the Sun by R.E.M.

Around the Sun, R.E.M.'s thirteenth studio album, came out on Warner Bros. on October 5, 2004, and it finds Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills, a trio since Bill Berry's exit in 1997, in a hushed, reflective mood. They produced it with Pat McCarthy, and the sound is soft-focus pop rock: gentle keyboards, muted guitars and slow tempos, with Stipe singing in a warm, weary murmur.

"Leaving New York" is the standout, a wistful love letter to a city, full of real ache and grace. The rest drifts more than it drives. A world tour and several singles kept it in the public eye, and it sold well, but critics were divided, and it's often ranked as the weakest album in their catalogue. The band took the hint and went looking for a change of sound with producer Jacknife Lee.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.