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Daysleeper Review
07/13/2005 7:32 AM, AMG
Engaging and bittersweet, the mega-alternative pop/rock trio of Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills present here their first glimpse of 1998's release Up with this charming single. For the first time without their percussionist and fellow bandmate Bill Berry, R.E.M. took their collective resources and created a delicate yet enriching and absorbing song entitled "Daysleeper." Filled with lush color tones delivered through a variety of keyboard elements, jangled guitars, and syncopated percussive rhythms, this tune sincerely carries the message the lyrics intended with haunting effect. The lyrics, "I'm the screen, the blinding light/I work at night/I see the day with a newsprint fray/my night is colored headache gray/don't wake me so much, daysleeper," sends a tone of intimacy, and the passionate voice of Stipe rings bittersweet in the moment. "Daysleeper" is a poignant song that carries a heartfelt connection with the millions of those working at night. A tune filled with graceful melodies and complex chordal arrangements, "Daysleeper" is a fine piece of R.E.M.'s late-'90s repertoire and sure to be remembered for some time to come. The four-minute jingle "Emphysema" shows no real correlation to Up, but rather gives the listeners a fresh peak into the broader dimensions of the trio's instrumental imagination and moral fiber. ~ Shawn Haney, All Music Guide
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