Let's take a break from talking about how Kerry's going to slap a bit and bridle on Bush and ride him around like a pony at a fair for a second 'cause I need your advice...

Should I buy the latest R.E.M. album?

I'm leaning towards no, and it's rather painful, since I've owned all the other albums in one form or the other (yep, even Chronic Town and Dead Letter Office. Eponymous, too.) I actually thought Up was one of their best, but Reveal is one of those albums that my brain tells me is good, yet I rarely listen to it. Beat a Drum is a wonderful, beautiful song, but I have to get through the borefest of All the Way to Reno, She Just Wants to Be, and Disappear before I hit the creamy center. Leaving New York is casually brilliant, but it doesn't sound that different to me, and my wife hasn't liked them since New Adventures. Now that I've name-dropped and linked half their albums, anyone want to offer their opinion?