R.E.M.: “Bang And Blame” (Warner)

They may be the most popular band in the universe but they haven’t got complacent and ‘Bang and Blame’ is yet another exceptionally tender and gentle song about what sounds like break-up, violence of one kind or another and the evasion of self- responsibility. All serious topics, treated with that typically wistful Stipean vocal that inimitably exudes an abundance of compassion and understanding and which never condemns but only encourages the listener to delve deeper with greater understanding.