Chronic Town established R.E.M.'s signature sound
immediately, expanding the jangling riffs of their debut single, "Radio
Free Europe," into a full-fledged modus operandi. Recorded at Mitch
Easter's Drive-In Studios, the EP has an endearingly ragged sound -- it's a
garage band playing jangling pop songs, and while the music is melodic and
memorable, it has an underground mentality that keeps it from sounding
conventional. Not only does the lo-fi production keep the music underground,
but so do Peter Buck's ringing arpeggios, Michael Stipe's incomprehensible
mumbled vocals, and the band's amateurish enthusiasm. They might not be
accomplished players, but already their songwriting is distinctive, with
"Gardening at Night," "Wolves, Lower," and "Carnival
of Sorts (Box Cars)" ranking as early classics.