Not since the muzak corporation has there been an institution that soundtracks drugstores, supermarkets, and shopping malls more readily than R.E.M. After monstrous airplay across the past three decades, one imagines even the most oblivious listener well-equipped to at least passively recognize the distinct jangle of the band’s biggest hits. Perhaps you can hum the chorus of “Man on the Moon” because of the sheer number of times it has blared in your local food court. You might have heard “Shiny Happy People” while standing in the pharmacy line or “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” in the produce aisle, and chances are very good that “Everybody Hurts” has haunted airport bathrooms near you.
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