REM - Fables of Reconstruction (1985)

On their third album, REM digged into southern roots with folk instrumentation like banjo, brass and string. However, don't expect it to sound like Steve Earle, Wilco or Drive-by Trucker because it is predominantly new wave. The reason must be their choice of new producer Joe Boyd, whose clients include progressive-folk main acts the likes of Fairport Convention and Nick Drake. As a result, the album is more ultramodern than country-tinged. B