Grade: B-
There are two things to remember when listening to REM’s “Collapse Into Now.” One, a plethora of musical artists take a formulaic approach to making music — especially artists that have been around for years. Two, just because an album resembles many of its predecessors doesn’t mean it’s terrible. “Collapse Into Now,” the 15th studio album from R.E.M., firmly establishes itself from song one as a pleasant blend of music the band has already created, and although few of the tracks are memorable, none of them are bad.