Discussion topic: why is R.E.M.'s whole discog so symmetrical?
We've all noticed that their career is divided into three eras of five albums each (IRS, biggest stardom, and post-berry). Now, why do EACH OF THOSE ERAS FOLLOW EXACTLY THE SAME PATTERN?
First, an album that tunes it down a bit from the preceding stuff (Murmur after early years, Green after Document, Up after New Adventures).
Then an album that expands on the style a bit, managing to be pretty similar musically but often some sort of different mood - an alternate take on the first album if you will.
The third album takes the style of the first two to a logical extreme. (Fables really emphasized the slow, folky Southern mysticism, Automatic for the People made a whole album out of the quiet and sad songs that popped up on Green and Out of Time, Around the Sun was pretty much pure electronic pop.)
These three albums form a trilogy.
The next album is a "return to rock". Lifes Rich Pageant, Monster, Accelerate ... I don't even need to expand on this.
The following album keeps the rock styles, but expands on them by adding more diversity in styles and a longer running time. Most perfectly exemplified by NAiHF, which was actually written on the Monster Tour and had a feeling of "no editing," but each of the other two fits this archetype as well.
Now, my attempt to to describe the attributes of each album in the initial "trilogy" of an era may seem a bit forced, but there is pretty clearly always a quieter trilogy followed by a "return to rock" album and a longer album that expands on its attributes. How did this happen? I don't believe they could have planned it.