{"product_id":"r-e-m-chronic-town-black-vinyl-ep","title":"R.E.M. - Chronic Town [Black Vinyl EP]","description":"\u003cp\u003eR.E.M.'s debut release does not sound like a band easing its way onto vinyl record. Across five songs, \u003cem\u003eChronic Town\u003c\/em\u003e lays out the nervous momentum, chiming guitars, and elliptical writing that would define the group's early run, but it still feels leaner and less settled than \u003cem\u003eMurmur\u003c\/em\u003e. Produced with Mitch Easter, the EP already has the fast-struck guitar patterns, blurred urgency, and oblique lyrical character that made the band's earliest work immediately distinctive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Wolves, Lower\" opens the record with clipped rhythm and forward motion, while \"Gardening at Night\" is more melodic and instantly recognizable as one of the key early R.E.M. songs. \"Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)\" pushes deeper into repetition and tension, \"1,000,000\" hits with more direct force, and \"Stumble\" closes the set in a darker, looser register. Together, the five tracks show how quickly the band had established a sound that was already separate from standard early-'80s rock formulas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes \u003cem\u003eChronic Town\u003c\/em\u003e matter is that it arrived with a complete identity already formed. Michael Stipe's lyrics are suggestive rather than direct, Peter Buck's guitar keeps the songs moving, and the band never pads these arrangements beyond what the material needs. This black vinyl EP reissue returned the long out-of-print title to standalone form and preserves the original five-song sequence that introduced one of college rock's defining early statements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Black Vinyl EP\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStandout tracks:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"Gardening at Night,\" \"Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars),\" \"Wolves, Lower,\" \"Stumble\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePressing details:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2010 reissue, 12-inch EP, original five-song tracklist\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGenre\/style:\u003c\/strong\u003e Jangle Pop, Alternative Rock, College Rock, Indie Rock\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 602527361864\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor anyone building an R.E.M. collection, this is the point where \"Gardening at Night\" and \"Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)\" first entered the catalog. It remains one of the clearest snapshots of the band before the full-length albums widened the frame and sharpened the focus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" height=\"352\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/4GKHyDVQYaMbpXpTckjX6G?utm_source=generator\u0026amp;theme=0\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" data-testid=\"embed-iframe\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003eTrack List:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eSide A:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWolves, Lower\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGardening At Night\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCarnival Of Sorts (Box Cars)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eSide B:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1,000,000\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStumble\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"R.E.M.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51663182561601,"sku":"0602527361864","price":19.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7662\/4961\/files\/rem-chronic-town-ep-black-vinyl-album-cover-1864.jpg?v=1776866515","url":"https:\/\/www.toucanrecords.com\/products\/r-e-m-chronic-town-black-vinyl-ep","provider":"Toucan Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}