Peter Buck

Peter Buck is the first ex-member of R.E.M. to take the solo plunge, and the guitarist has totally done it his way: cutting the whole thing in five days, on analog tape, with his friends, including R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, R.E.M. associates Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin, and members of the Decemberists and Sleater-Kinney. And it's only on vinyl. No turntable? Tough luck. Or get one, because there is great fun here, including crackling garage rock ("10 Million BC"), acid-ballad whimsy ("Travel Without Arriving") and two dusky jangle-pop jewels, "Nothing Matters" and "Nothing Means Nothing" (the latter sung by Corin Tucker), that would have fit just fine on another, classic R.E.M. album.