Who could sincerely be surprised that R.E.M., one of the most politically conscious bands of the 90’s would use the Internet to broadcast their latest song, “The Final Straw”, a big sonic slap to the Bush Administration’s sour face? OK, next up, who could sincerely be surprised that the song is actually worth listening to? I, for one, and probably most R.E.M. fans that will log on by the thousands to download a free MP3 of “The Final Straw” on that band’s official website, www.remhq.com. Most protest/political songs recorded by major acts such as R.E.M. usually leave a whole lot to be desired (remember that horrid rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” by mainstream TRL regulars like P.Diddy, Nelly and Fred Durst after 9/11? Blasphemy!), but “The Final Straw” is a bittersweet yet truthful plea for peace. Who can forget when Micheal Stipe, clad in a sleak business suit and, um, dress, already confronting the Bush and his Buddies on the issue of alternative energy sources on MTV Unplugged (let us precise that, in all it’s years of existance, R.E.M. is the only band to have played MTV Unplugged twice)? Years before it was fashionable, R.E.M. were one of the only mainstream bands (along with, say, Rage Against the Machine) to rant and rave about justifiable political causes(it’s all fine and dandy to plug the war on Iraq in your Academy Award acceptance speech, but are you really doing the people a service? I guess the whole point of insignificant awards ceremonies is being just that, insignificant).

The band recorded the song in Vancouver, British Columbia (where they are also recording the follow-up to their 2001 album Reveal - rejoice, America, rejoice), but the track sounds like it should have been recorded on a barren plateau in Peru, all full of feather-soft percussion and wispy guitars. “As I raise my hand to broadcast my objection/As your latest triumph draws the final straw,” coos Stipe, embodying with poignant ease America’s youth, protesters, activists, artists, bohemians, and just about everybody else who is against what has become the War for Oil. “Then I raise my voice up higher/And I look you in the eye/And I offer love with one condition/with conviction, tell me why”. Drink it in, people. Not as Americans, not as an anxious country on the brink of war, but as human beings, complete with compassion, hearts and souls.

While plugging in your headphones, you can easily picture throngs of young adults chanting the lyrics to the song over and over again, sitting cross-legged on the front lawn of the White House, skinny fists pumping the air, fingers spread in the sign of peace. In these troubled times, R.E.M. have succeeded in personifying the force that keeps us going, that lets us sleep at night, that makes us drag ourselves out of bed to face another day: hope.

You can downlaod “The Final Straw” now at www.remhq.com