REM's time on IRS truly was their golden era. Reckoning is the band's second album, recorded over 83/84, and once again showcased their excellent song writing ability, proving a very worthy follow up to Murmur. The formula is mostly the same, but with a slightly more folk sound. There's still the feeling of a dark undertow of America running through this album, despite a lot of the songs sounding upbeat. If you are more familiar with REM's Warner bros catalogue and are looking to try some of their earlier stuff this is a fine recommendation (although all of their IRS albums are pure gold to be honest).