Meloy told Spin magazine that the rocker, "Calamity Song," came about because of repeatedly listening to R.E.M.'s second album, Reckoning. "I was listening so much to the reissue [of Reckoning] when it came out last year," he said. "And it opened up for me. I was like 'I want to write a Reckoning song'. The words may not bear that much resemblance [to Michael Stipe's writing] but I think the melody is very Stipe-ish."

Spin wrote that another tune, "Down by the Water" recalls Neil Young, both in title (one of Young's classics is "Down by the River") and the folk-rock, harmonica-added sound. Meloy said he hadn't picked up a harmonica in a long time, then name-checked an obscure roots rock act. - more on this story

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