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Alternative rockers R.E.M. return to form in new album "Accelerate"
By Dan Kaplan
Posted: 3/31/08, 11:44 PM EST Section: Decibel
R.E.M.
"Accelerate"
Genre: College rock
Sounds like: Counting Crows, late-90s Pearl Jam
80 decibels
With its new album, "Accelerate," veteran college rock band R.E.M. has but one thing to say to the world: R.E.M. is back, and better than it's been in a long time.
"No time to question the choices that I make, I've got to follow another direction - accelerate," sings Michael Stipe in the album's title track. The song is ominous and strikes an eerie parallel to the band's status prior to the album's release.
On each new album since its 1992 classic "Automatic for the People," R.E.M. took slightly different approaches then before in refining its sound. Such adjustments worked for a while, but by the release of the band's last album, 2004's "Around the Sun," many fans had grown disillusioned with the band. The album was a critical and commercial failure and left the band wondering whether to continue.
So what did they do? First, they tapped Grammy Award winning producer Jacknife Lee (Bloc Party, U2) for the new record. And with that, the band returned to its college rock roots and recorded "Accelerate" in less than nine weeks. The result is a glorious return to form and the band's most consistent release since 1996's "New Adventures in Hi-Fi," if not earlier albums.
Opener "Living Well's The Best Revenge" is simply stunning, a rocker in the style of past R.E.M. album openers "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" or "Pop Song 89," but with more gusto than either. Guitarist Peter Buck's riff kicks off the album on a note of rocking rampage that doesn't let up through the next five songs. Included in this mix of rockers is the lead single, "Supernatural Superserious," an infectious song that strikes the ideal blend of riffs and melody. It stands among the album's best songs.
The middle of the album will appeal to fans of the band's mellow side. "Houston" incorporates mandolins and organs into the song, recalling the glory days of "Losing My Religion." But its abrupt ending prevents the song from being the album's best. "Until The Day Is Done" is R.E.M. at its folkiest and could easily have appeared on 1992's "Automatic for the People." With Stipe in lyrical attack mode throughout, the song is a haunting and visceral masterpiece.
Yet to call "Accelerate" without fault would be an overstatement. In "Mr. Richards" and "I'm Gonna DJ," the band serves up two duds, the latter even more disappointing because it closes the album on a sour note. And with an album length totaling just 35 minutes, many of the songs feel too short.
The album doesn't feature the obvious instant classics like "Automatic" and "Out of Time." But for the moment, "Accelerate" is the most rocking album the band has put out. It's a breath of fresh air, not only for R.E.M.'s catalogue, but for the rock genre.
sdkaplan@syr.edu
"Accelerate"
Genre: College rock
Sounds like: Counting Crows, late-90s Pearl Jam
80 decibels
With its new album, "Accelerate," veteran college rock band R.E.M. has but one thing to say to the world: R.E.M. is back, and better than it's been in a long time.
"No time to question the choices that I make, I've got to follow another direction - accelerate," sings Michael Stipe in the album's title track. The song is ominous and strikes an eerie parallel to the band's status prior to the album's release.
On each new album since its 1992 classic "Automatic for the People," R.E.M. took slightly different approaches then before in refining its sound. Such adjustments worked for a while, but by the release of the band's last album, 2004's "Around the Sun," many fans had grown disillusioned with the band. The album was a critical and commercial failure and left the band wondering whether to continue.
So what did they do? First, they tapped Grammy Award winning producer Jacknife Lee (Bloc Party, U2) for the new record. And with that, the band returned to its college rock roots and recorded "Accelerate" in less than nine weeks. The result is a glorious return to form and the band's most consistent release since 1996's "New Adventures in Hi-Fi," if not earlier albums.
Opener "Living Well's The Best Revenge" is simply stunning, a rocker in the style of past R.E.M. album openers "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" or "Pop Song 89," but with more gusto than either. Guitarist Peter Buck's riff kicks off the album on a note of rocking rampage that doesn't let up through the next five songs. Included in this mix of rockers is the lead single, "Supernatural Superserious," an infectious song that strikes the ideal blend of riffs and melody. It stands among the album's best songs.
The middle of the album will appeal to fans of the band's mellow side. "Houston" incorporates mandolins and organs into the song, recalling the glory days of "Losing My Religion." But its abrupt ending prevents the song from being the album's best. "Until The Day Is Done" is R.E.M. at its folkiest and could easily have appeared on 1992's "Automatic for the People." With Stipe in lyrical attack mode throughout, the song is a haunting and visceral masterpiece.
Yet to call "Accelerate" without fault would be an overstatement. In "Mr. Richards" and "I'm Gonna DJ," the band serves up two duds, the latter even more disappointing because it closes the album on a sour note. And with an album length totaling just 35 minutes, many of the songs feel too short.
The album doesn't feature the obvious instant classics like "Automatic" and "Out of Time." But for the moment, "Accelerate" is the most rocking album the band has put out. It's a breath of fresh air, not only for R.E.M.'s catalogue, but for the rock genre.
sdkaplan@syr.edu
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