R.E.M. – Accelerate[Warner Bros.; 01/04/2008]
Michael Stipe maybe a lot of things, but sometimes he doesn’t earn the praise he truly deserves in the stakes of being clever. Openly admitting that the band’s more recent material – at times – failed to live up to expectation, Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills have done their best to rectify the situation with their latest opus, Accelerate.
R.E.M’s fourteenth studio album is 33 minutes full of bare bones college contemporary rock that saw the band shine back in the ‘80s when their music was religiously flowing through the corridors of various University campus’ around the United States Of America.
The political undertones throughout the band’s songs are truly analytical, while the stripped back nature of the band’s sound is like a nostalgic trip from yesteryear. ‘Living Well is the Best Revenge’ pulls R.E.M. out of the studio rut they have recently found themselves in and is delivered with vigour and a slick melody. Lead single ‘Supernatural Superserious’ continues the upbeat tempo the band sets through the album, while maintaining the quality R.E.M. have possessed through their career when it comes to drilling out a single.
Other stand outs include the acoustic driven ‘Until the Day is Done’, while closing track ‘I’m Gonna DJ’ is a rocking affair that sees R.E.M. winding down the album by having a little fun.
Many people will be surprised with the outcome Accelerate attains, with the band heavily leaning towards their philosophy of the past and ripping it through the speakers, resulting in a somewhat return to form. It’s not that their previous material in this era was that bad; it was more so the manner of the how the songs were constructed and delivered. If there were any doubts previously, then they will instantly dissolve this time around.
By Simon K
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