R.E.M.

'Accelerate'

I've had an on again off again relationship w/ R.E.M. that can be traced back as far as my sophomore year in High School and started w/ a cassette version of 'Document'. While I don't recall exactly what prompted me to make the purchase, my guess is that it was probably after 'The One I Love' snuck into the top 10. Shortly thereafter, I entered my devout hard rock/metal phase and publicly eschewed bands like U2 and R.E.M. for the critical darlings they had become. Granted, behind closed doors, I was absolutely smitten w/ 'Green' and Peter Buck's guitar work found within.

After initially liking what I heard on 'Out of Time', I ended up completely sick of the band after being beat about the head and face w/ 'Losing My Religion' every time it came on MTV or the radio. Redemption arrived in the form of 'Automatic for the People', which I loved until I ended up being beat about the head and face w/ 'Everybody Hurts' every time it came on MTV or the radio. Redemption arrived AGAIN in the form of 'Monster' or, more specifically, the amped up 'What's the Frequency Kenneth?' This album was paired w/ my one and only time seeing the band perform live...which I enjoyed a lot.

Then came 'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' and based on what, self-admittedly, wasn't really a dedicated listen to the record...I just lost interest. For the 10+ years that have passed since, R.E.M. for me has consisted of a brief dalliance w/ 'Reveal' (based on digging 'Imitation of Life')...bookended by singles in the form of 'Great Beyond' and 'Bad Day' that offered some brief sparks that prompted me to throw on 'Eponymous' and wax nostalgic.

So, that brings us to 2008. Earlier in the year, rumblings started about a new R.E.M. album that would finally be a return to the more guitar-laden sound found on earlier releases and be the 'second-coming of *insert your most seminal R.E.M. album here*. Granted, up until this point, that much-ballyhooed 'return to form' never materialized despite every new release since 'Monster' being hyped as such.

For the record (or my record at least), 'Accelerate' is not the 'second-coming' of *insert your most seminal R.E.M. album here* and anybody expecting as much will be sorely disappointed upon first listen. However, in my opinion, 'Accelerate' is the band's most solid, cohesive and exciting output since 'Automatic' and, really, one of the most solid albums in totality i've heard so far this year. It's not only a great R.E.M. album, but a great album, period.

Quite frankly, versus hoping for them to re-create the magic found on *insert your most seminal R.E.M. album here*...I just wanted to hear something that didn't make me feel like I wanted to take a nap...something that, for lack of a better word, rocked. Well, the lead off track 'Living Well is the Best Revenge' serves as a mad dash right out of the gate and sets the pace for an album that does just that. 'Man Sized Wreath' grooves and it grooves heavily into the vintage R.E.M. sunny pop of 'Supernatural Superserious' and 'Hollow Man'.

The band dips into a hybrid of 'Automatic' and their most recent work on the sweeping 'Houston' and 'Until the Day is Done' to positive results and then heads back into more uptempo waters...most notably, the excellent 'Horse to Water'. The album impresses w/ each track and (phenomenally) doesn't peter out until the last track w/ the reheated 'end of the world as we know it (again)' vibe of 'I'm Gonna DJ' that comes off forced way to calculated and forced.

I made a statement in another forum, that my like and/or dislike of an REM album has been based off of how much/how little Peter Buck I really hear on it. While partly accurate and this being a case of plenty of Buck, I think 'Accelerate' is so fulfilling because it has plenty of the best attributes of Mills and Stipe as well...like R.E.M. is a band again.

So, all that said, it's an album that has successfully renewed my 'love' of said band and I highly recommend it's purchase when it drops everywhere tomorrow. If you still aren't convinced, cozy up w/ a sample to the right.