April saw the release of R.E.M.’s “Accelerate,” one of the band’s
first albums since the unimpressive few that were released since
2004’s “Around the Sun.” There is no doubt that long-time fans of
the Georgia-based band will expect “Accelerate” to deliver-and,
for the most part, it does.
The album’s first track, “Living Well is the Best Revenge,” differs
from the rest of the album’s songs. The non-studio quality (the
music video features the band with full equipment performing in
a moving car), gives the piece an organic feel that differentiates it
from the rest of the songs on the album.
There is no doubt R.E.M. has its own signature sound, no matter
how varied. From the band’s iconic hit “It’s the End of the World
as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” to “Losing My Religion,” the
compositions of Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry
– who left the band in 1997 – have strived to maintain originality
and commitment to their sound. It is this commitment, however,
that has made “Accelerate” an interesting album.
“Hollow Man,” though reminiscent of the Gin Blossoms of the
early ’90s in all of their flannel-shirt-wearing, ripped-jeans glory,
still maintains a juxtaposition of the unique with the simplistic
– with Stipe’s semi-nasal vocals permeating the middle.
The slow, duple meter of “Houston,” with its seemingly organ-like
synthesized sound, gives a hauntingly industrial feel to this Texas
homage. “If the storm doesn’t kill me, the government will,” Stipe
croons as the work trudges on.
Despite the two songs’ similar subject matter, the spoken-word
style of “I’m Gonna DJ,” the final track, completely and utterly fails
where “And I Feel Fine” prevailed. “I’m Gonna DJ” is a trite and
sophomoric conclusion to an otherwise decent album.
Though only a few tracks did little to spark my interest by being
so commonly R.E.M.-esque, the rest of the album did impress. For
both the die-hard fan and for someone who is discovering R.E.M.
only now, “Accelerate” is a sound investment.
My Grade: B+