R.E.M. - Accelerate
Just recently there seems to be a vogue for bands delivering short albums, R.E.M. are no exception to this recent rule. But after the overblown nature of 2004’s Around The Sun it is a welcome change, and that’s not the only thing to change by the way. The whole approach and sound seems to have shifted to something closer to their earlier sound, and also hiring young producer Jacknife Lee of Bloc Party fame hasn’t hurt either. The whole tone of Accelerate is more upbeat and rockier than any of their previous offerings without departed drummer Bill Berry, when Stipe made the famous quote about REM now being a “three legged dog”. Accelerate is the most consistent and accessible work that they have produced for over a decade, while New Adventures In HiFi is a tremendous record it is hard to get into, this is remarkably candid and straight forward.
As soon as opening song Living Well Is The Best Revenge kicks in you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to the R.E.M. of 1987, almost be forgiven to think that It’s The End Of The World As We Know It had started. But this is 2008, R.E.M. are fifty something now, who thought they would be able to rock it out like this again! Man-Sized Wreath carries on that noblest of R.E.M. traditions, politics. Its no bad thing, here we find Stipe raging against the Bush administration, but the beauty of this song is the chorus and the backing harmonies, followed hot on its heels by Supernatural Superserious. Few bands will ever manage an opening to an album like this, full of energy and sincerity. By this point the listener is fully gripped and wanting more…
The pace slackens a bit with Hollow Man and Houston, the later sounding remarkably like it could have been written during the Automatic For The People sessions. Infact the mid temp, folky, Houston, when listened to is a damning retort to the US Government’s response to hurricane Katrina. The pace quickens again with title track Accelerate, a punky, fuzzy track, a jolt to the system to wake you as if you needed it. Until The Day Is Done is the most poignant song pnm the day and stands out as a beacon of calm and sits well in the middle of the album as a mini break. Mr. Richards almost sounds like a slowed down What’s The Frequency Kenneth?, and fully demonstrates R.E.M.’s reawakening with hooks, melodies and a brilliant chorus. A definite crowed pleaser at future live shows.
The album ends in style wit Horse To Water and I’m Gonna DJ, both up tempo tracks resisting the temptation that many bands fall foul of in saving the slow songs for the end. The later deals with the 1999 protests at the Seattle World Trade Convention and finishes the record with a touch of class. This is as many have been saying a return to form, but it is also more than that, a return to roots at the same time. Can the two be coincidence? That is for you to decide, but this still rocks whatever you think!
As a closing thought…..who ever said drummer’s don’t matter? It is quite plain for all to see that Bill Berry was more than a drummer, after all he did come up with the melody for Everybody Hurts, I think that this album is a fitting testament to what he contributed to the group before he left, After all, it has taken them three records and 11 years to fill his void.
R.E.M. - Accelerate
2008
Producer: Jacknife Lee
Players:
Michael Stipe
Mike Mills
Peter Buck
Living Well Is The Best Revenge
Man-Sized Wreath
Supernatural Superserious
Hollow Man
Houston
Accelerate
Until The Day Is Done
Mr. Richards
Sing For The Submarine
Horse To Water
I’m Gonna DJ