Accelerate
by: R.E.M.
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In the decade since the departure of drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. could seem at times schizophrenic. Their albums of the era, which veered from the experimentalism of Up and reaffirmation of Reveal to 2004's more diffuse, reflective Around the Sun, often stood in stark contrast to the vibrancy of their live act. But here the alt-rock godfathers have resolved that dichotomy with their most focused and satisfying album in over a decade; a collection that doesn't so much revisit the bracing ethos of the band's '80s coming-of-age, as boil it down to its essence and supercharge it with the energy of their contemporary stage shows. That sensibility is evident from the opening track, "Living Well's the Best Revenge," where Peter Buck's aggressive, distortion-drenched riffs and Michael Stipe's gruff snarl set the tone for "Mansized Wreath," "Horse to Water," and "Supernatural Serious"; rockers that bristle with the abandonment and aggressive energy of a band half their tenure. Yet it's no mere blast-from-the-past. The inclusion of the band's recent touring musicians (Scott McCaughey on second guitar and drummer Bill Rieflin) into the session mix, as well as working out much of the material live onstage in Dublin, has yielded something more sonically akin to R.E.M. 2.2. Stipe's penchant for the lyrically opaque has been largely supplanted by an edgy, articulate passion that variously explores "Houston'"s displaced Katrina refugees, the bluegrass-tinged "Until the Day is Done," and the more typical, quiet self-examination of"Hollow Man," before exploding in the album's unlikely, upbeat elegy "I'm Gonna DJ," where singer and band find renewed hope in not only music, but themselves. --Jerry McCulley
In the decade since the departure of drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. could seem at times schizophrenic. Their albums of the era, which veered from the experimentalism of Up and reaffirmation of Reveal to 2004's more diffuse, reflective Around the Sun, often stood in stark contrast to the vibrancy of their live act. But here the alt-rock godfathers have resolved that dichotomy with their most focused and satisfying album in over a decade; a collection that doesn't so much revisit the bracing ethos of the band's '80s coming-of-age, as boil it down to its essence and supercharge it with the energy of their contemporary stage shows. That sensibility is evident from the opening track, "Living Well's the Best Revenge," where Peter Buck's aggressive, distortion-drenched riffs and Michael Stipe's gruff snarl set the tone for "Mansized Wreath," "Horse to Water," and "Supernatural Serious"; rockers that bristle with the abandonment and aggressive energy of a band half their tenure. Yet it's no mere blast-from-the-past. The inclusion of the band's recent touring musicians (Scott McCaughey on second guitar and drummer Bill Rieflin) into the session mix, as well as working out much of the material live onstage in Dublin, has yielded something more sonically akin to R.E.M. 2.2. Stipe's penchant for the lyrically opaque has been largely supplanted by an edgy, articulate passion that variously explores "Houston'"s displaced Katrina refugees, the bluegrass-tinged "Until the Day is Done," and the more typical, quiet self-examination of"Hollow Man," before exploding in the album's unlikely, upbeat elegy "I'm Gonna DJ," where singer and band find renewed hope in not only music, but themselves. --Jerry McCulley
Disc 1:
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Accelerate
Acceleratebeing REM's 14th album and their 2008 release was met with positive reviews by the critics and Allmusic, Spinn and The Guardian gave it 4 stars. I agree the album is a wast improvement compared to their 2004 release Around the sun. The album also did well with the public peaking at #1 in several countries, i.e., Ireland, Greece, UK and Belgium and Norway. The album spawned four singles "Man-Sized Wreath", "Supernatural Superserious", "Hollow Man" and "Until The Day Is Done". The booklet ... Read More
Rating: 
- REM
REM with Michael Stipe have come up with an album that produces a "tried and true" sound. The group's strength is in its past efforts, however. Any true REM fan should have this in their collection, but I'd personally like to smack the cover artist upside the head. There is nothing attractive about the product, and, if you judge a book by its cover, you will judge this "book" unworthy.
Rating: 
- A disappointment.
After having listened to this album here and there for the last few months, I have to make a few observations:
- Loud does not necessarily equate to interesting
- Though there seems to be more "energy" on this record, I feel like this energy is just a product of the in-your-face production by Jacknife Lee, not a product of the music itself
I really wanted to like this record, but I just found the "energy" of this record forced and in-authentic, and none of the tunes hold ... Read More
Rating: 
- A triumph on every level.
How did "Accelerate" not make more 2008 best-of lists? In fact, why was it omitted from any?! This is - beyond dispute - the best, most cohesive, most LISTENABLE album they've released since "Automatic For The People", and while it bears little sonic resemblence to that masterpiece, it does demonstrate more than a passing similarity to "Life's Rich Pageant" and "Document". This can be heard in Peter Buck's muscular guitar work and the thundering drums, certainly, but also in the return of Michael Stipe's ... Read More
Rating: - They're back! They're back? They're back.
Insupposable bit of reverie that it may be, I daydream of Peter Buck and Mike Mills showing up at Michael Stipe's door sometime soon after the failed tour that followed the release of R.E.M.'s most recent album, 2004's impressively pathetic Around the Sun. Buck, fire in his eyes, fumbles Stipe into a headlock, rendering him immobile on the front porch while Mills shoots rubber bands and flips paper footballs at the famously mumbly singer's famously bald head. In the driveway sits a pickup truck full of electric ... Read More
- AccelerateAcceleratebeing REM's 14th album and their 2008 release was met with positive reviews by the critics and Allmusic, Spinn and The Guardian gave it 4 stars. I agree the album is a wast improvement compared to their 2004 release Around the sun. The album also did well with the public peaking at #1 in several countries, i.e., Ireland, Greece, UK and Belgium and Norway. The album spawned four singles "Man-Sized Wreath", "Supernatural Superserious", "Hollow Man" and "Until The Day Is Done". The booklet ... Read More
- REMREM with Michael Stipe have come up with an album that produces a "tried and true" sound. The group's strength is in its past efforts, however. Any true REM fan should have this in their collection, but I'd personally like to smack the cover artist upside the head. There is nothing attractive about the product, and, if you judge a book by its cover, you will judge this "book" unworthy.
- A disappointment.After having listened to this album here and there for the last few months, I have to make a few observations:
- Loud does not necessarily equate to interesting
- Though there seems to be more "energy" on this record, I feel like this energy is just a product of the in-your-face production by Jacknife Lee, not a product of the music itself
I really wanted to like this record, but I just found the "energy" of this record forced and in-authentic, and none of the tunes hold ... Read More
- A triumph on every level.How did "Accelerate" not make more 2008 best-of lists? In fact, why was it omitted from any?! This is - beyond dispute - the best, most cohesive, most LISTENABLE album they've released since "Automatic For The People", and while it bears little sonic resemblence to that masterpiece, it does demonstrate more than a passing similarity to "Life's Rich Pageant" and "Document". This can be heard in Peter Buck's muscular guitar work and the thundering drums, certainly, but also in the return of Michael Stipe's ... Read More
- They're back! They're back? They're back.Insupposable bit of reverie that it may be, I daydream of Peter Buck and Mike Mills showing up at Michael Stipe's door sometime soon after the failed tour that followed the release of R.E.M.'s most recent album, 2004's impressively pathetic Around the Sun. Buck, fire in his eyes, fumbles Stipe into a headlock, rendering him immobile on the front porch while Mills shoots rubber bands and flips paper footballs at the famously mumbly singer's famously bald head. In the driveway sits a pickup truck full of electric ... Read More
