R.E.M.'s new album is refreshing return to excellence after '04 clunker
Welcome back, R.E.M.!
"Accelerate" is the combo's 14th full-length album and its first original release since 2004's poorly received, studio-conceived clunker "Around the Sun." It's also a consistently excellent, reassuring return to form.
This time, the band, based in Athens, Ga., is working with producer Jacknife Lee, who also helped get U2 back on the right track.
And there's a really appealing immediacy to this material. The 11 songs clock in at just more than 30 minutes, so it certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. There's also a nice mix of melody and jangly crunch that hasn't been heard from R.E.M. since its underrated, mid- to late '80s albums "Life's Rich Pageant" and "Document."
"Supernatural Superserious" is a terrific first single, while "Hollow Man" hearkens back to the very earliest R.E.M. material, thanks to Peter Buck's chiming, Byrds-like guitar work. The rousing "Horse to Water" may be the best of the bunch.
Lyricist/singer Michael Stipe seems energized by the extended break. Here, he's equal parts pessimism and defiance.
On "Houston," he practically whines that "If the storm doesn't kill me, the government will." But on the opener, a rallying cry titled "Living Well Is the Best Revenge," he defiantly proclaims that he will do what the title suggests and says, "I am calling you on that."
Some fans might find the return-to-basics approach a little familiar, but it's a refreshing change of pace, especially after the half-hearted musical experimentation the band did after original drummer Bill Berry departed more than a decade ago, due to some health concerns.
Berry's replacement, Ministry's Bill Rieflin, isn't nearly as inventive in his beats, though his steady rhythms do mesh with Mike Mills' sturdy bass lines and help propel brisk numbers such as "Living Well" and the title track.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com
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