Commonwealth Times

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+

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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+

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