A Few Thoughts on R.E.M.’s Accelerate
Back in high school at the end of the 1980s, you would have been hard pressed to find a bigger R.E.M. fan than me. I had read books and memorized trivial minutia about the band. I had legal pads filled with page after page of my attempts to decipher and transcribe Michael Stipe’s lyrics. I was a member of the official fan club. I had listened to the band’s first six albums so much that they became a part of my subconscious. In fact, I would sometimes have dreams that I walked into a record store and stumbled on several heretofore unknown R.E.M. albums. Despite all that, before I picked up Accelerate, I hadn’t bought an R.E.M. album since Automatic for the People. Somewhere along the line, I lost interest, or the band’s music lost its connection to my psyche.
After giving it a few quick listens (not enough to warrant a full review, but enough to post some thoughts in a short blog post), Accelerate feels like reconciling with an estranged friend. And it’s not all touchy-feely and psychological, either; I’ve some objective, definable reasons backing up this feelings. For one, this album flat out rocks more than any the band has produced since Life’s Rich Pageant. (Pageant was my first exposure to the band. My brother somehow ended up with a radio station promo copy of the album on vinyl, and I would spend hours spinning it on our shared Toshiba phono/cassette/AM-FM stereo.) There is only one slow song (the brooding “Until the Day is Done”) on Accelerate. Stipe’s vocals are mixed down in these recordings, and Peter Buck’s guitar is allowed to make jangly, rattling noise over the top of Stipe’s singing. Just as it was back in the day, Mike Mills’ bass pulls double duty of supplying solid rhythm and essential sonic support for the songs’ melodies, while his backing vocals stay in the background, providing trademark high-note harmonies. In short, R.E.M. has returned to the sound that they seem to have been trying to dodge for the last fifteen years.
It’s not a perfect album. I still miss Bill Berry’s drums; some of the drumming on this album can be charitably described as “workmanlike.” The first single “Supernatural Superserious” sounds a little too polished for my tastes. Not every song hits the mark. I’m still a little undecided on the last song “I’m Gonna DJ,” an off-genre experiment that I’m afraid won’t age well (see, e.g., “Radio Song.”) But it’s not bad. It would have made an interesting B-side. In addition, the album is short, but I’ll take that if it means songs that get right to the point and don’t overstay their welcome.
Accelerate is almost a guilty pleasure; it feels like it was written for me. I don’t have any of the visceral resistance to it that I’ve had with a lot of R.E.M.’s later work. Now that we’ve resolved our differences, I’m willing once again to let R.E.M. crash at my house—or take a spin in my car’s CD player—anytime they want.
Great review. I listened to a preview of all the songs in a youtube video yesterday and was happy to hear them sounding the way I like them to sound.
Of the short clips I heard, I think “Houston” was my favorite.
I was just watching live footage of them on tv the other day and missing their sound. I was wondering if they made music now what it’d sound like (had no idea they were working on a new album). Their early stuff is so good…and some of their later stuff has brilliant songs (Everybody Hurts, Losing My Religion), but their poppier later stuff is just soooo bad. (Stand, Orange Crush, etc) Really glad to hear this come out.
Comment by Susan M — April 4, 2008 @ 9:50 am
Stand and Orange Crush are “later stuff”? Funny, it was 18 years ago when Green came out.
Thanks for the review, Greg. Your early experience with the band somewhat mirrors mine though mine cam later, I caught on with Document and New Adventures in Hi-Fi (I’ll still maintain it’s one of their best albums) was the last album I purchased.
Supernatural sounds good to me and seems like an honest effort to return to their roots a little. I’ve been listening to a lot of old REM lately and will probably be downloading this album soon.
Comment by Tim J. — April 4, 2008 @ 10:18 am
Absent your review, I probably wouldn’t have given REM space on my IPOD, thanks. I’ll give them another chance.
Comment by Abby — April 4, 2008 @ 10:27 am
They’re later stuff to me. Green is where R.E.M. lost me, except for a few songs. My favorite is still probably Murmur.
Comment by Susan M — April 4, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Great review – best greetings from Berlin Germany.
Comment by FM — April 4, 2008 @ 10:46 am
Herzlich willkommen bei der Berliner Gesellschaft für Kulturmarketing!
Comment by William Morris — April 4, 2008 @ 11:18 am
Look for Wednesday’s clip of REM being interviewed by Stephen Colbert. I’m an indifferent REM fan (enjoy the music, never purchased any) and it has me thinking about buying a CD.
…and if you’re looking for something that rocks, catch Bob Mould during his current concert tour. Stunning in its ferociousness.
Comment by bill — April 4, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
I love Bob Mould.
Comment by Susan M — April 4, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
Bob Mould is greatness. I haven’t bought anything of his since, I think, “Black Sheets of Rain” or maybe one of the Sugar albums, but he’s a really great guitarist and songwriter.
Comment by BTD Greg — April 4, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
Sounds intriguing. Could someone post a song or two to radio blog?
Comment by Allison — April 4, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
Bob Mould fans should check out his recent appearance on Sound Opinions. Some great live performances, but also a real interesting interview.
Comment by William Morris — April 4, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
I enjoyed Horse to Water, and the album has a good overall feel – like you said, hearkens back to their earlier stuff.
More like this, please! =)
Comment by FHL — April 4, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
Greg, you speak for me almost word for word. I discovered REM with Life’s Rich Pageant and was obsessively into Fables of the Reconstruction, Green (one of my favorite albums of all time by any band–I still listen to it all the time), Out of Time and Automatic. Then they lost me. Accelerate is a great reunion with a truly great band. The first four songs are parctically perfect, and although the album goes downhill from there, it will still stand as one of the best in a long time. Welcome back REM.
Comment by MCQ — April 4, 2008 @ 10:58 pm
Greg, I feel the same about REM generally and the album specifically. FWIW, Peter Buck said something similar about the last few albums and this one in a Mojo interview.
Comment by Norbert — April 5, 2008 @ 5:47 am
My new baby loves, loves this album. She can be mid-scream or mid-meal, and if she hears it, she instantly shuts up and concentrates until the music ends.
Comment by RoastedTomatoes — April 7, 2008 @ 8:11 am
The music will provide the light you cannot resist
You cannot resist
You cannot resist
Yeah
Comment by Eric Russell — April 12, 2008 @ 11:20 pm
Actually, Greg, I understand the comparison to Life’s Rich Pageant upon initial contact, but I don’t see the album as a return to the IRS years except perhaps in the general sense of its spunkiness. Musically, it’s very much a modern R.E.M. album.
With the exception of a more upbeat tempo and louder guitars, about half of the tracks could have been on Reveal and a handful of the others sound like they could have been on New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I think “I’m Gonna DJ†is really the only original track on the album.
Comment by Eric Russell — April 14, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
Eric, I agree — but DJ is a fantastic song.
Comment by Supergenius — April 14, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
Eric,
I agree to a point. The music sounds more hard-driving and urban than jangling and pastoral. To that extent, it’s more of a modern R.E.M. album than anything the band did in its early years.
But if half of these songs actually had been on Reveal, then Reveal would have been a much better album.
I’m still not sold on DJ. Call me a curmudgeon, but I think the whole problem started when R.E.M. started to consciously make their sound different with each album. If it ain’t broke, don’t screw with it, I say.
Comment by BTD Greg — April 14, 2008 @ 2:29 pm