About a month and a half ago, I said that R.E.M. were due for a comeback: a return-to-roots album that would remind us all why we love them. Much to my surprise, it actually happened.
Accelerate is a glorious blur. They run through 11 songs in 35 minutes - some songs end when I was just starting to sing along. There isn't a second of filler and even the ballads drive hard. There are a few songs here that rank with the best they've ever recorded:
"Living Well is the Best Revenge": The most lively opening they've ever had. Michael Stipe sounds frantic, angry, and like he's 25 years old again. Fortunately, he sounds this way the entire album.
"Houston": Remember that low, paranoid, creepy voice he used in most of New Adventures in Hi-Fi? It's back. Combine that will organ fills, some great acoustic guitar work, and horrifying lyrics about escaping Hurricane Katrina, and you have a wonderful yet unnerving two minutes.
"Sing for the Submarine": This is the only track I could call epic. It takes a minute to build, but the chorus is supplemented by a guitar squeal and some creepy backing vocals.
"Horse to Water": This song is, in one work, urgent. They haven't used that tempo since Reckoning.
Overall, they didn't do anything new here, but they didn't need to. They go back to their garage roots, use their political leanings as an advantage (and not a hindrance like they did on their last few records), and rediscover using melody over multi layered instruments and production. The result: their best album since Automatic for the People. We knew you had it all along.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment