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From:R.E.M. , Warner Bros / Wea ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#273 |
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2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
Pint-sized album packs a nice punch, 2008-08-08
This little fireplug of a CD hits the ground running with "Living Well is the Best Revenge" and doesn't come up often for air. It's good to hear Michael Stipe fired up on rockers like the aforementioned tune and "Man-Sized Wreath," where he rails against political pundits, the vapidness of TV and "pomp" and "odious conceit." It's great stuff, and amid Stipe's aggressive vocals and Peter Buck's equally in-your-face guitar work, there seems to be a sense of liberation and joy within the band which I can't recall since the mighty Monster back in 1994.
The mellow and short "Houston," a beautiful song about the Hurricane Katrina refugees, fully displays Stipe's penchant for climbing inside the body of another human being, similar to the morose but sublime "Daysleeper" on the underrated Up. In the song, he boldly attempts to extract some brightness amid a horrible situation. "Until the Day is Done" is similarly quiet compared to the rest of "Accelerate," and its despondent lyrics tell of a dying America, one that the lyricist is far from proud of. Whether you agree with the sentiment or not, the stately sound and sincerity of the song hearkens back to the greatness of Automatic for the People, no small feat. Truly, I didn't grasp the songs's specialness until I really gave it a solid listen.
Mostly, though, "Accelerate" is one punchy rocker after another. I can't help but wonder if the popish "Mr. Richards" is a friendly ode to President Bush, but more important, "Horse to Water" contains a march-to-your own-drummer message, fed-up lyrics and an irresistible chorus that ranks as my favorite on the CD. And not since "It's the End of the World as We Know it" has there been such a stadium-like, fun vibe from R.E.M. as heard on the pumped-up, free-flowing, let-it-all-hang-out "I'm Gonna DJ."
Stipe's voice may be a tad roughened up from natural aging and cigarettes, but it matches up well with the fiery guitars and is ably backed up by Mike Mills' formidable pipes that never seem to go out of style. Come to think of it, after releasing some questionable fluff preceding this album, R.E.M., as a unit, seem to have mastered the art of never going out of style.
R.E.M. - Accelerate, 2008-08-07
Accelerate (2008, Warner Bros.) R.E.M.'s fourteenth studio album. ***1/2
The fourteenth album of these veterans isn't exactly a revival, but it is nice to listen to. R.E.M. have their cheesy moments on Accelerate, the fastest album they've made to date, not to mention a very short, but very wise, running time. The album starts off with a bang and doesn't lose momentum until we enter into the second half. Once the title track rolls around, the ears of everyone except the fan becomes tired. But they still got it, as the opening track and the excellent "Supernatural Superserious" demonstrate. A very welcome update from an old friend.
-Stephen
www.politicianrock.blogspot.com
1 of 6 customers found the following review helpful:
 wow, almost 33 minutes..., 2008-07-26
pitiful sound quality, OK Music overall, and wow, an entire 33 minutes long. Maybe next time after a few years off they can come up with 40 minutes of music.
1 of 1 customers found the following review helpful:
 Back to basics for REM, 2008-07-18
I always loved REM but have lost interst in the last so many years. I guess the music was not what I expected but this album brings them back to their roots. It is a fun album that you can listen to over and over and will remind you of the good old days of REM
1 of 1 customers found the following review helpful:
a good record, 2008-07-16
Look I've read a lot of reviews and have listened to the record many times. It's not great and it's not bad. REM is band where you expect something different - hit or miss - its what you expect. Some songs are catchy, some are not. All in all a good effort. That's why the IPOD was invented to edit the stuff you dont want. buy it and enjoy
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