R.E.M. - Accelerate

Michael Stipe, when asked about the creation process of his lyrics for the newest R.E.M. album ‘Accelerate’, stated “When the empire is going down the toilet, it’s easy to write great, angry songs.”

Although that may be true, I would recommend that R.E.M.’s newest offering has been hyped up far beyond its actual substance and I’ll gladly expand upon that assertion. Upon initially hearing about the ‘stripped-down, guitar-driven, raw essence’ of this album, I was actually excited to give it a thorough listen and hear what had emerged in the four-year hiatus since R.E.M.’s last release (and commercial failure) ‘Around The Sun’. Despite a few nice radio-friendly poppy hits (‘Supernatural Superserious, ‘Man-Sized Wreath’), there are just some overly jarring arrangements on this album, leaving the impression that this double-decade band is reaching for something. It’s definitely stripped down in comparison to some of the grandiose orchestral arrangements of the band’s history, but it still leaves the listener uncertain as to what they are trying to accomplish. Distinctive tracks like ‘Hollow Man’ let you know you are definitely still listening to the riff-picky, jangly R.E.M. fans have come to know and love, but the song ‘Living Well is the Best Revenge’ almost sounds like a Social Distortion wanna-be act (right down to Stipe’s reaching, growly vocals).

Overall, though, I wouldn’t be satisfied with myself if I said this album is not worth listening to - Stipe’s lyricism is something of a rarity in today’s market and I would definitely recommend a listen-through to this album, if only for some of his interesting word-play. ‘Until The Day Is Done’ is a fair portrayal of Stipe’s tumultuous and relevant mind as the singer envisions a time where everything material is stripped away from humanity:

As we’ve written our stories to entertain/
These notions of glory and bull market gain/
The teleprompt flutters, the power surge brings/
An easy speed message falls into routine/

Providence blinked, facing the sun/
Where are we left to carry on/
Until the day is done/
Until the day is done/

Ruining the cause of the words, though, is the acoustic guitar riff of this song which sounds a lot like Bon Jovi’s ‘Blaze Of Glory’ (from the soundtrack of Young Guns II - Yes, there was a sequel and I own it.) Thus lies my major beef with this album and the group’s career; R.E.M. has always appeared to be a band that suffers from a massive identity crisis. Although the pressures of commercialization are monstrous within the world of music, I think the true followers of R.E.M. have appreciated this band for their ability to sound distinctly different than the mainstream over the years with creative gems like ‘Nightswimming’,’Drive’ and ‘Losing My Religion’. Unfortunately, Accelerate is an album that sounds just like everything else that is already popular and wrong within music - a group of musicians trying to be something they are not.