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This blogger's review of R.E.M.'s accelerate, song by song.

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1. Living Well is the Best Revenge

Nice jangles intro, its a clear fast rocker. Kind of sounds like the Not Your Academy but without the chorus. Seems to have I Could Turn You Inside Out guitar effects going on in the back ground. Christ, this sounds like R.E.M. letting of steam with methampthetamine but on total oldskool vibe. Best intro to an R.E.M. album since Monster (how hard can that be - Airport Man anyone?)

2. Man-Sized Wreath

Another fiddly intro. Back to (can't read my notes). Its clear Stipe is bitching at someone. Has a busy baseline and its fantastic to here some full on Mike Mills Harmonies mixed in to the front(ish) Missed those.

3. Supernatural Superserious

A rocker about teenage self esteem issues. Or something. Nice chords.

4. Hollow Man

Piano. A softer start. Some jangles Yay!Bang into some quick fire chords... piano..

5. Houston

Starts off slow 'a fast lumber?' Houston, you have a problem.

6. Accelerate

Another lil jangly / rifftastic thing (Mr Buck clearly had his way on the direction of this album) and then straight into it. Again hints at the Academy Fight Song sound - a great thing.

7. Until the Day is Done

Acoustic opening, briefly reminds me of Aerosmith's Living on the Edge plus the feel of the Around the Sun album. Nice acoustic number.

8. Mr Richards

This song sure aint about Keith. Slowly meanders and then abruptly changes beat and tells Mr Richards what's going on. Not the greatest song ever but could have been (notes unreadable)

9. Sing for the Submarine

Yay more jangles, fna. A reference to gravity. Losts og guitar noodling. Buck doing his classic string thing (B,C#,A,E? Longest song so far.

10. Horse to Water.

Stipe plays on leading a horse to water and making it drown. He's almost fast talking it and the chorus too. Probably about the Bush Administration.

11. I'm Gonna DJ

R.E.M. played this when I saw them in New Plymouth in 2005, it was a kind of silly fun song. It works when recorded. Its kind of zany like shiny happy people and just as fun. Death is pretty final, I'm collecting final. Often the band so kind of sombre album closers to sleep to (Find the Water, Electrolyte, Falls to Climb) but this left me wanting more.

Closing R.e.m.arks!

Kind of like Pearl Jam's Riot act - stark but chock full of the essence that makes both bands great. This is a pure rocker album and it works. This is Monster's older wiser cousin who the family didn't really tell you about. It's what New Adventures In Hi Fi should have been. There's no time for moping or introspection, its turn the guitar on and knock them out faster than the Ramones. Can't read notes, something about EMO bands and how they should just move along, move along.

And there you have it.

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