R.E.M. Is Back in Gear on 'Accelerate'

By David Malitz

Special to The Washington Post

It's a familiar story. After a long string of successes, beloved band loses its way, along with critical acclaim and hordes of fans. Soul-searching ensues. A back-to-the-basics collection of straightforward rock-and-roll follows and is hailed as a "return to form," "best album in a decade" or some other phrase that fits comfortably on a sticker on the upper right corner of a CD case.


And so it goes with "Accelerate," the 14th studio album by R.E.M., which is, to be sure, the band's best effort in more than a decade. That says plenty about the three middling, lackluster albums that followed 1996's "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" and set the bar so painfully low for the best American band of the 1980s. But there's more to offer here than backhanded compliments.
"Accelerate" is an album true to its name. It speeds along for 11 mostly punchy, succinct songs built around Peter Buck's thick guitars, Michael Stipe's memorable vocal melodies and bassist Mike Mills's gorgeous harmonies. The band (officially a trio since drummer Bill Berry's 1997 departure) has rarely sounded more focused or aggressive, with songs like "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" and "Horse to Water" bursting from the speakers, resulting in that rare R.E.M. album that begs to be turned up to 11.


That R.E.M. succeeds at this predictable career-rescuing gambit is encouraging, but in an odd way, also a bit depressing. The high points on "Accelerate" -- and that would be the first three and final two tracks -- are riveting, yet the band can't sustain the momentum for even the brief run time of 35 minutes, falling back into preachy, mid-tempo rock habits on songs like "Sing for the Submarine" and "Until the Day Is Done." (Sample lyric: "The business-first flat-earthers licking their wounds/The verdict is dire, the country's in ruins.") There's also a feeling of deja vu: R.E.M. first played the "rock card" with 1994's "Monster," that time in a response to the grunge/alt-rock boom. With "Accelerate" the band seems to be comfortably going along with that reliable resurrection narrative, but at least they brought a handful of great songs with them.

Full Article here

Leave a Comment accelerate review r.e.m.