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“Enjoy yourself with no regrets”, leadsinger Michael Stipe sings on R.E.M.’s 14th studio album’s first single “Supernatural Superserious”. I get the impression that is exactly what they have done with this album.
Accelerate features some of the shortest and most hard-hitting songs this band has ever produced. This is classic R.E.M for the first time since drummer, Bill Berry left. Berry’s departure seemed to have left the band a little lost and… well confused. As Stipe stated in an interview about Berry’s leaving, “For me, Mike, and Peter, as R.E.M., are we still R.E.M.? I guess a three-legged dog is still a dog. It just has to learn to run differently."
Accelerate feels like they have come full circle, like they have become whole again and it is spectacular.
The album returns to their indie roots – at times recalling Automatic for the People.
Relishing in their Indie roots; Mike Mills harmonizes and chimes out basslines obligingly while Peter Buck’s poetic guitar playing breathes through R.E.M, and fueling the fire at the core is Michael, delivering defiant and politically sharp lyrics with intuitive passion.
With the band as one again and Michael wailing, like back in the good old days, I find it hard to name favourites. But do listen out for “Living Well Is the Best Revenge”, “Hollow Man”, “Sing for Submarine” and “I’m Gonna DJ at the End of the World”.
This album is a racing emotional GTi that will blow you away! “Music will provide the light, you cannot resist. Yeah.” |
