R.E.M. – Accelerate

Artist: R.E.M.

Title: Accelerate

Label: Warner Bros.

Rating: 6.5/10

Corporate line:
Accelerate, the first studio album in four years from R.E.M., finds modern rock’s most acclaimed band returning to the stripped-down, guitar-driven power that first enraptured fans. Helmed by the band and, for the first time, Jacknife Lee (co-producer of U2’s ’05 Grammy® Album Of The Year How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, The Hives and Snow Patrol), Accelerate puts the 2007 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group once again firmly behind the wheel of alternative rock, a genre R.E.M. helped invent.

Best cuts:
“Living Well Is The Best Revenge” – Stipe hasn’t seem to be on such fire since Monster. It’s good to hear the boys getting fired up again.
“Hollow Man” – A beautiful and introspective song that have always been the cornerstone of Stipe’s best songs.
“Supernatural Superserious” – This sounds like a B-side from R.E.M. long past. Document fans will be in heaven with the brilliant lyrics and rich chorus.
“Houston” – Stipe’s ode to post-Katrina survivors is another great piece of the R.E.M. pie that they cook so well. Only when Stipe has something rich to sink his teeth into does he deliver so well.

The rest:
“Man-Sized Wreath” – The guys sound like they are having fun–but that’s not always enough. “Mr. Richards” – A song that insinuates something about someone that has its moments of glory and moments of weakness.

Finally:
R.E.M.’s Accelerate sounds like a band that has been rejuvenated. It’s wonderful to know that these guys still have something left in the tank. When they decide to hang it up this won’t rank near the top–but its not going to be ignored either.