R.E.M., 'Accelerate'

A blistering comeback from one of rock's most iconic bands

By Scott Thill

Special to Metromix

4.5

360830

Backstory: From the dark arpeggios of their debut "Chronic Town" EP and all the way up to this blistering comeback, R.E.M. has remained one of rock music's most towering titans. (Not bad for a band that once sang, "Standing on the shoulders of giants/Leaves me cold.") After starting out as underground darlings in the Reagan '80s, the Athens legends crossed over quickstyle in the Clinton '90s and became full-fledged masters in the Bush '00s. What's next? What else? Change.

Why you should care: "Murmur." "Reckoning." "Fables of the Reconstruction." "Document." "Green." "Out of Time." Check out those decorated albums and we'll talk about music history sometime. Meanwhile, few bands have cared, about simply everything, as much as R.E.M. Frontman Michael Stipe's bleeding heart has galvanized political activists and industry loyalists alike, and as he cautions on this effort's moving, winsome "Until the Day is Done," there's still plenty of work crying for completion.

Verdict: Put simply, "Accelerate" is easily one of the band's finest releases, and certainly the loudest. Stipe's growling, urgent vocals are a jarring departure from some of his more recent downtempo deliveries, and socio-politically charged barn-burners like "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" and "Man-Sized Wreath" are rants on war, media and the vacuum otherwise known as American pop culture. Even when he stumbles, on the power balladry of "Hollow Man" for example, his heart is so firmly screwed to the right place that the song flies by. R.E.M. diehards will appreciate the fire, and late adopters will bang for the rawk, especially Peter Buck's axe shredding on the stunning "Sing for the Submarine."

X-Factor: For the first time since 1996’s “New Adventures in Hi Fi,” R.E.M. road-tested most of these songs before recording them, playing five “working rehearsals” at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, for a few thousand very lucky fans.