R.E.M.
With its reputation in doubt, R.E.M. decided to “crank up the amps,” said Hugo Lindgren in New York. R.E.M.’s 14th studio album, 'Accelerate,' finds the band putting the pedal to the metal in the “name of self-preservation.” After drummer Bill Berry left
R.E.M.
Accelerate
(Warner Brothers)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
***
With its reputation in doubt, R.E.M. decided to “crank up the amps,” said Hugo Lindgren in New York. R.E.M.’s 14th studio album, Accelerate, finds the band putting the pedal to the metal in the “name of self-preservation.” After drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997, R.E.M. forced its fans to endure a decade marked by three “fussed over, downbeat” albums. Discs such as Around the Sun weren’t awful. But they were full of “uninviting, oblique songs that depended on a level of intense curiosity” most fans just couldn’t muster. To shake their audience—and themselves—out of such lassitude, the three remaining members of R.E.M. have turned out their “best, and certainly their loudest,” record in years. Accelerate “corrals 35 minutes of the fastest” tracks the band’s produced in decades, said Josh Modell in Spin. Though R.E.M. has always been a bit too cerebral to really rock out, the group approaches this album with a “joyous sense of purpose” and a bracing, “‘let’s just do this’ attitude.” The snarling guitars of “Living Well Is the Best Revenge” start the album with a jolt, said Joshua Klein in Pitchforkmedia.com. Producer Jacknife Lee speeds up the songs and sharpens the sound. Unfortunately, “velocity is not the same thing as vitality, and brevity is not the same thing as urgency.” Though a solid effort to “recapture the spirit of R.E.M.’s prime,” Accelerate merely echoes their
finest work.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What to know when planning an awe-inspiring hike on the Inca Trail
The Week Recommends Peru's most famous trail leads to Machu Picchu
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Lead poisoning remains a threat
The Explainer The toxin is built into our lives
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Should you use a 529 plan? What to know about this college savings option.
The Explainer This tax-advantaged savings account can be used to pay tuition or buy textbooks
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published