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There’s a current joke that goes: “Do you remember when MTV played good music? Yeah, me neither.” Now MTV doesn’t even play music (except for a short span in the wee hours of morning), but this unfunny quip always reminds me of R.E.M. Were you even alive the last time they made good music?

The last three albums of R.E.M.’s discography have been so adult pop orientated that they’ve practically worn away their fan base, but Accelerate marks a nice departure back to the times when Stipe, Buck, and Mills were making propulsive, jangly rock that could satisfy college radio, and small-sized venues.

For the first time in a long time, Accelerate should remind listeners of R.E.M.’s greatest achievements (Murmur and Reckoning come to mind), even if the album isn’t quite up to those standards. The first single “Supernatural Superserious” is certainly a standout with its opening riffs and Stipe’s distinctive timbre hovering overtop. The song itself seems to be about the cynical aspects of being a teenager or perhaps the enlightenment that comes years after the experience of being a teenager. With Stipe, nothing is ever clear, unless he tells you, and even then…

Other standouts include the hazy melody found in the overtly political “Mr. Richards”; the unusual Blade Runner reference (“Tyrell and his mechanical owl”) in “Sing for the Submarine” can only make one think of a dystopian future in which corporations wield all the power; and the ambiguous propulsion of the title track “Accelerate”.

So R.E.M. are finally off the hook. They’ve made their best album in years and all it took was a return to form. It’s a lesson every performers learns sooner or later: feel free to experiment in any direction, but a step back every now and then does wonders for your reputation.

Reviewed by: Allen Beavers

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