REM, Accelerate (Warners)

 |   |  <1 min read

REM: Mr Richards
REM, Accelerate (Warners)

Yes, REM are a Very Big Band Indeed and so you will doubtless be reading reviews of this in many other places -- but the reason it also gets a showing at Elsewhere where they keep company with rather more obscure artists is because I have faithfully bought every REM album in the past decade and have been mostly disappointed.

But Accelerate vindicates the faith.

The criticisms of it are going to be the most obvious -- that it succeeds because it conjures up some of the more illustrious moments of their 80s peaks. But rather that than "hope you like our new direction" which would just have seemed desperate this late in their career.

What is here however is abrasive and energised in places, poetic in others, poppy in parts. Singer Stipe sounds like a man more happy in a world when he has something to kick against -- and of course the current political climate (even worse than the era under which they emerged) provides plenty of sources for seething rage.

But here too is understated menace (and yes, wit and self-referencing too) of the kind we haven't heard from them for quite a while.

So Elsewhere just wants to confirm what you might start reading elsewhere in the next fortnight or so. Old fans could come back with confidence and those like me who might have been a bit ho-hmmm this late in the story might want to check it out.

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Smells Funny (Rune Grammofon/Southbound)

Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Smells Funny (Rune Grammofon/Southbound)

But first we draw your attention to previous releases on Rune Grammofon, an interesting label out of Norway which ran from mainstream but innovative jazz to odd and interesting electronic sounds.... > Read more

Drive-By Truckers: The Big To-Do (Pias)

Drive-By Truckers: The Big To-Do (Pias)

The Truckers inspire great loyalty, but fans may be tested by this outing which was knocked off quickly and suffers for it. Certainly it rocks like Pearl Jam with Neil Young or Tom... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE INNOVATORS' QUESTIONNAIRE: Al Fraser

THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE INNOVATORS' QUESTIONNAIRE: Al Fraser

Al Fraser has been described as the foremost taonga puoro player of his generation, that is someone who plays and explores the sounds of traditional Maori instruments. In recent years he has... > Read more

JACK BODY INTERVIEWED (2001): From street to string section

JACK BODY INTERVIEWED (2001): From street to string section

The music skitters off the disc as the Greek fiddle player takes to the tune at alarming speed, the notes slewing into each other. The piece is Horos Serra, recorded for a 1973 collection, and... > Read more