R.E.M. #2: Accelerate

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Op dinsdag 5 februari 2008 10:58 schreef ioko het volgende:
Ik hoop dat de muziek weer wat meer richting rock gaat

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REM's "Accelerate"
2008-01-30 12:07:52
OK, then, I must admit I’ve been sceptical about this one, so disillusioned by “Around The Sun” (three good, if woefully overproduced, songs notwithstanding) that I didn’t even bother to check out any bootlegs of those “live rehearsal” gigs from Dublin last year. . . More fool me, it transpires.

Continued...

If “Around The Sun” was a glossy attempt to update the moods of “Automatic For The People”, “Accelerate” looks further back into REM’s terrific back catalogue for inspiration. The mixture of crunch and jangle from Peter Buck, the generally speedier pace, Michael Stipe stuffing far too many words into each line while Mike Mills gamely tries to keep up with his harmonies, the attractive gothic woodiness of the folk ballads – all this reminds me a lot of how the band sounded circa “Lifes Rich Pageant” and “Document”.

It’d be mighty rash to suggest “Accelerate” was the equal of those albums, but it certainly draws on their energies. This is not a perfect record, by any stretch, but it is one that improves with every listen, and which this morning sounds pretty much like the best REM effort since “New Adventures In Hi-Fi” (and I like “Up” and “Reveal” more than most critics, I suspect).

The opener, “Living Well’s The Best Revenge” is, I think, the most straightforwardly exciting song they’ve recorded since “So Fast, So Numb”, a breathless hurtle which seems designed to prove they’re still capable of this dynamic, heady, heavily-textured kind of rock. It’s a point which’ll be made ad nauseam in reviews of “Accelerate”, but Buck’s return to electric prominence is both striking and massively welcome. I remember interviews with Stipe and Mills circa “Around The Sun” talked of how Buck busied himself in the studio stocking up their iPods. This time, mercifully, he seems to have contributed a lot more – or contributed a lot more of the sound which REM’s fans generally want from him – to the record.

“Accelerate”, in fact, sounds like the record REM’s fans wanted them to make, not necessarily the record REM may have wanted to make. It’s a small complaint, I guess, when professional pragmatism sounds as good as this. I don’t want to write too much on the specific tracks, not least because I’ve got a very long review to file for the mag in the next few days.

But it’s just under 35 minutes long, and only one of the 11 tracks (“Sing For The Submarine”) outlasts its welcome. “I’m Gonna DJ” you’ll probably know from recent tours and last year’s live album; it’s the worst song here, I think. Besides “Living Well’s The Best Revenge”, I’m currently taken with “Mansized Wreath” (improbably funky work from Mills), the fuzzed-out raga of “Mr Richards” (shades of “Time After Time” maybe) and another breakneck thriller called “Horse To Water”.

If anyone saw the Dublin shows or has listened to the bootlegs, let me know what you think. Judging by "Accelerate", I really should have believed the hype.

John Mulvey

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Op woensdag 6 februari 2008 16:15 schreef BUG80 het volgende:
Wel erg hard gemastered

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Op woensdag 6 februari 2008 16:21 schreef De Wouzeraar het volgende:

[..]

Hoe precies?

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Op woensdag 6 februari 2008 16:15 schreef BUG80 het volgende:
Wel erg hard gemastered, zoals sommige mensen al hadden voorspeld. Zit weinig dynamiek in daardoor.

Kwestie van wennen misschien, dat kan ook.

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HELLO FROM R.E.M. HQ!

On Monday, February 11th, we will announce details of R.E.M.'s forthcoming European
tour on remhq.com. On that same day we will also e-mail fan club members with details
of an exclusive Fan Club ticket pre-sale which will take place on Tuesday, February 12th,
at 9:00AM (GMT).

PLEASE HAVE YOUR PASSWORD READY

To participate in the Fan Club pre-sale, members will need their e-mail address and
password.

Please take this opportunity to make sure you have your Fan Club password handy. If
you are not sure of your password, please visit http://remtickets.sandbag.uk.com/ to
retrieve it.

Stay tuned for tour and presale details coming your way on Monday, February 11th!

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Op woensdag 6 februari 2008 21:33 schreef Thealexfiles het volgende:
Hmmz kan inderdaad niet meedoen aan de voorverkoop
Maar wel een bumpersticker.

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Op woensdag 6 februari 2008 21:33 schreef Thealexfiles het volgende:
Hmmz kan inderdaad niet meedoen aan de voorverkoop
Maar wel een bumpersticker.

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Op donderdag 7 februari 2008 16:00 schreef _dirkjan_ het volgende:

[..]

Miss wil iemand wel kaartjes voor je bestellen, mits je het bedrag voorschiet? Ik wil dat best wel doen in principe... (nog even onder voorbehoud)