 |
R.E.M. - Accelerate CD/DVD
Music CD CoverArtist: R.E.M. Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 2008-04-01 Music Label: Warner Bros/WEA Soundtracks: Music CD 1- Living Well Is The Best Revenge
- Man-Sized Wreath
- Supernatural Superserious
- Hollow Man
- Houston
- Accelerate
- Until The Day Is Done
- Mr. Richards
- Sing For The Submarine
- Horse To Water
- I'm Gonna DJ
Music CD 2- 6 Days (48-minute film)
- PLUS TWO BONUS AUDIO TRACKS : Red Head Walking & Airliner
Free Music Notes for Accelerate CD/DVDFree Music Review: Forget the DVD - Here's a Song By Song Breakdown of ACCELLERATE Hit: 4 Stars"Living Well Is The Best Revenge" - A metallic jangle from Peter Buck's guitar followed quickly by a raging full-band assault announces that R.E.M. are back in full-on rock mode. Michael Stipe borderline shouts his words while Mike Mills rocks out with busy, melodic basslines and sings great counterpoint melodies in classic R.E.M. style. *****
"Man-Sized Wreath" - immediately settling into a slightly funky groove, the band swings hard on this heart-felt rejection of the "pageantry of empty gestures." *****
"Supernatural Superserious" - This driving mid-tempo rocker features a crisp power-chord guitar riff and more super-melodic progressions on bass, background vocals and additional guitar. A poignant observation about the growing pains most of us have to endure in our youth. ****
"Hollow Man" - showcases a quiet/loud/quiet dynamic and another solid melody. The title is pretty self-explanatory . . . the "Believe in me, believe in nothing" line at the chorus is unfortunately a bit cliche and less than compelling. But the picked guitar and piano parts on the softer intervals are sublime and Stipe's singing is exquisite. ***
"Houston" - is a moody yet jangling acoustic rocker with pulsing organ and what sounds like a groaning cello (probably a guitar though - ?). The song recalls some of their more brooding downtempo tracks from the 80's. Sung from the viewpoint of a Hurricane Katrina survivor (the most obvious interpretation at least) who struggles to maintain a positive outlook in the face of disaster - and succeeds. *****
"Accelerate" - the lyrics on this forceful rocker and title track are devoid of the hope proffered by the previous song despite what the title alone might suggest. The word itself in this case refers to the increase in speed experienced during a free-fall and the narrator laments that his life is spinning out of control. ****
"Until The Day Is Done" - Even the downtempo tracks like this one recall LIFES RICH PAGEANT, undoubtably one of their best albums ever. This bleak yet gorgeous tune can easily be read as a scathing indictment of the Bush administration. *****
"Mr. Richards" - resembles the sound and feel of certain MONSTER tracks (another one of their best albums, IMHO). Another thinly-veiled attack on President Bush, it's steady, confident and bold. *****
"Sing For The Submarine" - An eerie, spacy track that's also a powerful rock song. It's enigmatic, possibly about escapism or maybe about starting over in a post-apocalypic underwater fantasy. Mysterious and dreamy, I rate this as one of the best tracks on the album. *****
"Horse To Water" - Possibly the hardest rocker in the collection, this one's a quick blast of energy with Stipe singing in defiance of someone who would drag him down (if given the chance). A simple verse/chorus/verse tune, not the best but still quite effective. ***
"I'm Gonna DJ" - This "devil-may-care"-style rock jam ("Death is pretty final/ I'm collecting vinyl/ I'm gonna DJ at the end of the WORLD!!!") sounds like it wants to be the new "It's The End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" but isn't nearly as catchy. It's still fairly enjoyable even though it closes out the album in an abrupt fashion that isn't entirely satisfying. Others will find this to be a fitting finale for the rushed, immediate vibe found on ACCELERATE. ***
Accelerate CD/DVD PosterAccelerate the first studio album in four years from R.E.M., finds modern rock's most acclaimed band returning to the stripped-down, guitar-driven power that first enraptured fans. Helmed by the band and, for the first time, Jacknife Lee (co-producer of U2's '05 Grammy? Album Of The Year How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, The Hives and Snow Patrol), Accelerate puts the 2007 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group once again firmly behind the wheel of alternative rock, a genre R.E.M. helped invent. Accelerate is available as a CD-only in a Softpak; a CD+DVD that features a 64-page book and the Vincent Moon film 6 Days (which includes behind-the-scenes footage and performance pieces of various songs on the album) plus two bonus tracks "Red Head Walking" and "Airliner." R.E.M. Photos  |  | More from R.E.M.  Accelerate |  Up (CD + DVD+A) (Dig) |  Up |  Reveal (Limited Edition) |  Reveal (CD & DVD Audio) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] |  Reveal |  Out of Time (CD + DVD-A) (Dig) [ENHANCED] |  New Adventures in Hi Fi (CD + DVD+A) (Dig) [ENHANCED] |  New Adventures in Hi-Fi |  Monster (CD + DVD+ A) (Dig) |  Monster |  In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 |  In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Special Edition) |  In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 |  Green (CD + DVD-A) (Dig) |  Green |  Automatic for the People (CD & DVD Audio) |  Automatic for the People |  Around the Sun [SPECIAL EDITION] |  Around the Sun [ENHANCED] |  Around the Sun |  R.E.M. Live 2CD/1DVD [LIVE] |
 |
|
|
|
|