R.E.M. - Around the Sun
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Music CD Cover
Artist: R.E.M.Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-10-05
Music Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Product features:
- R. E. M. AROUND THE SUN
- Leaving New York
- Electron Blue
- The Outsiders
- Make It All Ok
- Final Straw
- I Wanted to Be Wrong
- Wander Lust
- The Boy in the Well
- Aftermath
- High Speed Train
- Worst Joke Ever
- The Ascent of Man
- Around the Sun
Free Music Notes for Around the Sun
Free Music Review: Naysayers of "Around the Sun" - take another look
Hit: 5 Stars
Right now, Around the Sun has the lowest rating of any R.E.M. studio album at 3.5 stars (hopefully that will change soon). The reason that it has this rating is unknown to me, as it is clearly the band's best album since "Automatic for the People" (and I love "New Adventures in Hi-fi", so this is no small statement coming from me). The two albums prior to this: "Up" and "Reveal" did not promise much for the future; "Up" was very experimental and, sometimes good, sometimes interesting, and sometimes neither. It also did not have Michael Stipe's greatest lyrics. "Reveal", on the other hand, was completely unwilling to experiment, and thus, had no soul, and continues to be simply a mediocre, boring album. "Around the Sun", however does have a soul. Throughout the album, you can sense the passion Buck and Mills are playing with and Stipe is singing with. Unlike "Reveal" and the better part of "Up", they sound like they actually care, and it adds a great deal to what would have already been a great album.
Yes, it is a little difficult to get into, probably moreso than any of R.E.M.'s Warner Brothers albums, but it is even more difficult to put down once you've gotten into it. It is very dark at times(Boy in the Well, High Speed Train), but it is ultimately about hope and acceptance, and it gets its message across effectively.
Now, as far as the tracks go...
Leaving New York: When I first heard this song, I liked some parts of it, but not others, since some of Michael's lines sounded a bit unnatural (the note progressions of his voice, not the lyrics). I now love the entire song, particularly the end.
Electron Blue: A little bit like "I've Been High", but better. It sounds a little awkward at the beginning, the first time you hear it, but as the song goes on, it starts working. After the first few listens, the beginning starts to sound about right. (One complaint: the line "Who am I? I'm just a guy" is the worst lyric on the album. Come on, Michael, you can do better than that. However, this does not take away from the greatness of the song.)
The Outsiders: Thusfar, the easiest song to get into. Very dark and solemn. One thing that applies to this song, as well as several others, which I like, is that R.E.M. seems to have gotten out of the habit of dragging songs on longer than they need to be, which helps to keep my interest in the album better than any I have that goes over 50 minutes. This song is only about two and a half minutes before Q-Tip's rapping starts, which is just as long as it needs to be. As for the inclusion of Q-Tip, I'm pretty indifferent to it. This is also a good track.
Make It All O.K.: I've seen a lot of people compare this to "Everybody Hurts" and "Nightswimming", saying either that this song is a dull attempt to copy those two, or that it is very pretty and resembles them. I personally like it better than either of those songs; as with "The Outsiders", this song is not dragged on (only about 3:45), and, particularly near the end, R.E.M. really gets into it. Michael has an energy singing this song normally only shown in live performances. Very pretty.
Final Straw: I kind of get the impression that they just put this song on here because they felt they had to, as it's a good song, it's already been released, and it will probably (hopefully) not be as relevant when their next album comes out. (I've heard rumors that several of the songs they made for this album and liked but felt wouldn't fit are being saved for their next album, such as "Weatherman".) However, it doesn't really fit on the album, or, at least not where it is. It also contains weird noises that don't add anything to the song, and the least passionate performances by the band members. As you've probably guessed, this is my least favorite song on the album, but it's still a pretty good song, and I haven't given up on it yet.
I Wanted to be Wrong: For a while, this, not Final Straw, was my least favorite song on the album, mostly because I thought that the vocals did not fit with the music, and it sounded awkward. It's still a long ways from my favorite on the album, but I've begun to like it more.
Wanderlust: Excepting Bad Day, the most energetic rock song since at least New Adventures in Hi-fi, perhaps Monster. The beginning is a little weird, for about ten seconds, and then we are put into a very catchy song with great, although somewhat abstract, lyrics. This is one of my favorite songs on the album (though not my absolute favorite), and definitely the song you're most likely to play over and over and over again. It's also like The Outsiders and Make It All O.K. in that it is not dragged out at all (it's barely three minutes).
Boy in the Well: Very dark, and my opinion of this song was, at first, similar to that of Final Straw. This has an energy that Final Straw does not, however, and does fit right where it is. The music and performance of the music sounds very reminiscent of early R.E.M. I now love this song. Just one question though: did they get the idea from that episode of The Simpsons?
Aftermath: Sounds like it could have fit on "Up" pretty well (while much better than most of "Up"), as one of the lighter songs on that album. It is a pleasant break in between the two darkest songs on the album. It is actually quite catchy, somehow.
High Speed Train: Yeah! Trains! The inclusion of that word already makes me think instantly of Driver 8, which is quite possibly my favorite R.E.M. song, and now, High Speed Train is tied for my favorite track on the album. It actually does sound a bit like "Fables of the Reconstruction", but with a little bit of the Walk Unafraid-like songs of "Up" mixed in. The result is a very unique, wonderful song. Many R.E.M. fans whose reviews I've read have called this song the ultimate grower, but I was hooked the first time I heard it.
The Worst Joke Ever: Far from it! Great song, I like the way it builds musically towards the end. The lyrics are very weird, but then again, so's the song. I actually didn't like this song much at first, but it has grown on me. Definitely one of the defining songs of this album.
The Ascent of Man: I read an interesting interpretation of this song which said it was an apology from the same narrator of The Wake-Up Bomb from "New Adventures in Hi-fi" eight years ago, who was very arrogant to say the least. I actually haven't listened to The Wake-Up Bomb since I've bought this album, so I haven't had time to decide whether I agree with this analysis, but the song does sound like a very heart-felt apology to me, and it avoids being whiny. And I must say, I love those yeahs in the chorus; the way Michael sings them adds a lot to the song. Anyway, this is both a good song in its own right, and the perfect preparation for the grand finale.
Around the Sun: Tied with High Speed Train as my favorite song on the album. Very beautiful, and the perfect closer. It is a song about hope that is very genuine and effective. The chorus is sung and played by emotion, particularly the line "hold onto this boy a little longer". Then, at about 3:15, when it sounds like the song is ending as the music is building up, the song slows down, and is somehow even more amazing than the song before this point.
Overall, a great album, and definitely worth buying. And for those of you who have bought it and hated it: give it another listen. I assure you, it's worth it.
Around the Sun Poster
Around The Sun, R.E.M.?s first new studio album since 2001's gold Reveal, is as emotional and ulti- mately uplifting as its "Leaving New York" single. With a renewed band dynamic and songs influenced by world events, Around The Sun surprises and satisfies and is both political and poignant. Says Michael Stipe: "Even the most depressing R.E.M.song is going to have a glimmer of hope." For fans of one of rock's most acclaimed bands, hope revolves around R.E.M.Having delivered their last great album with 1992's haunting Automatic For the People, R.E.M. spent more than decade attempting all kinds of reinvention, from the pointlessly noisy Monster to the painfully dull Up. But with Around the Sun it feels like the band is getting its bearings back. Not only is it the Georgia trio's most consistent album since the 1997 departure of drummer Bill Berry, but it also sees the return of the lush imagery and intricate playing of the band's vintage years. There are trains, mandolins, Man Ray skies. More importantly, it seems heartfelt. Witness the gorgeous disquietingly dark opener "Leaving New York," the rapturous folk of "I Wanted to Be Wrong" and the solidly intense "Boy In the Well." At 13 generous tracks, it's far from perfect but--just when everyone thought R.E.M. was down for the count--Around the Sun is an unexpected bruiser of a comeback. --Aidin Vaziri
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