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The new REM album is actually really good!

20 votes
?
by OceanStorm

It's called Accelerate, it leaked yesterday and I'm so very happy that my first ever 'favourite band' are no longer the terrible MOR act that they were on Around The Sun.

Seriously, it's fast, aggressive, urgent and really fucking loud. Not to mention Peter Buck and Mike Mills actually have interesting guitar and bass parts.

Not sure if we're allowed to post links any more, but if you search for "REM accelerate" on www.technorati.com you should find a link.

OceanStorm | 16 Mar '08, 13:04 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Leaks are bad

but looking forward to Accelerate


Songs

Are the songs any good though?

Nothing else really matters.


yes

definitely.

The songs definitely have elements of Lifes Rich Pageant, Document and Monster material, but the album as a whole has a pretty different kind of atmosphere to any of those.


in retrospect

Around the Sun isnt as bad as everyone makes out. However, i'm glad to hear the songs are more urgent and aggressive i think they've been lacking inspiration on their recent records. Really looking forward to this new record, i've got high hopes for it.

btw, OceanStorm, bayberry moon?


I agree

I like Around the Sun :)


It's not bad as such

But it feels average, and it's just nowhere near as good as any of the previous post-Monster albums were.

And the non-jewel case CD packaging is terrible, there's nowhere for the lyrics sleeve to go so it just falls out all the time!


true

that is really annoying. i never said it was any better than average, you're right, its not, its just that it often gets panned as a terrible record which it isnt either.


Good news


It's only 34 minutes long I saw

Which suggests something different if nothing else.

I'm hopeful for this.


Gracias, OceanStorm

Tis good. Thought REM might have never recovered from the ATS tailspin.


it's excellent

I had fairly high hopes before listening given the press hype and band comments but it's surpassed even that.


Wow,

this is really a hark back to their early stuff! Sounding very fresh at the same though, on the first listen.


I'm so excited for this.

I don't "do" leaks (just because I'm lazy, technically incompetent, and just don't like downloads anyway...) but I'm so excited for this from everything I've heard. I thought ATS didn't really deserve all the shit it got, but still, for an R.E.M. album it was pretty poor quality.

I wish they were playing a better venue than Twickenham this summer but I don't even care really, I'm just so excited to have them back! :)


Living Well is the Best Revenge

...may well be their best album opener...it's right up there with Begin the Begin, Finest Worksong and How the West was won...

Muchly loving the album...


I = excited


Great song ^

Also loving Man Sized Wreath, Hollow Man, and I'm Gonna DJ.

Sounding fantastic as an album, and probably the most unexpected success of the year.


^^ yes!

jaw droppingly good.

on my first play, sounding great so far. Nice to see they've gone back to their roots!


Also,

Horse to Water is a boner fido REM classic. Mills is harmonising everywhere...


wow

michael stipe has 'come out'. is this new or old news?


Lol.

Very old news.


oh

.


yeah, I thought there was a correlation

between his coming out and REM turning meh?

Is he back 'in'?


i'm liking it

first few listens i thought it was pretty "meh", but its definitely grown on me.


im tempted to try and find this

when is it properly out?

If it is actually rubbish and you people are just being mental I'll be very disappointed.


It's out March 31st

and I agree, all these comments are giving me stupidly high levels of expectation now.


To be contrary

I can't think of an REM album I've anticipated less than Accelerate. It may be that I've heard Stipe and Buck do the "this is our most focused album for a while, we've felt more together, we've got our fire back" routine too often, but I think people wanted to think Supernatural Superserious is better than it is, when it's really nowhere near as good as most of the recent advance singles.


Don't get too excited

it's not that good. It's better than reveal and the last one but not better than Monster or New Adventures and that kind of sums it up nicely. A 'decent effort'.