vorab kritik zum neuen album accelerate – track by track:
1. „Living Well Is The Best Revenge“
Ideally, this should’ve been the first single, if just because no other song on the record is as effective in making the listener think „OMG R.E.M. IS BACK!!!“ Basically, this is the band coming out swinging, with a tight, fast rocker that quickly establishes the aggressive, defiant tone of the album.
2. „Man-Sized Wreath“
It’s shocking to think that the band had originally relegated this one to b-side status. It’s a catchy, dynamic rocker that features some very inspired backing vocals from Mike Mills, and a nearly subliminal deep voice intoning the lyrics of the chorus just after Michael sings them.
3. „Supernatural Superserious“
Upon hearing the album in full, it’s easy to understand why this was pegged as the lead single. It may not be the best track, but it’s certainly the most commercial song on the record with its several instantly ingratiating hooks and a lovely backing vocal from Mike Mills. Lyrically, it’s basically a rewritten version of „Imitation Of Life“ from Reveal, and yet another in Michael Stipe’s ongoing series of pep-talk tunes.
4. „Hollow Man“
This one has the best fake-out in the R.E.M. catalog: You think it’s going to be a tinkly piano ballad, but then it bolts off in the opposite direction, and shifts into a jumpy power-pop anthem. The lyrics are a bit on-the-nose, but eh, what can you do?
5. „Houston“
Consider this exhibit A for why the band were wise to become fixated on the length of the songs. On the last few R.E.M. albums, „Houston“ would’ve been at least twice as long and would’ve likely worn out its welcome. However, at just over two minutes, the grim folk number has an air of mystery, and a potent atmosphere provided by a keyboard part that sounds a bit like Mike Mills accidentally leaning on an overdriven organ.
6. „Accelerate“
I can’t imagine that this is at all intentional, but some of Accelerate actually reminds me of late-period Guided By Voices, specifically the Isolation Drills album, and the way that record cross-breeds the jangle of early ’80s R.E.M. with cold, angular post-punk riffs and pseudo-prog structures.
7. „Until The Day Is Done“
This dour ballad isn’t the album’s finest moment, but it serves as a cool-out period in the running order, and its similarity to „Final Straw“ from Around The Sun provides a connecting thread from Accelerate to the band’s more recent material. Don’t let that freak you out too much, though — it also sounds a bit like „Swan Swan H“ from Lifes Rich Pageant.
8. „Mr. Richards“
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of Accelerate, „Mr. Richards“ sets a gorgeous quasi-Simon & Garfunkel ballad to a blaring, somewhat shoegazer-ish guitar part, resulting in something that would’ve been a huge hit if it had come out in 1994. Perhaps not coincidentally, it bears a slight resemblance to R.E.M.’s biggest hit of that year, „What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?“
9. „Sing For The Submarine“
„Sing For The Submarine“ begins as a dirgey ballad, but morphs into a moody epic with a blistering solo and a thundering drums. Fans will no doubt be pleased to hear that the lyrics make deliberate references to oldies such as „Feeling Gravity’s Pull,“ „Electron Blue,“ and „It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).“
10. „Horse To Water“
Imagine „Little America“ from Reckoning, but at triple speed and a hundred times more aggro. Imagine Mike Mills and Peter Buck with ‚roid rage. Imagine Michael Stipe running after you, threatening to „pound the daylights out of you.“ You have just imagined this song.
11. „I’m Gonna DJ“
There are a few cringe-inducing lyrics in this Around The Sun tour staple, but it’s easy to forgive when the song is so joyful and urgent. It’s an inspired conclusion to the record, mainly because it so effectively contrasts its glee and humor with this apocalyptic paranoia. In other words, it’s R.E.M.’s version of „1999.“
quelle: http://stereogum.com/archives/premature-evaluation/premature-evaluation-rem-accelerate_008061.html
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