MICHAEL STIPE (center) leads R.E.M. on its newest album, 'Acceleration,' not the group's best effort, but certainly not its worst either. (Photo by by Warner Brothers)
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REBECCA ARMENDARIZ
Friday, March 28, 2008
Last week Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M., made an official announcement that he is, in fact, gay. Soon after, he recorded a video for the band’s YouTube account proclaiming the following: “R.E.M.’s Mike Bills and Peter Buck announced today that they are both, after years of awkward speculation, heterosexual, or straight. I am happy for my band mates and I congratulate their candidness and courage in making this bold statement.”
Maybe it’s the eyeliner or his soft-spoken, shy manner, or even “Shiny Happy People,” a contender for gayest music video ever, but collectively (and for a long time), fans have been very aware that Stipe is gay. But sexual orientation aside, Stipe and R.E.M.’s music have remained consistently alternative-rock since the band’s inception in 1980 and their first studio album, “Murmur,” in 1983, and the group’s newest offering, “Accelerate,” is no exception.
The album sounds like it could have (but not necessarily should have) been released during grunge’s heyday. The songs ring with an accessibility akin to that of singles played on college radio when people cared about college radio (see Matthew Sweet, the Marvelous 3 and Better Than Ezra). And it’s the band’s first album since 2004, when it released the forgettable “Around the Sun.” Though R.E.M. really hasn’t had a commendable showing since “The Great Beyond,” the single for the “Man on the Moon” soundtrack in 2000, they’ve reached legend status, and will keep the records coming and selling until they retire.
The album opens energetically with “Living Well is the Best Revenge,” which finds Stipe angrily chanting in an “It’s the End of the World” anthem-style.
“All your sad and lost apostles hum my name and flare their nostrils / Choking on the bones you toss to them,” he yells. But the intensity of this song should have revoked its candidacy to be the first track, as it sets the listener up on an unfamiliar path before the album veers toward another musical sound. Stipe instructs us to “kick it on the dance floor like you just don’t care,” during the follow-up number.
FIRST SINGLE “SUPERNATURAL Superserious” screams mainstream radio play. Simple electric strums of three chords introduce Stipe’s conversational vocals before the echo of his familiar mid-pitched warble during an uplifted chorus, and this combination of delicious elements make it jump to the front of the line as the standout.
“Sing for the Submarine” plods along as half-ballad, half-declaration. The bass line overpowers the lead guitar, sending the pretty showcase of Stipe’s vocals into the land of boring.
Most efforts on this album emulate a song from a previous album. And how could they not, when the band’s style has ceased to vary (“Up” is the exception), suggesting they may have exhausted their inspiration? Though there could be comparisons between this album and “Monster,” the songs on “Accelerate” won’t stick in the same way. “Man-Sized Wreath” shines with “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth” vibes, but fails to resonate similarly.
After listening to all of “Accelerate,” one thing is clear: choosing “Supernatural Superserious” as the first single was a brilliant move. Coming back to it after giving the opus a run-through is like revisiting a new friend to affirm that a connection really did happen. “Horse to Water” doesn’t disappoint, either, ringing with heaven-high guitar lines and more of Stipe’s angst: “I’m not that easy / I am not your horse to water / I hold my breath / I come around, round, round.”
It’s a downer to think we’ll never have another “Losing My Religion” or even the lamentable “Everybody Hurts,” but the ears of people who’ve overplayed every pre-”Accelerate” record to death will appreciate this new material despite its flaws.
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