Full Throttle

R.E.M. - Accelerate

It really is that good. Everything I'd read about this album said that it was great. A return to form. Back to being a rock band. Usually that kind of hype just sets up unrealistic expectations, but R.E.M. deliver the goods, big time. Maybe it was reuniting with Bill Berry for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year that infused them with their old spirit. Maybe it was their career-long emulation of U2 that led them to hire Jacknife Lee, the producer of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Whatever it was, the band has rediscovered their vitality. I wouldn't go so far as to say that their last couple of albums sucked, but I don't remember the last time I listened to Up or Reveal, and I never even bought Around The Sun. But listening to Accelerate for the first time reminded me of how it felt when I first got into the band in high school. It just has that kind of energy. It's not only their best album since Berry left the band, it's their best since Document.

R.E.M. - "Living Well Is The Best Revenge" (mp3)