As my new copy of Accelerate spins, I must admit I find myself warming to it. The ambitious marketing juggernaut unleashed by the band hasn't hurt, as hearing these songs in a number of different contexts over the past couple of weeks -- and more so in the last two days -- has endeared them to me. Yes, it's a copy of sorts of the band's past work, with all of the requisite loss of quality inherent in duplication, but it has hooked me in ways the post-Bill Berry discs have not. That said, I'm not reversing my earlier judgment that it only bests Around the Sun in ranking of the band's 14 albums. It's more fun and immediate than Up or Reveal, but it's not a better piece of art. Simply a better product.

For those hoping to catch up and dive in, you can see the band perform three songs live on this morning's "Today" show here:

"Losing My Religion"
"Supernatural Superserious"
"Hollow Man"

They also are the subject of the latest Take Away Show. You can see individual songs here:

"Until the Day Is Done"
"Living Well Is the Best Revenge"
"On the Fly" (previously unreleased track)
"Houston"
"Sing for the Submarine"

The Take Away team also filmed the video for "Supernatural Superserious," which has its own web site where you can view several acoustic performances of the song as the band and crew roam through Athens, Ga.

Labels: music, R.E.M.

Reading so many fawning reviews of R.E.M.'s Accelerate, due in stores tomorrow, made me question my own tepid reaction to the disc. Am I missing something? Am I expecting too much? Am I too critical? I'll admit that despite expressing my own ambivalence with the album, I've played little other than it and that great new Big Dipper anthology in the past two weeks. Of course, that's as much a factor of wanting even mediocre music from a favorite band when the alternative is actually having the time to seek out something new and rewarding (speaking only of the R.E.M. here; the Big Dipper is giddily transcendent. More on that next week).

The naysayers are lining up, however, giving some support to my thoughts about the ultimately disappointment the disc cultivates. Most telling is this post from (the other) Bill Wyman. Intrigued by the familiarity of the plaudits being heaped on Accelerate, he takes a tour through Rolling Stone's archives. All of those disappointing albums over the past decade, you know, the ones against which this is called a return to form? I won't steal Wyman's thunder, but suffice to say, as he does, "At this point, the implication is clear: As far as Rolling Stone is concerned, the band’s best work is ahead of it."

Idolator also weighs in, highlighting some of the purple prose being inked over the disc at various outlets. These songs, from a band "that has [its] fighting spirit back," a band whose "career isn't over yet," "cast an inescapable shadow."

All that said, I plan to attempt to hear it with fresh ears when I actually go to a store and pay cash for a compact disc (call me old fashioned) and slip the real thing into the player for the first time.

Labels: criticism, music, R.E.M.

Like everyone else with an Internet connection, I listened to R.E.M.'s forthcoming Accelerate this week, and after several spins, I find myself ambivalent, hopeful and occasionally inspired.

This will be called R.E.M.’s angry album, or its rock album, or its Monster redux, or its obvious attempt to wash away the bad taste of the tepid Around the Sun with an album of short, sharp blasts of rock. Whatever, after a few spins I can safely aver that it is better than Around the Sun, but I can’t think of another album in the band’s catalog that it bests. Even Reveal, previously notable as the band’s second-worst album, is more accomplished and original than this.

That said, it’s a fun disc that’ll stay in the rotation for a while, and might even spawn a couple of iPod-worthy tracks (in comparison, Around the Sun contributes only one to that collection: “Leaving New York.”).

The most striking thing is how this recalls the band’s past work, as if the trio tried to recapture the spark of the past by actually plucking moments from its older material. Some of this is overreaching on my part: Michael Stipe ought to be able to use a word like “pageantry” in the song “Man-Sized Wreath” without me thinking of Lifes Rich Pageant and the subsequent Pageantry tour. I wouldn’t have thought twice about that if it wasn’t just one of many such mirrors, both lyrical and musical.

The first instance is during “Hollow Man,” where, for a fleeting moment, Peter Buck’s guitar solo seems like a note-for-note lift from the intro to “Second Guessing” from Reckoning. Next is “Until the Day is Done,” which, thanks to its acoustic guitar strum and mid-tempo beat, seems to echo any number of latter-day R.E.M. tracks. That one, at least, is saved by a gorgeous Stipe vocal. “Sing for the Submarine” is the most direct offender, name checking “Electron Blue” and “Feeling Gravity’s Pull.” And of course, album closer “I’m Gonna DJ,” with it’s “I’m gonna DJ at the end of the world” chorus perfectly echoes Document’s closer, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.”

Even the first B-side, “Airliner,” feels like a throwback, a snaky instrumental that feels like a mashup of “Windout” and “Rotary Eleven.”

Beyond all of that, the most disappointing thing about Accelerate is how pedestrian it sounds. When I hear a new album from a long-loved band, I try to listen as if it’s new work from a previously unknown group. Without the preconception, would it stand up? Sad to say, this doesn’t pass the test. Where Stipe’s lyrics were once playfully obtuse, here he is obvious as a sledgehammer. Yes, this is the guy who penned “Everybody Hurts,” but some things here are a bit too adult contemporary for my tastes. Add to that the somewhat hamfisted admonition of Michael Richards, “Mr. Richards,” which takes the actor to task for his 2007 racist rant, and you’re left with plenty of food for thought, but one crafted largely from empty calories.

There are nice touches. The angrily mournful organ bellow that punctuates “Houston” says more about its subject (New Orleans and Katrina) than Stipe’s lyric, a perfect little musical moment, while the sheer muscularity of many of these tracks show how a talented group of musicians can still create a catchy, compelling album from the classic guitar-bass-drums-keyboards arsenal.

Plus, most of the songs are three minutes long or less, which means even the most banal track, thanks to Stipe’s gift for crafting a memorable melody no matter the song’s deficiencies, bears repeat spins. All that and the fact that Mike Mills is actually audible throughout (his wavering held note at the end of “Man-Sized Wreath” is a gem) means the band seems to be willing once again to play to its strengths rather than labor to subvert them.

If all of the above seems contradictory and conflicted, that’s because the album isn’t a clear winner or loser. OK, strike that. It’s not a loser; just not a clear winner. It’s a perfectly fine album from a band that, thanks to its past few years of bland music and seemingly endless reassessment, seemed to be nearing an end. That it still has this much left in the tank at this point is heartening, but I can’t help but fear it took everything they had to crank this out and that we’ll be left with the equivalent of coasting on fumes from here on out. Until that is borne out, however, we might as well enjoy the ride.

Labels: music, R.E.M.

I finally got around to listening to R.E.M.'s first live album, the creatively titled R.E.M. Live, and must admit I liked what I heard. I held off on purchasing it this fall when it came out, figuring the Around the Sun-heavy set would be a snoozer. Christmas rolled around and it seemed like a good thing to ask for, and I'm glad I did. The live performances of songs like "Boy in the Well" and "Electron Blue" -- so stilted on the underwhelming Around the Sun -- made me appreciate the craft in those tunes, and the run through new song "I'm Gonna DJ," while a bit hamfisted, leaves me hopeful about the band's forthcoming new disc.

That disc, Accelerate, is due April 1. The band seems excited about it; much more so than it was about Around the Sun, and that positive attitude is hopefully justified. If nothing else, the band seems to realize that the ballad-heavy Around the Sun pleased no one, and set out to craft an upbeat disc.

The promotional push already is underway. The band has started a web site, Ninety Nights, on which it is showing 30 second film clips. Thus far, there seems to be little in the way of a tie-in with the album, but we have three months to go, so perhaps things will become clearer as they progress. If nothing else, it's nice to see the band try something unusual, recapturing a bit of the mystery and envelope pushing for which it was known in its heyday.

Here's the first video:

Labels: music, R.E.M.

R.E.M. will release the first live album of its 25-plus year career in October, offering a 2-CD/1 DVD package that captures a Feb. 27, 2005 performance in Dublin, Ireland.

That's great news for fans, and clips from the trailer viewable on the new site dedicated to the release indicate that it is an energetic show, but part of me can't help but wish the band would focus on its forthcoming studio album a bit more. Over the past few years, everything about R.E.M. has been about taking a look back. Sure, when you hit the 25th anniversary mark and get inducted into various halls of fame, that's a natural reaction, but R.E.M. feels like a potentially still vital band, and if that's the case, it should spend as much time looking forward as back.

All of this seems to be a lingering hangover caused by Bill Berry's departure. Since his 1997 exit, the remaining trio has managed just three studio albums. While I recently spun all three and found they held up better than expected (or rather, that two of them did; no amount of time is going to make me grow fond of more than a couple of songs on Around the Sun), none seem to fully tap into the band's talents.; This becomes all the more apparent when listening to the recent best-of collections, And I Feel Fine, which summarized the IRS years, and In Time, which culled the best from the band's Warner Brothers tenure. This new set, simply called R.E.M. Live, is another look back of sorts. The 22-song set list leans heavily on material from Around the Sun, but does offer a smattering of older tracks as well.

The band has released dozens of live tracks over the years as B-sides, iTunes features and, of course, as part of live concert DVDs, so there is no shortage of documentation of its shows (never mind the volumes of bootlegs available). Why this show from this tour? Who knows. If this wasn't the first such document, it would be no puzzler; as the first live album from a band known for its live shows, however, it's a strange choice.

Here's hoping these multiple opportunities to look back will help the band to relearn what it does best. I'm not expecting a complete return to the jangling guitars and inscrutable vocals of old, but it would be nice if the group found a way to better play to its strengths.

Labels: music, R.E.M.

So that's why VH1 edits that thing down to two hours. After watching the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on VH1 Classic last night, I have a new appreciation for the editing that is done to get this four-hour-plus monster wedged into a managable two-hour block. Who knew the stage crew at the Hall of Fame was slower than that at any arena show I've ever attended? Shouldn't they have Hall of Fame caliber set-up guys there to ensure a quicker changeover between acts?

But I digress. I hung in late because I wanted to see R.E.M. Though it was a bit anticlimatic, and seeing the visibily older, wider members of R.E.M. (the lithe Michael Stipe notwithstanding) on the same stage recently vacated by the visibly older, wider members of the Ronettes, the Furious Five, Van Hagar and the Patti Smith Group (the lithe Patti Smith notwithstanding) made me feel old. Yes, R.E.M. is still a going concern making occasionally vital music, unlike most hall inductees, but they're still old guys toward the tail end of their career performing mostly for those eager to steep in nostalgia. It was the induction of the Police a few years back that really touched off this feeling, but R.E.M. sealed it last night.

Still, it was a celebratory night. It was great to see Patti Smith emerge from behind the lectern, shedding the awkwardness of her acceptance speech to slink over to the stage and, within seconds, absolutely command the entire room. A bit strange to hear a woman in her 60s refer to her mother as "Mommy," but her story about her mother enjoying vacuuming while listening to "Rock 'n' Roll Nigger" was priceless. It was nice to see hip hop get even a small percentage of its due in the person of Grandmaster Flash, and I'll guarantee that there will be at least one hip hop inductee per year for the foreseeable future as a result (a lock for 2008: Run DMC). Van Halen was, well, strange. Michael Anthony looked like a stage crew guy who somehow made a wrong turn backstage and wound up in front of a microphone.

Strange moments:

--Velvet Revolver has been asked twice to induct someone? What could possibly be the reason for that? And what the hell was the second song they performed last night?
--While in another room killing time until R.E.M. began, I looked over at my TV, caught sight of a head of messy blonde locks on screen, and came back in because I was sure it was Mike Mills. It was Sammy Hagar.
--Speaking of Hagar, has anyone looked more out of place than he did on stage with everyone else when they sang the show-closing "People Got the Power"? And could Patti Smith have looked more uncomfortable than when Hagar threw his arm around her as if they were singing "Finish What You Started" at Cabo Wabo?

Then there was R.E.M. It was a nice touch to start with a rocker like "Begin the Begin," letting Bill Berry -- who seems to spend more time behind the drums than the wheel of a tractor these days -- use his whole kit to show off the fact that his chops remain intact. From there they played "Gardening at Night," dedicated to Stipe's pop, and closed with "Man in the Moon" with inductor Eddie Vedder chiming in on vocals. It was the briefest part of Vedder's evening, coming on the heels of a long, rambling, at times actually touching induction speech. Perhaps because he took so long, or simply because they've learned to let Michael Stipe and Mills do the talking, Peter Buck and Berry said nothing in accepting their HOF statues.

All in all it was an interesting night, one that will be ably capsulized for broadcast Saturday on VH1. In the meantime, you can read a lot about R.E.M.'s history and impact on Athens, Ga., in this great package from the band's hometown paper. In addition, watch for a new digital single from the band, including Berry, a cover of John Lennon's "#9 Dream" for a benefit disc to raise money for relief in Darfur.

Labels: music, R.E.M.

No surprise, R.E.M. was a first-ballot inductee to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. The list of 2007 inductees, announced this morning, also includes Patti Smith, Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and the Ronettes. I was four for five when I predicted this year's class a couple of months ago, figuring the Stooges stood a better chance than Van Halen of making it.

The artists will be inducted during the March 12 ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. That should be an interesting event, particularly when it comes to the performance part. Yet another chance for Bill Berry to perform with his old band, and it's safe to bet they'll play with Patti Smith, too. One wild guess: Michael Stipe will induct Smith.

Labels: music, R.E.M.

R.E.M. would seem to be a lock for induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame early next year. The band, which is eligible now that 25 years have passed (!) since its first release (1982's Chronic Town EP), ought to sail into the hall with little difficulty. Oddly, Patti Smith, a hero and mentor to R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, is on this year's ballot. Without bothering to look it up (I'm on vacation this week), I seem to recall that she had been passed over before. It would make for an interesting induction to have these two acts go in this year. And, one assumes, that it will offer yet another chance for the retired Bill Berry to step behind the kit.

Also on the ballot are Van Halen, the Stooges, the Dave Clark Five, Chic, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Joe Tex and the Ronettes. Hard to pick, though I'd guess Grandmaster Flash, the Ronettes and the Stooges will join R.E.M. and Smith in this year's class.

The selections will be announced in January and the ceremony will be held March 12 in New York.

Labels: music, R.E.M.