Yet you don’t sense the whole point is to turn back the clock. Take away the requisite anti-Bush lyrics (and the related “Houston,” about a Katrina exile) and Accelerate is largely about staring down a midlife crisis. Parts of the disc seem pitched to a certain audience — people with romantic associations of R.E.M. from their college-radio days who are now checking back in. “Sing for the Submarines” courts that audience by working a batch of old R.E.M. titles into the lyrics, and by adapting a warm Beatlesque sound. It works because Stipe sounds as down-to-earth as he ever has, and because the reassurance he offers seems honest. It’s an obvious topic for R.E.M. to write about as the members hover around 50, just as the rocking tone of Accelerate is an obvious move at this point. Sometimes the obvious can be a beautiful thing.
Related:
R.E.M., Déjà vu, Local heroes, More 
- R.E.M.
Unless you’re a diehard fan, wait for their new album in the spring.
- Déjà vu
Prepare yourselves: R.E.M. have decided to become a rock band again.
- Local heroes
Alongside the Feelies, R.E.M., and the Replacements, Mark Mulcahy’s Miracle Legion was one of the most promising of the indie bands of the mid-’80s.
- The Fleshtones
It’s not enough for a great live band to create a strong, sweaty groove in the studio: they’ve gotta write the songs, too.
- Crossword: 'POW!'
That old familiar sound
- Portland scene report: November 16, 2007
We here in Portland know more about alt-country/indie pop than those poseurs in NYC.
- Hail to the thieves
There’s a not-so-small quadrant of the World Wide Web that has been going bananas since Radiohead kicked off their spring/summer tour on May 6 in Copenhagen.
- Ordinary people
It’s the archetypal, cliché story of the entertainment industry: bright eyed, blue-collar artist from cowtown lands in New York City with big dreams of stardom. Ordinary K, "Honey Sweet" (mp3) Todd Woodward, "Saving Grace" (mp3)
- Mystery mix
"I get bored easily," says Pink. "I like being a big mystery bag. It confuses some people, but it works for me.”
- Cultural imperatives
The first time I saw trumpeter Christian Scott play was at Sweet Lorraine’s in his hometown of New Orleans a couple of years ago.
- Raising the bar
This week, Zox releases its first album for premier indie label Side One Dummy, home to bands such as Flogging Molly and Bedouin Soundclash.
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Topics:
Music Features
, Entertainment, Music, Music Reviews, More
, Entertainment, Music, Music Reviews, Radiohead, The Velvet Underground, R.E.M., Louie Louie, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck, Less
