Suggestaholic!

 I recently mentioned how I was worried about Woodentops Factor, when it came to the new REM album. It sounded too good too soon, and I was suspicious. But now I believe enough time has elapsed for my official not-anticipated-at-all verdict:
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Accelerate is a keeper.
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The action line on this CD, before it was even released, was that REM is rocking again. That sounded encouraging, because their last few releases have been kinda, you know, dreary. But it wasn’t enough to stop me from being skeptical.
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One of their most “rocking” and popular albums, Monster, also happens to be one of my least favorite records in the band’s catalog. I tried to like it, I really did, but it sounded forced and false to me. Yeah, they sold a metric shitload of it, but quality and popularity are two different things; one doesn’t necessarily guarantee the other. Ya know?
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So the promise of a rockin’ REM wasn’t enough to get me excited. Intrigued? Sure, but my jaded soul wouldn’t allow full-on excitement. And even when I listened to it a few times and thought it sounded really good, I wondered if it was a trick of some sort.
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But now that I’ve lived with it for a few weeks, and have played it almost daily (often multiple times), I’m comfortable in proclaiming it Very Good Indeed. When it’s all said and done, I believe Accelerate will be remembered as another bright spot in REM’s bright history.
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The band sounds rejuvenated, like they’re having fun again. The songs are excellent, and just like the old days, little snatches of interesting words reveal themselves at random moments. The guitars are big, but not a “monstrous” sludgy mess. And it only lasts for 35 minutes, the approximate running time of a good ol’ vinyl LP (something that warms the heart of an aging hipster).
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Yes, I’ve been loving it from the very first listen. And finally I’m at peace with it.