Accelerate (Special Edition) [Digipak]

Rolling Stone (p.63) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Guitars are front and center, in slashing-chord and rusted-arpeggio crossfires....Ultimately, the best thing about ACCELERATE is that R.E.M. sound whole again, no longer three-legged but complete in their bond and purpose." Spin (p.95) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "ACCELERATE corrals 35 minutes of the fastest songs Stipe and Co. have written in decades, all performed with a sense of joyous purpose..." Spin (p.48) - Ranked #26 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "A knowing grin cuts through nearly every major chord and confident lyric, delivering a well-earned sense of satisfaction..." Entertainment Weekly (p.60) - "[Buck is] playing aggressively melodic riffs again, yet they're full of contemporary crunch and compression..." Uncut (p.80) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he denseness suits REM, reconstructing their trademark intricate hedge of sound..." Q (Magazine) (p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is an album so drenched in exuberance and flair that it suggests pop's youth fetish is no substitute for experience." Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "This is rock, not pop....This is the sound of R.E.M. going into the studio, plugging in and playing songs naturally...and very loudly." Blender (Magazine) (p.78) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[F]ull of cascading jangle, candied power chords, lonesome harmonies, Southern-gothic protest poetry and roadhouse drum bash." Pitchfork (Website) - "ACCELERATE's broad strokes, big riffs, and beefy production are admirable....Drummer Bill Rieflin plays with a Ministry-honed power, Mike Mills' backing vocals are absolutely key..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The results are terrific. ACCELERATE is the most satisfying REM album since AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE..."

ここ10年間のREMは、〈世界でもっとも重要なロックンロール・バンドのひとつ〉という看板が悲痛に思えるほど、一部のメディアが発する酷評に疲弊していた。しかし、昨年リリースされたライヴCD＋DVD『Live』で本格的な復活の予兆を見せ、ついに本作でその鋭気が爆発! 〈全盛期の輝き〉ではなく、〈いまが全盛期〉と言わんばかりの気炎を上げまくっているのだ。その最たるものが、超大物ロック・バンドとは思えないほどにシンプルでタイトな演奏だろう。これらは、あの88年作『Green』を彷彿とさせるほどにフレッシュでラウド。饒舌なメロディーも光っている。こんな音を聴かされたら、誰もが名盤だと認めざるを得ないだろう。だからみんな、もう一度REMに帰ってこいよ!　　　
bounce (C)冨田 明宏