Accelerate

2008年リリースの14作目はJacknife Leeプロデュース作品。

Spin - 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..." Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he denseness suits REM, reconstructing their trademark intricate hedge of sound..." Mojo - 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." Rolling Stone - 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." Entertainment Weekly - "[Buck is] playing aggressively melodic riffs again, yet they're full of contemporary crunch and compression..." Pitchfork - "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..." Q - 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." Blender - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[F]ull of cascading jangle, candied power chords, lonesome harmonies, Southern-gothic protest poetry and roadhouse drum bash." Spin - 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..." Record Collector - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The results are terrific. ACCELERATE is the most satisfying REM album since AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE..."

At 36 minutes, Accelerate is defiantly lean, it's heavy on Peter Buck's guitars and Mike Mills backing vocals, its songs don't drift, they attack. Even the songs constructed on acoustics feel like they're rockers, maybe because they hearken back to the eerie, ramshackle grace of "Swan Swan H." Accelerate finds R.E.M. reconnecting with their music, with what made them play rock & roll in the first place, instead of methodically resurrecting a faded myth. They create an album the can stand next to work from their peers, like Dinosaur Jr.'s exceptional comeback Beyond and Sonic Youth's casually vital Rather Ripped. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|

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