'Accelerate' by REM

REM have always been one of those bands that I've liked without ever being passionate about. Over the years, I've slowly accumalated a pretty decent number of albums, and I've liked most of them to varying degrees, without ever really being blown away by one.

This is there most recent, and I think it's one Tessa had a present. To be honest, my interest in the band had waned since the release of 'Reveal', which had been pretty disappointing. All the signs seemed to indicate that their glory days were long passed, and they were destined to drift into obscurity and irrelevance.

Perhaps they are, but if this is to be their fate, then 'Accelerate' will be, at least, a final burst of excellence. Perhaps aware that they were running out a chances, REM seriously raised their game with this record. Gone were the ambling acoustic fumblings of recent years, replaced with short sharp bursts of energy and tune. Few of the songs last much longer than 3 minutes - the whole album lasts for little more than half an hour, but it has real impact from the beginning.

It's not an album with particular stand-out tracks, but this works to its advantage - everything is good, and nothing pales in comparison to anything else. Only the final track, 'I'm Gonna DJ' is sub-standard - it's not terrible, but it's not as good as what comes before it. It doesn't matter - the album as a whole is more than good enough to make up for it.

Time will tell whether further REM albums will match this, or whether this will be a final gasp. Either way, it's something to be proud of.