Top 10 Albums of 2008 - #6
Accelerate - R.E.M.
With R.E.M., I can usually take ‘em or leave ‘em, but they were unavoidable this year. Accelerate is the boldest, loudest, most rocking album since the group lost drummer Bill Berry, proving that the band still has plenty of get-up-and-go. Bold from the onset and calm in the proper places, the album plays out like a perfect mix tape. The opening track is classic and inviting, but where the band would typically linger on the well-established mood, here they kick it up another notch on “Man-Sized Wreath”...and then another on “Supernatural Superserious.” Stipe, Buck, and Mills never sounded so healthy and strong. Living well really is the best revenge.
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