Cue fangirl squeal...
After three and a half years, R.E.M. finally released a new album! Being the good little fangirl I am, I rushed off to Best Buy at lunch today to get my copy.
It's disappointingly short (at just shy of 35 minutes), but in a way that keeps with the rapid, upbeat pace. I certainly need to give it another few listens before i figure out where it falls in my all-time preference list, but here are some of my first impressions about particular songs:
"Living Well is the Best Revenge" - Cynical and catchy, it sets the tone for the rest of the record.
"Supernatural Superserious" - this is the big single? Hmm... not bad, but doesn't really connect on first listen.
"Accelerate" - I can't wait to dance like a moron to this one at the concert!
"Until the Day is Done" - I'm really pleased with the album version of this one. It's been around a while, and if i recall correctly, they played it on the last tour. It's also the only track on the album that slows down a little to pull you in.
"Mr. Richards" - I feel like this track could be my favorite on the whole album. Totally cohesive, great melody, backing vocals, instrumentation... Can't wait to listen again!
"I'm Gonna DJ" - not a great song, but cute. Good end to the album, pulling everything together.
It's natural to feel a little disappointed with their last few albums if you're expecting another Automatic for the People, but at the same time I feel like it's a case of the critics ruling the masses. The last album only sold 300,000 copies, and was generally panned by critics, but I found it connected so perfectly with me at that point in my life that it didnt leave my car CD player for MONTHS. While the current CD may be "better" I have to yet to see if it will click with me in the way that Around the Sun did.
R.E.M. continues to be a band that I will buy actual CD's from. I honestly cannot remember the last album I bought. I've bought singles here and there on iTunes, and downloaded music through eMusic, but the last CD i bought may have been R.E.M.'s in October 2004. Kinda scary!
It's disappointingly short (at just shy of 35 minutes), but in a way that keeps with the rapid, upbeat pace. I certainly need to give it another few listens before i figure out where it falls in my all-time preference list, but here are some of my first impressions about particular songs:
"Living Well is the Best Revenge" - Cynical and catchy, it sets the tone for the rest of the record.
"Supernatural Superserious" - this is the big single? Hmm... not bad, but doesn't really connect on first listen.
"Accelerate" - I can't wait to dance like a moron to this one at the concert!
"Until the Day is Done" - I'm really pleased with the album version of this one. It's been around a while, and if i recall correctly, they played it on the last tour. It's also the only track on the album that slows down a little to pull you in.
"Mr. Richards" - I feel like this track could be my favorite on the whole album. Totally cohesive, great melody, backing vocals, instrumentation... Can't wait to listen again!
"I'm Gonna DJ" - not a great song, but cute. Good end to the album, pulling everything together.
It's natural to feel a little disappointed with their last few albums if you're expecting another Automatic for the People, but at the same time I feel like it's a case of the critics ruling the masses. The last album only sold 300,000 copies, and was generally panned by critics, but I found it connected so perfectly with me at that point in my life that it didnt leave my car CD player for MONTHS. While the current CD may be "better" I have to yet to see if it will click with me in the way that Around the Sun did.
R.E.M. continues to be a band that I will buy actual CD's from. I honestly cannot remember the last album I bought. I've bought singles here and there on iTunes, and downloaded music through eMusic, but the last CD i bought may have been R.E.M.'s in October 2004. Kinda scary!