New R.E.M. album March 28th 2008

Driver 8

murmurs.com is reporting that a site, ninetyninenights.com has been registered by R.E.M.'s Athens Office, offering a video clip each day up to the release of their 14th album in the U.S. on April 1st

The videos start January 1st, record should be out here March 28th
It was recorded largely in Ireland, in Dublin and West Meath

Driver 8

http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=3683

story link.

funktastic

Speaking as a long-term big REM fan, it'd want to be a lot better than 'Around The Sun' or they should call it quits.

Driver 8

Well judging by the songs played last summer at the shows, it all sounds very promising

cashback

Haven't really heard the last couple of albums but apparently the signs are good for this one. Hopefully the production will be a little rawer for this one.

qwertplaywert

There stuff before Around the Sun, for about a 10 year period was awful, but Around the Sun was a fantasic album, definatly there best since Out of Time. Hopefully they continue with this album.

Driver 8

I think Up is the really underrated album from the last few, that's working on the presumption that New Adventures is regarded as great.

Byt yeah, Jacknife Lee is producing Album 14

funktastic

In my opinion, 'Monster' was their last decent album. 'Hi-Fi' would come second- some parts of it are excellent. Parts of 'Up' were great-but it was too drawn out and with too many hit-and-miss numbers. 'Reveal' was over-produced and too sugary and 'Around The Sun' was just plain awful.

Driver 8

I think Reveal and Around the Sun were over-produced, but some of the songs, especially from Reveal, were pretty strong underneath that, which came out when they played them live.

The new songs sound a lot rawer and rockier for the most part, though at least the more laid back songs sound better than a lot of their recent stuff. Hopefully we'll get a summer show or two out of them, they've never lost their live form at least.

Sad Professor

Looking forward to this but I really hope the production values are better this time. ATS sounded like ****.

Earthhorse

Every time a new REM album rolls around people get all excited and tell us it's a return to form and the tracks they've heard so far are great and it's never, never true.

I wish they'd just release a single every year or an album every ten years. That way they could maintain the old quality levels.

lordgoat

It's all about Monster for me.

Driver 8

Release date confirmed as March 27th (30th in the UK, April 1st in the U.S.)

The album's called Accelerate

loyatemu

I think its been all downhill since Automatic for the People, though Up has a few good tunes on it. Reveal was utterly forgettable and Around the Sun was middle of the road garbage.

I don't hold out high hopes for the new one - as they said in Trainspotting "at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever." Great acts, once they go off-the-boil very rarely get it back again...

Driver 8

What about Bob Dylan? Neil Young? U2? Prince? Springsteen? Bowie?

All went through fallow periods, only to come back very strongly

loyatemu

Driver 8 wrote: »

What about Bob Dylan? Neil Young? U2? Prince? Springsteen? Bowie?

All went through fallow periods, only to come back very strongly

Dylan's last great stretch was in the mid 70's ending with Desire - he's released good albums since then but I wouldn't listen to any of them in preference to his really great stuff; ditto Bowie and anything he's released since Scary Monsters. Neil Young is an exception alright, his career has been up and down and all over the place - I don't think he's produced anything really great since Sleeps with Angels though.

The other 3 I'm not a huge fan of but I don't think even Prince's most diehard fans would claim he's got back to the quality he was producing in the 80s and early 90s, and to me U2 seem to be just rehashing their old sound on recent records.

Truly top artists will always have something to offer, and even in decline there'll still be moments of genius. REM's first 8 records are all classics - I don't think any of their last 5 could be described that way and the last 2 were absolutely rank. But hey, they could surprise me...

Decuc500

I love Around The Sun, probably their best album since Automatic. I can't understand why there's no love for it.

Creamy Goodness

read a bit in the star's hotzone today in work - may want to take it with a sackful of salt - and it was a citation of stipe saying how he's thanking Mika (ugh...) for giving him inspiration for the new album.

Driver 8

There's not that much guesswork to be done though. For anyone who wasn't there, check youtube for a look at the new songs, you'll get a pretty good idea from that what direction it's heading in

funktastic

The sound is very poor on the live ******* stuff on youtube during the summer. Plus I can't see them making such a raw sounding album as 'Monster' again. It sounds more rock but it'll still have a fair amount of production on it.

The departure of Bill Berry kinda ended the band - he was really underrated by a lot of people. He had great backing vocals that melded in with Mills, a great drummer (especially early stuff -check anything on 'Reckoning') and could write songs ('Everybody Hurts, 'Man on the Moon', 'Driver 8' etc)

funktastic

That was the name of the venue beginning with 'O' that changed to asterisks - just in case it looks confusing.

Driver 8

Of course Berry's missed, any serious R.E.M. fans knows he was the backbone of the band. I've defended Monster to people many times, but I really don't think it's a yardstick in terms of what they should be trying to achieve on Accelerate. The best "rock" songs R.E.M. ever made, in my opinion were songs like Finest Worksong and These Days.

I was in the place that can't be mentioned, and was mostly very impressed with what I saw, particularly Mr.Richards and Living Well's The Best Revenge. I don't expect another Automatic, but it should, hopefully be the best thing they've done since New Adventures (though I am partial to Up, but New Adventures is the last "great" record they made imo)

the hero game

'accelerate' is a terrible title for what it's worth, sounds like a title lenny kravitz or someone would use, but it's just a title i guess..
haven't checked out the Rehearsal tour footage, would rather wait and hear the album proper in march..
should check out http://popsongs.wordpress.com/
really interesting blog on every REM song (eventually)

Squall Leonhart

I am a huge R.E.M. fan, and it's good to see them being discussed..

Unfortunately I'd have go along with what a lot of other users have been saying, that they haven't had anything convincing out in the last few years.. And though I really enjoyed the summer concert in Dublin (at which I met Mike Mills before one of the shows) exhibiting the new material, I know in my heart that it won't sound anywhere near as good on the album.

I play guitar, and love to learn R.E.M., but I find myself learning the older material more so, from Driver 8, Begin The Begin, The One I Love, Texarkana, Country Feedback...

But in their defence, whilst Up wasn't one of their best albums, it was probably by far their most difficult, and the result is a great album, some fantastic tracks on it. My only qualm is it doesn't meld as an album to me.
At My Most Beautiful
Daysleeper
Falls To Climb
All great songs, in fact, just about the only song I don't like on the album is Airportman.

Reveal, really great pop album, with a very summer sound in places, leaning to darker things with the tracks Saturn Return (IMO one of the great R.E.M. tracks that is left off everyone's list - well, whoever decided to put the whistle in at production stage wasn't feeling very good that day... I'll grant people that much!).
The Lifting
I'll Take The Rain
Imitation of Life, all great tracks.

Now, seemingly the most hated of their recent releases would be Around The Sun. Admittedly it's my least favourite R.E.M. album, but there are some solid tracks on it. The studio production was way too smoothed over, too ironed out, everything sounds so glossy and shiny, but if you've been to R.E.M. concerts where tracks from the album have been played, or even heard the Live album released a few months back, you can hear the quality of the song once all the production has been stripped.

Electron Blue is a great live song,
Leaving New York, it's the R.E.M. modern classic, beautiful song.

Other songs from the album that are worthy of note; Boy In The Well, Make It All Ok.

So...


Yep, really really looking forward to an album from R.E.M.!

P.S., on a side note, the fan club christmas single from R.E.M. featured one of the worst cover versions of a song I have ever heard! Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody".

And for the record, any criticism I may have of R.E.M. is so slight, it's not an insult, I'm just so critical because I know their music so well. Anybody looking for some rare R.E.M. stuff should look up The Automatic Box.

Driver 8

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/forkcast/48521-rem-supernatural-superserious-stream

stream of first single from Accelerate, "Supernatural Superserious"

cassette50

Yeah, REM are back. I like it. A nice mix of the old REM sound while still managing to sound somewhat modern.

A decent pop song with a hint of rock, welcome back boys.

European tour dates are announced on Monday at 9am and tickets on sale the following morning.

hopefully they will play a date here, fingers crossed they will play somewhere like the RDS (outdoor) at some stage over the summer.

funktastic

The new track is way better than anything on 'Around The Sun'. Pity it's not a bit rougher/heavier though. I was listening to 'Monster' this morning- such a great album and really heavy.

lordgoat

funktastic wrote: »

The new track is way better than anything on 'Around The Sun'. Pity it's not a bit rougher/heavier though. I was listening to 'Monster' this morning- such a great album and really heavy.

It's all about Monster.

Beanstalk

Bring back that mandolin Buck!

funktastic

Sure is all about 'Monster'.

And 'Chronic Town', 'Murmur', 'Reckoning', 'Fables', 'Life's Rich Pageant', 'Out of Time', 'Automatic' n 'Dead Letter Office' (Sorry document never really put the ferret in my hutch)

smackbunnybaby

fantastic album - Believe the hype.

lordgoat

Ya it's good. Not great, maybe it'll get there over time.

Driver 8

Don't believe the hype, and that's coming from a big R.E.M. fan.

I mean, Accelerate is clearly miles better than Around the Sun, but on a purely song by song basis (ignoring the fact that Accelerate is a better produced album), I'll still take Up, and even Reveal over it.

It has its moments, a couple of very strong songs, but you'd swear they'd done another New Adventures in Hi-Fi from some of the reviews. It's a decent album, but they're not quite back on full form yet.

smackbunnybaby

Driver 8 wrote: »

Don't believe the hype, and that's coming from a big R.E.M. fan.

I mean, Accelerate is clearly miles better than Around the Sun, but on a purely song by song basis (ignoring the fact that Accelerate is a better produced album), I'll still take Up, and even Reveal over it.

It has its moments, a couple of very strong songs, but you'd swear they'd done another New Adventures in Hi-Fi from some of the reviews. It's a decent album, but they're not quite back on full form yet.

i completely disagree with you. the new album pisses on reveal, around the sun and Up.
I was expecting nothing from this album and was so surprised by the quality of all the songs. there isnt a duff moment on the album as far as i am concerned.

yogicolly

its a very good album, really like the 1st seven tracks. i have had it for the last month or so now, and ive listened to it alot and i still have not got feed up with it which is a good sign. i would be certainly be of the opinion that is their best work since new adventures.

up was a very troubled album, but i appreciate it as it was created in tough circumstances for the band. i think given the circumstances it was an Ok album.

Reveal was way too over produced, too perfect. I rember Q Magazine saying it was so perfect it should come with a ribbon on it. i think they intended it to be this way, a perfect beach boy-esque summer album, I do like it but again it just can not compare to older stuff. As for around the sun, it really was poor, bland, too long and boring.

the new album is a very good album, but in terms of term back catalogue, it can't possibly be has high as automatic, murmur, hifi, document etc. Possibly the reason for this is that their back catalogue is of one of the highest standard of the last 30 years.

Ponster

The best REM album in years and the album I've played most often in 2008 so far. True, not as great as they used to be but if theis album had been as bad as the recent few I couldn't imaine then going on to produce any more and we may have seen the end of them (as we know them!).
This album puts them back on track IMHO and it's gonna be a while before it gets deleted from my playlist.

funktastic

Yeah best album since 'New Adventures'. First 3 tracks really open the album well. 'I'm Gonna DJ' is as embarrassing as it was live though.

cashback

I'd agree with those who say best since New Adventures alright.

Personally I expected to be a little let down but I'm enjoying it actually. The only two tracks I'm not mad for are Sing for the Submarine and I'm Gonna DJ.

I especially like Man Sized Wreath, Supernaturnal, Superserious and Mr Richards.

drand

"Accelerate" (the song) is pretty gash too