Ahhh, REM. Alright, before this review starts, it's time for a little history lesson. REM was one of the most beloved bands of the indie/college rock scene in the 1980s. All the pundits in the industry were saying that they were going to be the ones to break through to the mainstream and kick-start a new revolution (the honour eventually went to Nirvana). In 1992, they put out what is inarguably their best album - the haunting "Automatic For The People". After this, they began to slide. "Monster" (1994) was a good record, but was pointlessly noisy and had a few very weak moments. Their next three albums would fail to bring them much praise from the critics.
"Around The Sun" is a glimmer of hope for REM fans. It shows us that the band seems to have gotten something back that had been missing for the previous decade: their heart. The first single, "Leaving New York" is easily on par with their better output of the earlier albums, while "Electron Blue", "The Ascent Of Man," and "The Outsiders" (featuring a pretty cool rap by Q-Tip) point towards a new direction that retains the same...REM-ness that made their previous work so great. "Make It All Okay", "Aftermath", and "I Wanted To Be Wrong" are all solid tracks with enough going to keep the listener involved until the very end. There's nothing really BAD on the album, but there's some clear filler. Songs like "Wanderlust," "Final Straw," "Boy In The Well," "The Worst Joke Ever," and "High Speed Train" definitely drag a little bit, and for the first few listens, I was hard-pressed to really tell them apart from one another. The closing track "Around The Sun," is fairly majestic and also ranks with the earlier mentioned stand-outs on the album.
Now, you might be looking at that last paragraph and wondering why I'm singing this albums praises when I find almost half the album to be a bore. It's because the songs on it that are good are good enough that they negate the lesser material. To comment on the band in general, as they stand right now, Michael Stipe's voice is as strong as ever, and his lyrics are pretty outstanding (as per usual). Peter Buck's trademark jangly guitar hooks carry a big presence on the album as well. The production is fairly slick, but it's REM, so the squeeky-clean feel can be forgiven.
All in all, a solid effort (though definitely not perfect) that makes me look forward to their next album with some optimism. It seems as though REM have found their footing once more. Let's hope it lasts.
By: J. Alexander Vance
