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Accelerate
Rock · 2008

Accelerate

R.E.M.

A lean, aggressive burst of guitar-driven energy. R.E.M. sheds the polish for thirty-four minutes of urgent, politically-charged alternative rock.

March 11, 2008 · Craft Recordings

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Accelerate is the sound of a legacy band rediscovering their pulse by turning up the volume and cutting the fat. After years of mid-tempo experimentation and atmospheric drift, this record feels like a sharp intake of breath. The guitars are jagged and prominent, the drums are mixed with a punchy, immediate presence, and Michael Stipe trades his characteristic mumble for a clear, enunciated roar. It is an album defined by its own velocity, clocking in at a breathless thirty-four minutes that leave no room for the sprawling ballads of their previous decade.

Moments Worth Listening For
The explosive opening feedback of Living Well Is the Best Revenge setting a frantic pace.
The sudden, soaring vocal harmony during the chorus of Supernatural Superserious.
The claustrophobic, driving rhythm section on Horse to Water that never lets up.
Reviews
BBC Music
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AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Accelerate sound next to the rest of R.E.M.'s catalogue?

Urgent+4.0σ

Urgent saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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