| Product: |
Around The Sun - R.E.M. |
| Date: |
23.07.07 (25 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: "Aftermath" and "Leaving New York" are among R.E.M.'s very best; lots of good songs; lyrics included
Disadvantages: Inconsistent, "Worst Joke Ever" is very poor
R.E.M.'s latest album at time of writing (July 2007), "Around the Sun" is a continuation of the more electronic, downbeat R.E.M. of recent years - a trend which begun with 1996's "New Adventure In Hi-Fi" and was solidified by 1998's "Up" and 2001's "Reveal". Met with mixed reviews (at best) upon release, I'm here to say that this is a far more enjoyable record than you might expect if you don't go in hoping for an "Out of Time"-style album.
Lead single "Leaving New York" opens the album with one of its best cuts. It's a lovely ballad - one of R.E.M.'s all-time best - and deserved its position in the UK top 5 singles upon release. It's vaguely reminiscent of "Strange Currencies" from R.E.M.'s 1994 album "Monster" but it's by no means a lazy copy.
Second track "Electron Blue" was also a UK top 40 hit, albeit a minor one. It's one of the most electronically-tinged R.E.M. songs, with some nice effects. A lovely atmospheric piece.
"The Outsiders" follows. Despite an ill-judged final verse contributed by rapster Q-Tip that is far too serious to even have the novelty value KRS-One's guest turn on their earlier "Radio Song" did, it's a lovely song with a wonderful chorus of "where will this lead us? / I'm scared of the storm / The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born" performed by a surprisingly restrained Stipe.
One of the album's strongest tracks, "Make It All Okay", follows. A no-holds-barred plea for help - "Jesus loves me fine / but his words fall flat this time.. I wish we could start over / Try and make it all okay" - it's one of the most beautiful tracks in the band's history yet is frequently overlooked.
The overtly political "Final Straw" is next. It combines the album's downbeat tone with some rather folk-like stylings but is ultimately one of the album's weaker tracks; regardless of your politics, Stipe's sentiment is not expressed in a particularly interesting way. It's enjoyable enough but not one to come back to very often.
"I Wanted to be Wrong" is next. It's another rather nice ballad, with some nice Stipe vocals on the chorus ("I don't understand..") but ultimately, it's no classic.
The most upbeat track on the album, "Wanderlust", follows. It's a pure pop gem, reminiscent of the best of "Reveal" and "Out of Time" and really should've been a big hit single.
We're back to the balladry with "Boy in the Well". \It's a song that seems to be fairly popular among R.E.M. fans, but I'd have to disagree; I actually consider it one of the album's weakest. It's a five-minute dirge with a chorus that tries to be powerful but fails to these ears.
"Aftermath", however, is the exact opposite. It's a faultless song that rates among my top 5 R.E.M. songs of all-time. It's a mid-tempo tune with gorgeous layered harmonies, nice sing-a-long bridges and some of the simplest - yet most enjoyable - instrumentation on the album. It's also taken on something of a new meaning in the aftermath of the 7/7 London terrorist attacks - particularly the line "It makes you laugh and it makes you cry when London falls and you're still alive". For me, "Around the Sun" is worth the asking price for this track alone.
Fan divider "High Speed Train" is next. The second train-themed tune in the band's back catalogue ("Driver 8" is the first), it's a very slow, rather electronic song that you really need to be in the right mood to enjoy.
"The Worst Joke Ever" is next, my choice for the album's weakest song. Worst Joke Ever? More like Worst Song Ever! Ho ho. Well, maybe not the Worst Song Ever, but definitely far too bland to be considered decent.
"The Ascent of Man", the album's penultimate track, follows. One of the album's stronger outings, with a lovely cathartic chorus (comprised simply of "Ye-eah! Yeah! Yeah, yeah..") and some of Stipe's sharpest lyrics.
Titular track and closer "Around the Sun" is another nice, calm tune, with the seemingly prophetic "Hold on world, 'cos I'm not jumping off" suggesting R.E.M. ain't done yet!
At thirteen tracks and over fifty-five minutes long, "Around the Sun" is one of R.E.M.'s longest records. It was issued in both digipak (cardboard fold-out) and jewel (regular CD) cases; both can be found quite cheap online now and both contain a poster of the band with lyrics on the other side.
"Around the Sun" is not one of R.E.M.'s best albums, nor is it the ideal place for a new fan to start, but overlook it entirely at your peril: it's a solid album which, while inconsistent, offers some of R.E.M.'s finest tunes to date.
Summary: More good than bad
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Last comment:
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Frankingsteins - 23.07.07 I've only got a couple of their albums from the 80s, so this will be quite far down the list. |
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