[Rock]
R.E.M.
Accelerate
****
It hasn’t been easy to be an R.E.M. fan in about a decade, even if the Athens, Georgia, legends have continued to be typically prolific (to the tune of three studio albums, several best-ofs and a live disc). 1998’s murky, brooding Up—their first album after drummer Bill Berry left the band—might be the most underrated release in R.E.M.’s catalog, but the moments of transcendence on 2001’s summery Reveal and 2004’s foggy Around the Sun were few and far between.
While Accelerate isn’t exactly a return to their late-’80s/early-’90s salad days, it’s certainly a rip-roaring embrace of good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll. Peter Buck’s guitars crunch and stomp with comforting jangle (“Supernatural Superserious,” “Man-Sized Wreath”) or employ buzzing drone (“Mr. Richards”) to match greased-up tempos, while Mike Mills’ chewy bass lines and backing vocals haven’t been this prominent or lively since 1997’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Other highlights include “Hollow Man,” where abrupt dynamic shifts and forlorn piano combine beautifully; a somber folk number about Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath called “Houston”; and “Living Well Is the Best Revenge,” on which Buck’s barn-burning, jagged riffs sear with venom.
Vocalist Michael Stipe also spits political vitriol at the usual suspects he’s castigated since the 1980s (the ineptitude of the government, mainly), although he has more questions than answers for the parties involved, and his concerns and arguments aren’t quite as focused. But only the sub-Up B-side “Sing for the Submarine”—a shapeless song whose gimmick involves quoting past R.E.M. song titles and lyrics—falls entirely flat.
Perhaps the strangest thing about Accelerate is that, like many modern albums, it’s sometimes difficult to listen to at high volumes, due to the co-production and mixing job by Jacknife Lee (U2, Coldplay). Yet despite its sheer slickness, Accelerate foments curiosity about R.E.M. in a way that hasn’t happened in years; listeners want to decipher what Stipe is singing with such urgency over repeated spins. By remembering that music can be fun and have meaning, R.E.M. has reclaimed what originally made them so great.
–Annie Zaleski
[Alt-Rock]
The Breeders
Mountain Battles
** 1/2
Anyone who knows anything about The Breeders probably actually knows two things: The band began as a side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal, and hit it big with 1993 single “Cannonball.” New album Mountain Battles, The Breeders’ first release in six years, is unlikely to bolster that legacy.
Battles arrives to far more attention than 2002 catalog predecessor Title TK (due to Deal’s renewed involvement with the Pixies in the interim), but ultimately feels about as inconsequential. In other words, it’s the kind of album you won’t mind hearing, but probably won’t think to pull off the shelf very often thereafter.
Though we didn’t know it at the time, The Breeders’ choice of “We’re Gonna Rise” for December’s single-track MySpace preview portended the disc’s overall mood—so subdued that a superbly sirenic slow-burner all but evaporates into the ether. More than half of Battles comprises down-tempo material, and even rocking numbers such as “Overglazed” and “No Way” churn lazily and essentially travel nowhere. “German Studies” even borrows a page from Frank Black’s old reliable loud-soft-loud playbook.
Only “Walk It Off” and “It’s the Love” offer any real head-bobbing opportunity, and neither stands up to the catchiest ditties from either Pod or Last Splash. So while we can dream The Breeders’ next comeback turns out more eventful than the past two, it’d probably be a lot more effective—to steal a line from the band’s greatest success—spitting in a wishing well.
–Spencer Patterson
[Instrumental]
Nine Inch Nails
Ghosts I-IV
***
Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor has gotten more publicity for the marketing behind his latest release than for its music. After parting ways with his record label, Reznor has been pushing his music via the Internet, and instrumental double album Ghosts I-IV came out digitally last month in advance of its physical release. The great thing about the Internet is that it offers unlimited space, but that also tends to encourage self-indulgence, and Ghosts is definitely an indulgence for Reznor.
Not that it’s a waste of talent, but the 36 tracks (designated with numbers rather than names) form more of a background soundscape than a distinct set of songs. Most are fairly sedate, so those hoping for the hard, angry edge of last year’s more conventional album Year Zero may be disappointed. Casual fans probably won’t be rushing out to buy or download Ghosts, though, and those who are willing or eager to follow Reznor on his various digressions will find something akin to a soundtrack in search of a movie. Many of the pieces are brief sketches of ambient electronic sounds, but the best sound like fully formed songs just waiting for Reznor’s voice to be added. It’s not a significant work in the overall NIN canon, but Ghosts is perfect chill music for your next futuristic make-out session.
–Josh Bell
[Gothic]
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
****
It’s been four years, and I’m just now coming off the hymnal high of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ penetrant double disc Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. So when I got word of their 14th studio album, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!, I began preparations for an intense trip. Instead, I received their return to bare-bones blues, a welcomed hair of the dog.
Exceedingly more metronomic than their recent albums, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! is a vehicle for Cave’s lyrics and larynx. His voice, deep and echoed as an 1890s prospector’s, is the primary sound here, his patter-speak providing orchestral dimension. Though percussion is constant and distortion is frequent, the remaining instruments are supporting players: “Today’s Lesson” lends a ’70s organ groan; “Moonland” hints at an egg-shaker here, a jingle bell there; “Hold on to Yourself” frenzies a swarm of strings; but all inclusions are nuanced for sake of the narrative.
The title track explores Lazarus’ response to being begrudgingly resurrected; “We Call Upon the Author” is a chuckle-out-loud interrogation of God’s Reasons, and “Lie Down Here (And Be My Girl),” the radio-friendliest track on the album, includes piano tickling, guitar baiting, and promises of beautiful-girl-production assembly lines.
Though the stripped-down storytelling of Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! is engaging, the album is arguably for an audience more interested in Nick Cave than the Bad Seeds.
–Kristyn Pomranz
[Bluesy]
Van Morrison
Keep It Simple
***
Van Morrison is retiring. No, he’s not going to stop recording or touring—not yet, anyway. But with his latest release, Morrison offers a stark reminder that all good things must come to an end, whether it’s a brilliant musical career or just a single moment in the sun. Much as we want to extend the buzz of a perfect day, we can’t stop the sun from setting, and this set of chilled-out pop-blues tunes will make the day’s end go down a bit more smoothly.
Of course, if anybody has a right to be in a retiring mind-set, it’s Morrison. Keep It Simple is his 33rd studio album, and although the 62-year-old continues to churn out new music at a startling pace, he’s bound to slow down eventually. Morrison offers up no gimmicks here—no country tunes, no collaborations with obscure or legendary figures—just his trademark growl that slides along with a relaxed groove and some tasty guitar licks from sideman Mick Green.
Highlights include the plaintive “Lover Come Back,” buffeted by standout steel guitar from Cindy Cashdollar, and “Don’t Go to Nightclubs Anymore,” which closes with the onetime wild man confessing, “I’m so boring.” I’d go with “reflective” or “peaceful,” but who am I to quibble with a man on his 33rd album?
–Patrick Donnelly