Liveblogging “Accelerate: “Until The Day is Done”
S.Rod likes this one; she says it’s one of her favorites on the record.
This sounds like something from Automatic for the People, musically. Actually, this is “Ignoreland” with better music. They should take “Ignoreland” from AFTP and put it on this record where it belongs.
The electric guitars are gone on this one and the melody is nice. The lyrics are too preachy; the subtlety thing again.
Mandolin again. Why didn’t Peter use that on the last couple records when he wasn’t playing electric guitar? He does that really well.
I like this music on this one, but the production is bugging me again. It’s not muddy, it’s noisy. There’s high-end static-y noise all over it.
This is the longest song on the record and deservedly so. It’s pleasant to listen to. I’d put it near the top of the songs from the record but I’m not in love with it. I’ll listen to it again. This one still has upside.
Filed under: R.E.M.
the preachy thing is something i don’t get. stipe has been preachy since 1985. he’s gotten more direct about it since 1986. it’s nothing new so i don’t see why this argument is coming up with reviews of this record.
Mike, I can’t argue you with you there. It’s not like one day waking up and realizing Michael has a liberal activist streak, but the directness is the problem. He had political content in his earlier songs but they weren’t quite as direct and as a result didn’t come off as quite so preachy or self-righteous.
The other side of it is that with a lot of their “preachy” songs of late (going back to In Time and Around The Sun aren’t good songs, regardless of their topic. A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down. The song needs to be good to help deliver the message.
The songs on Accelerate are better but instead of making the medicine go down, the medicine becomes something of a distraction.