On The Download: R.E.M.

By Jeremy Blacklow

BURBANK, Calif. -- Words cannot describe the pop culture consumer satisfaction that has arisen in the depths of my music-fan soul with the release of R.E.M's latest studio album, "Accelerate."

It's been a great spring for fresh music by established acts, and, like fellow Athens, Georgia alt rockers The B-52's, the comeback of R.E.M. was even more refreshing because it came seemingly out of nowhere.

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"Accelerate" hearkens back to an era of my teenage years when expressive political lyrics stirred hope and change in my heart (of course, the last time I felt this way, another Clinton was gunning for the presidency).

Frankly, although I know it's been said by Music Blogs across the Internet, this really is their best album since 1992's "Automatic For The People."

It's like the band woke up after a decade of confusion and realized how genius they were again.

Michael Stipe went so far as to shoot a press conference (of himself!) to post on YouTube, announcing that his band-mates were coming out of the closet as heterosexual - political subversive subtle genius.

The band made 12 different videos for the first single, "Supernatural Superserious." If that's not a statement of musical comeback, then seriously what is?
You can watch them, here or here.

Today, they released the video for the album's 2nd single, "Hollow Man," which is as creative as "Losing My Religion" felt in 1991.

If you don't have it yet, check it out - wake up find a cause and believe in something again