R.E.M. Accelerate

4 stars out of 5 -- "Guitars are front and center, in slashing-chord and rusted-arpeggio crossfires....Ultimately, the best thing about ACCELERATE is that R.E.M. sound whole again, no longer three-legged but complete in their bond and purpose."
4.5 stars out of 5 -- "ACCELERATE corrals 35 minutes of the fastest songs Stipe and Co. have written in decades, all performed with a sense of joyous purpose..."
Ranked #26 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "A knowing grin cuts through nearly every major chord and confident lyric, delivering a well-earned sense of satisfaction..."
"[Buck is] playing aggressively melodic riffs again, yet they're full of contemporary crunch and compression..."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he denseness suits REM, reconstructing their trademark intricate hedge of sound..."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is an album so drenched in exuberance and flair that it suggests pop's youth fetish is no substitute for experience."
4 stars out of 5 -- "This is rock, not pop....This is the sound of R.E.M. going into the studio, plugging in and playing songs naturally...and very loudly."
3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[F]ull of cascading jangle, candied power chords, lonesome harmonies, Southern-gothic protest poetry and roadhouse drum bash."
Pitchfork (Website) - "ACCELERATE's broad strokes, big riffs, and beefy production are admirable....Drummer Bill Rieflin plays with a Ministry-honed power, Mike Mills' backing vocals are absolutely key..."
4 stars out of 5 -- "The results are terrific. ACCELERATE is the most satisfying REM album since AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE..."