In the midst of anger and despair, music comforts.

AROUND THE SUN
R.E.M.
Warner Bros.

By Désirée I. Guzzetta

R.E.M.'s latest work, Around The Sun, continues the mellow mode of the band's last two albums, Up and Reveal, but with an air of melancholy punctuated by moments of political upset that perversely keep the album from being a complete downer.

The tone of Around the Sun is somber, reflecting dissatisfaction with the current state of politics, be they universal (the direction of the country/world) or personal (loss of love and faith). "Final Straw," a pissed-off folker, is the most blatant of the political tracks, with blistering lyrics juxtaposed against the simmering anger of a restrained melody: "Who died and lifted you up to perfection?/And what silenced me is written into law." Political dissent is also wed to a lilting melody in "I Wanted To Be Wrong," resulting in a sense of alienation: "I told you I wanted to be wrong,/but everyone is humming a song/that I don't understand."

Overall, the lyrics are often at odds with the beauty and restraint of the music, creating an enveloping tension frequently found in the best poetry. Which is not to say the band has lost all sense of irony and humor, as in "Aftermath" ("Now the radio stutters./Snaps to life./Some sour song that sets it right."), one of the album's peppier tunes. But the tension also creates a desire to hear the band unleash the full force of its anger with matching, pummeling punk beats of which bassist Mike Mills and guitarist Peter Buck are fully capable. Certainly, Michael Stipe's vocals, in fine form here, are more than up to the task.

The only missteps are "High Speed Train" and "The Worst Joke Ever," a couple of more morose songs which, tracked sequentially, slow the album's momentum. However, the band recovers nicely with "The Ascent of Man" and ends on the somewhat more uplifting note of the title track ("Hold on world 'cause you don't know what's coming/Hold on world 'cause I'm not jumping off/Hold onto this boy a little longer/Take another trip around the sun"). Which points out probably the best thing about Around The Sun: In the midst of anger and despair, music comforts.

Take a trip around the sun at R.E.M.'s official site.

Page last updated: October 21, 2004

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