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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Having delivered their last great album with 1992's haunting Automatic For the People, R.E.M. spent more than decade attempting all kinds of reinvention, from the pointlessly noisy Monster to the painfully dull Up. But with Around the Sun it feels like the band is getting its bearings back. Not only is it the Georgia trio's most consistent album since the 1997 departure of drummer Bill Berry, but it also sees the return of the lush imagery and intricate playing of the band's vintage years. There are trains, mandolins, Man Ray skies. More importantly, it seems heartfelt. Witness the gorgeous disquietingly dark opener "Leaving New York," the rapturous folk of "I Wanted to Be Wrong" and the solidly intense "Boy In the Well." At 13 generous tracks, it's far from perfect but--just when everyone thought R.E.M. was down for the count--Around the Sun is an unexpected bruiser of a comeback. --Aidin Vaziri
Product Description
Around The Sun, R.E.M.’s first new studio album since 2001's gold Reveal, is as emotional and ulti- mately uplifting as its "Leaving New York" single. With a renewed band dynamic and songs influenced by world events, Around The Sun surprises and satisfies and is both political and poignant. Says Michael Stipe: "Even the most depressing R.E.M.song is going to have a glimmer of hope." For fans of one of rock's most acclaimed bands, hope revolves around R.E.M.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
R.E.M.'s 13th studio album, AROUND THE SUN, will strike most listeners as a throwback to the band's sound in the early 1990s. While I've always thought OUT OF TIME was a pretty disposable record (save for a few songs), AUTOMATIC is what hooked me on R.E.M. While REVEAL, though short on melodies, sounds very much like a classicist R.E.M. album, AROUND THE SUN sounds like the band's trying to rewrite AUTOMATIC, and in every department AROUND THE SUN comes up deficient when compared to its predecessor, mostly because of its lack of emotional depth and the directionless funk R.E.M. finds themselves in the New Millennium.
While AUTOMATIC is slow and built mainly on ballads and folk songs (albeit seen through a rock context), it had an emotional core that binds the record into a cohesive whole. AUTOMATIC never shies away from the heady themes, but it is a comforting record. Much of the album is largely mid tempo with one major exception. The political dirge "Ignoreland," where Stipe kicks the music and lyrics into high gear, bashing Reagan and the Republican Party, sounds both out of place and is rather jarring. Other than that and the rather bizarre inclusion of the throwaway two minute instrumental "New Orleans," AUTOMATIC mediates mostly on death, pain, and a search for solace. It is a tremendous set of songs, and is rightly regarded as one of R.E.M.'s masterpieces. It's mellow, soul-searching music. AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE is the one fo the best realisations of the power of folk and medative music played in a rock and roll context.
AROUND THE SUN, no matter what way you slice it, sounds like a directionless mess. The music is largely bland, hookless, and midtempo; the lyrics, while sometimes (entirely characteristic) oblique, never touches the listener like AUTOMATIC does. When listening to AROUND THE SUN, you get the very distinct impression that R.E.M. was grasping in the wind, trying to come up with an emotional powerhouse like the aforementioned AUTOMATIC. What's missing is the sense of purpose, both for the band themselves and the actual record. Given how active Stipe is in politics, you'd think the band could turn out an aggressive, politically charged album; all he can muster here is "The Final Straw." It's funny how little things have changed. In the early 1990s there was a Bush in office, war in Iraq, and Stipe and Co. venting their political angst. Stipe's political nightmares came true when George Bush won. In another way, things have changed a lot. The democratic nominee lost, George Bush did what his father could not (a second term), there's still war in Iraq, and instead of releasing a masterpiece R.E.M. rambles through the most directionless set of music they have ever recorded.
It helps to understand what has gone on before AROUND THE SUN.Ever since 1997 (and I would argue before that), R.E.M. has been desperately trying to find a cutting edge sound to hang their hat on. MONSTER, AUTOMATIC's followup, is needlessly noisy and uneven, though there are some great songs on it. NEW ADVENTURES, their most consistent post IRS album next to AUTOMATIC, stands as their most underrated album. With UP, after Berry's acrimonious departure, finds R.E.M. overcompensating with meaningless experimentation. What saves UP is they manage to write a few good songs, even if the experimentation feels very forced. REVEAL sounds like the band's trying to go back to the core of their older sound, making a very atmospheric, shiny album.
AROUND THE SUN, however, sounds like they just don't know what to do anymore. They've returned to the highly stylised folk-rock of AUTOMATIC for SUN's foundation. But where that album always sounded compelling, challenging, and intriguing, SUN sounds like they're going through the motions. That doesn't mean the album's horrible, or there are no good songs on it. The band's been around for over twenty years; they can turn in a professional set of music when they want too. And that's the core problem with SUN. SUN never catches hold because it has such a processed, calculated feel to it, making it a stilted affair. Just like UP, SUN feels like it's spent too much time in the studio and not enough time in the band's heart and soul. AUTOMATIC is such an emotionally charged and naked album that you just connect to it; here, the band never lets you get close emotionally to the music. The music, as it drifts lazily by, is just slow, faceless adult pop. That's what makes it such a step down from AUTOMATIC
There are certainly good songs on AROUND THE SUN. I enjoy the album (see the rating). But that doesn't change the fact it's their most artistically adrift album R.E.M.'s ultimately turned into sleepy, adult pop band, the likes of which you hear in offices and dentists' waiting rooms. Given their overall body of work (especially the early years), it's just sad that R.E.M. feels so directionless, and how far they're truly removed from their earliest output. You may like this album; you may not. The old school fans (the IRS years) won't like it (do yourself a favour if you never heard any early R.E.M. and buy MURMUR or RECKONING; it's amazing how much they've changed). Fans of their 90s work will be more sympathetic.
Just don't let all those comparisons with AUTOMATIC fool you though. While AROUND THE SUN certainly sounds like they're were trying to come up with a comparable masterpiece, the record never once approaches the emotional heights and comforting undercurrents that make AUTOMATIC such a vital, vibrant work of art.
Better luck next time boys.
While AUTOMATIC is slow and built mainly on ballads and folk songs (albeit seen through a rock context), it had an emotional core that binds the record into a cohesive whole. AUTOMATIC never shies away from the heady themes, but it is a comforting record. Much of the album is largely mid tempo with one major exception. The political dirge "Ignoreland," where Stipe kicks the music and lyrics into high gear, bashing Reagan and the Republican Party, sounds both out of place and is rather jarring. Other than that and the rather bizarre inclusion of the throwaway two minute instrumental "New Orleans," AUTOMATIC mediates mostly on death, pain, and a search for solace. It is a tremendous set of songs, and is rightly regarded as one of R.E.M.'s masterpieces. It's mellow, soul-searching music. AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE is the one fo the best realisations of the power of folk and medative music played in a rock and roll context.
AROUND THE SUN, no matter what way you slice it, sounds like a directionless mess. The music is largely bland, hookless, and midtempo; the lyrics, while sometimes (entirely characteristic) oblique, never touches the listener like AUTOMATIC does. When listening to AROUND THE SUN, you get the very distinct impression that R.E.M. was grasping in the wind, trying to come up with an emotional powerhouse like the aforementioned AUTOMATIC. What's missing is the sense of purpose, both for the band themselves and the actual record. Given how active Stipe is in politics, you'd think the band could turn out an aggressive, politically charged album; all he can muster here is "The Final Straw." It's funny how little things have changed. In the early 1990s there was a Bush in office, war in Iraq, and Stipe and Co. venting their political angst. Stipe's political nightmares came true when George Bush won. In another way, things have changed a lot. The democratic nominee lost, George Bush did what his father could not (a second term), there's still war in Iraq, and instead of releasing a masterpiece R.E.M. rambles through the most directionless set of music they have ever recorded.
It helps to understand what has gone on before AROUND THE SUN.Ever since 1997 (and I would argue before that), R.E.M. has been desperately trying to find a cutting edge sound to hang their hat on. MONSTER, AUTOMATIC's followup, is needlessly noisy and uneven, though there are some great songs on it. NEW ADVENTURES, their most consistent post IRS album next to AUTOMATIC, stands as their most underrated album. With UP, after Berry's acrimonious departure, finds R.E.M. overcompensating with meaningless experimentation. What saves UP is they manage to write a few good songs, even if the experimentation feels very forced. REVEAL sounds like the band's trying to go back to the core of their older sound, making a very atmospheric, shiny album.
AROUND THE SUN, however, sounds like they just don't know what to do anymore. They've returned to the highly stylised folk-rock of AUTOMATIC for SUN's foundation. But where that album always sounded compelling, challenging, and intriguing, SUN sounds like they're going through the motions. That doesn't mean the album's horrible, or there are no good songs on it. The band's been around for over twenty years; they can turn in a professional set of music when they want too. And that's the core problem with SUN. SUN never catches hold because it has such a processed, calculated feel to it, making it a stilted affair. Just like UP, SUN feels like it's spent too much time in the studio and not enough time in the band's heart and soul. AUTOMATIC is such an emotionally charged and naked album that you just connect to it; here, the band never lets you get close emotionally to the music. The music, as it drifts lazily by, is just slow, faceless adult pop. That's what makes it such a step down from AUTOMATIC
There are certainly good songs on AROUND THE SUN. I enjoy the album (see the rating). But that doesn't change the fact it's their most artistically adrift album R.E.M.'s ultimately turned into sleepy, adult pop band, the likes of which you hear in offices and dentists' waiting rooms. Given their overall body of work (especially the early years), it's just sad that R.E.M. feels so directionless, and how far they're truly removed from their earliest output. You may like this album; you may not. The old school fans (the IRS years) won't like it (do yourself a favour if you never heard any early R.E.M. and buy MURMUR or RECKONING; it's amazing how much they've changed). Fans of their 90s work will be more sympathetic.
Just don't let all those comparisons with AUTOMATIC fool you though. While AROUND THE SUN certainly sounds like they're were trying to come up with a comparable masterpiece, the record never once approaches the emotional heights and comforting undercurrents that make AUTOMATIC such a vital, vibrant work of art.
Better luck next time boys.
83 of 103 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If you're among the millions who think R.E.M. peaked in '92 with "Automatic For The People", and that everything since has been an intermittently interesting but ultimately fruitless search for a new sound, then this album might appeal to you more than the last few. It's slick, lyrical, often radio-friendly, but has enough political edginess and lump-in-the-throat moments to be credible nonetheless. That's the cynical review, I guess. But this isn't some finely calibrated attempt at re-entering the mainstream. R.E.M. has long been characterized by a steadfast refusal to rest in a certain style. Each album has offered a departure from the last, sometimes a radical one - their breakthrough album, "Out of Time", was itself a bizarre detour. This time around, they've given the tracks a kind of folk-electronica lushness; tricked them out with keyboards and drum machines and pushed Peter Buck's guitars into the background for a change. There's also a renewed confidence and clarity in Stipe's foregrounded voice. Lyrically, there's an engaging fusion of the personal and political, with the themes of relationship breakdown (or false start) and self-discovery frequently doing double duty as political metaphors. It's refreshing that on an album full of love/hate songs and political musings R.E.M. hasn't just fallen back into what would have been the easy options - the chamber-pop aesthetic of "Automatic" or the rattling righteousness of "Document".
It isn't a total success, however. In some cases, the mix has dulled the passion and buffed off too many rough edges, almost to the point of inanity. "The Outsiders", while lyrically sinister, is too smooth to really get under your skin. "Aftermath", which might have been as crisp and joyous as any R.E.M. classic, is too flat to be uplifting - Bill Berry and Scott Litt are sorely missed on tracks like this. "High Speed Train" sounds more like a lumbering bulldozer with Stipe asleep at the wheel. But overall, the good outweighs the bad. On the best tracks - the beautiful "Leaving New York", the brooding and insistent "Final Straw" (pick of the album, for me), the eloquently savage "I Wanted To Be Wrong", and the wonderfully weird "The Ascent of Man" - the richness of the arrangements and Pat McCarthy's intelligent production values achieve an adult sophistication entirely appropriate to the song's themes. These aren't just college boys ranting anymore. If you want that, go buy "American Idiot" (which I love, by the way). R.E.M. have increasingly subtle and sophisticated things to say, and they've found a surprising and beautiful way of saying them.
This isn't the '80s flashback R.E.M.'s long-suffering original fans might have been anticipating on the strength of recent releases such as "Bad Day" and "Animal", but for those willing to give it the time and attention it demands, "Around The Sun" is a nonetheless rewarding album.
It isn't a total success, however. In some cases, the mix has dulled the passion and buffed off too many rough edges, almost to the point of inanity. "The Outsiders", while lyrically sinister, is too smooth to really get under your skin. "Aftermath", which might have been as crisp and joyous as any R.E.M. classic, is too flat to be uplifting - Bill Berry and Scott Litt are sorely missed on tracks like this. "High Speed Train" sounds more like a lumbering bulldozer with Stipe asleep at the wheel. But overall, the good outweighs the bad. On the best tracks - the beautiful "Leaving New York", the brooding and insistent "Final Straw" (pick of the album, for me), the eloquently savage "I Wanted To Be Wrong", and the wonderfully weird "The Ascent of Man" - the richness of the arrangements and Pat McCarthy's intelligent production values achieve an adult sophistication entirely appropriate to the song's themes. These aren't just college boys ranting anymore. If you want that, go buy "American Idiot" (which I love, by the way). R.E.M. have increasingly subtle and sophisticated things to say, and they've found a surprising and beautiful way of saying them.
This isn't the '80s flashback R.E.M.'s long-suffering original fans might have been anticipating on the strength of recent releases such as "Bad Day" and "Animal", but for those willing to give it the time and attention it demands, "Around The Sun" is a nonetheless rewarding album.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Veritas
Format:Audio CD
Around the Sun has been met with mixed reviews. Either the listener is expecting something R.E.M. has done in the past or the listener is expecting to discover yet another facet of R.E.M., who has shown through the year they are anything but static. There are comprehensive reviews of the album available so I want to concentrate on why you should chose this edition over the standard CD issue, which many of you may already own.
The 5.1 sound of the re-issues has blown me away. If you are not the type of person to "experience" the music this may not be a must have. If, however, you are like me and enjoy listening to the music with the lights off and candles lit, you must experience the 5.1 sound as the subtle sounds come through adding another dimension to the album. ATS has not been out for very long and I was tempted to pass, but I do not regret the decision to purchase simply because of the clarity.
As for bonus materials, you get "LNY" and "Aftermath" videos, a very short 5 minute documentary, and live performace videos of "LNY" and "Imitation of Life."
Because "LNY" and "Aftermath" videos have not been released on DVD this adds to the incentive to pick up the CD-DVD-A.
I think this is a must buy if you do not have the CD and are looking to pick it up, even if you do not currently have 5.1 equipment.
The 5.1 sound of the re-issues has blown me away. If you are not the type of person to "experience" the music this may not be a must have. If, however, you are like me and enjoy listening to the music with the lights off and candles lit, you must experience the 5.1 sound as the subtle sounds come through adding another dimension to the album. ATS has not been out for very long and I was tempted to pass, but I do not regret the decision to purchase simply because of the clarity.
As for bonus materials, you get "LNY" and "Aftermath" videos, a very short 5 minute documentary, and live performace videos of "LNY" and "Imitation of Life."
Because "LNY" and "Aftermath" videos have not been released on DVD this adds to the incentive to pick up the CD-DVD-A.
I think this is a must buy if you do not have the CD and are looking to pick it up, even if you do not currently have 5.1 equipment.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Far Better Than the Critics Will Say
As with any long-running artist, R.E.M. has a big fan base that loves to discuss their work. Some albums like Murmer, Lifes Rich Pageant, and Automatic for the People will always... Read more
Published 20 hours ago by Lunar Boulevard
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad!
I lost touch with REM sometime around the Monster years, "found" them again with Reveal but then I let them fade away again. (For some odd reason, they have been a fave forever. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Melissa C. Jurgensen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!
In very good shape... quick delivery! It has some interesting bonus features on the DVD like a documentary, videos, and pictures. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Hank
1.0 out of 5 stars
Worst album ever
Not only the worst REM album ever but close to the worst album ever made by anyone. Not one good song on this heap of crap. No melodies, no riffs, nothing memorable.
Published 24 months ago by Stuart Kast
4.0 out of 5 stars
so much hate...
Can you remember what was said about Fables of the Reconstruction? People (including the band) hated that album and trashed it pretty thoroughly, but now many people consider it... Read more
Published on March 22, 2011 by Kelly M. Galloway
2.0 out of 5 stars
As disappointing as they say
R.E.M.'s 2004 album AROUND THE SUN is the most panned installment in the band's mighty discography, with even band members knocking it. R.E.M. Read more
Published on February 10, 2011 by Christopher Culver
4.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkable R.E.M. moments
I bought this CD a month ago. I noticed that it came out in 2004 a very sad year in my life. Sometimes when I listen to it I wonder how it performed back in those days: what songs... Read more
Published on September 29, 2010 by Jorge Reyes
3.0 out of 5 stars
YEARS LATER, IT'S NOT SO BAD AFTERALL
Ya know, after a long absence from Around the Sun, I finally came back to it the other day, and, suprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I remembered it to be years ago. Read more
Published on April 20, 2010 by Steven C. Miller
3.0 out of 5 stars
Automatic Pilot For The People!
I love R.E.M. I have all their albums, 30 odd singles & EP's and a heap of boots. I enjoyed most of the mellowed out Up & Reveal but Around The Sun, a third laid back album in... Read more
Published on March 30, 2010 by Aussie Deano
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not so much bad as....pointless
REM have made inconsistent albums before. No band is perfect. 'Monster' was a slightly tounge-in-cheek attempt at a rock album that didn't quite work. Read more
Published on August 28, 2009 by H. Jin
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