Sunday, June 15, 2008
A+E, Music, In this Issue...

New Adventures in Hi-Fi

R.E.M. and the B-52’s return to form with vibrant new releases

Cass Bird
R.E.M.

By Hal Horowitz

It’s been 16 years since the B-52’s last had a new album to promote, and it sure feels about as long since R.E.M. last released a decent record. Both Athens-bred groups are back on the concert trail, celebrating “Funplex” and “Accelerate,” their respective new releases, and playing large venues in Atlanta this week.
  
Regardless of how you feel about either—and musically they’re quite different—it’s been an impressive, even extraordinary run. Both groups can rightfully claim veteran status in an industry where longevity is the exception. They’re also the last men/women standing from the Athens boom of the early ’80s—a renaissance that also produced Pylon, Love Tractor and others, acts that still pop up for an occasional show but never dented the national radar. (Coincidentally, this is also the week of AthFest 2008, the city’s yearly celebration of its music.) 
   
Despite the obvious differences in approach—R.E.M.’s moody, jangling rock versus the B-52’s Day-Glo, cotton-candy pop—the two share more than just an Athens connection. Both have lost original members (the B-52s’ Ricky Wilson to complications related to AIDS, R.E.M.’s Bill Berry to retirement), continue to play for enthusiastic audiences despite declining record sales, and tap into previous successes on their current albums.
  
Even with a new label (Astralwerks), a hot producer in Steve Osborne (K.T. Tunstall, New Order) and a slicked-up sound, the B-52’s haven’t changed since their “Love Shack” heyday. Opener “Pump” could have originated from any older release. Despite a few experimental electronic touches such as the Kraftwerk-influenced “Eyes Wide Open,” “Funplex” is exactly what you’d expect from a band known for its singalong choruses and “Keep This Party Going” vibe. “It’s galactic love in future time,” as a typically frivolous lyric from “Love in the Year 3000” states, showing that the B-52’s want to be your party band for the future as well as the present.
    
Any gripes that this isn’t exactly a groundbreaking return after 15 years would be missing the point. The quartet sounds refreshed and vibrant, the tunes—with melodies written by guitarist Keith Strickland aided by lyrics and arrangements from the other three—recall previous hits without sounding overly self-referential, and the vibe is full-tilt goofy, sexy fun. Additionally, these songs will probably sound terrific in concert, the way the band really should be experienced.
   
Which brings us to R.E.M.’s “Accelerate.” It’s an unexpected yet refreshing return to the harder-rocking band that initially captivated fans with the Byrds-style jangle of Peter Buck’s guitar, the obtuse musings of Michael Stipe and Mike Mills’ soulful musicality. If that also sounds like “Monster,” well, that’s a handy reference, regardless of the trio’s protestations to the contrary. These 11 tracks whiz by in a crisp 34 minutes, replacing the pretentious goop that sunk 2004’s turgid “Around the Sun” with a lean, stripped-down approach that hasn’t been heard from these guys in a long time.
   
The album feels vital and of the moment, despite, or maybe because of, typically oblique lyrics such as “I’m a bantamweight with a mouthful of feathers” (from “Horse to Water”).  “Supernatural Superserious” rings and rocks like something from the Bill Berry days, and even mid-album ballads like “Hollow Man,” the acoustic based “Houston” and “Until the Day is Done” feel sharp, focused and energized. The edgy, stark black-and-white graphics exude a gritty and angry style, feelings the songs reflect and refract.
   
On “Funplex” and “Accelerate,” the B-52’s and R.E.M. act like they have something to prove. Neither band coasts on its name recognition, and at least some of the new songs feel like candidates for future “Best of the Later Years” compilations. They may be heading into the sunset of their careers, but these acts refuse to play out those years as caricatures of themselves. Both albums offer welcome proof that whatever was in the water in Athens back in the early ’80s—and based on the talent represented at AthFest 2008, is still swimming there—continues to inspire these musicians to create music that echoes their earlier triumphs without mindlessly duplicating them. Funplex: 3.5 STARS Accelerate: 3.5 STARS

THE B-52’S
True Colors Tour
w/Cyndi Lauper, Rosie O’Donnell, Tegan & Sara, the Cliks
Monday, June 16-Tuesday, June 17
Chastain Park Amphitheatre
$39.50-79.50                                                                                                                

R.E.M.
w/Modest Mouse and the National
Saturday, June 21
Lakewood Amphitheatre
$35-75

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