R.E.M.

Advance word pegged this disc as "political," but beyond the pointed lyrics in "Final Straw," the messages are oblique -- which is good news for those who find the band most mesmerizing when they have no idea what Michael Stipe's on about. The band's strongest set in years features pretty, mid-tempo tunes that let the melodies and minor chords do the bulk of the talking.

The first few seconds of R.E.M.'s Around the Sun nearly retrace the opening to rock's
archetypal power ballad, Aerosmith's "Dream On." As the song, "Leaving New York,"
continues, R.E.M. sound remarkably like multiplatinum-era early-Nineties R.E.M. -- the band
that knew how to combine diffuse lyrics and sonics with hooks and primal rock grooves
better than anyone else. On Around the Sun, that intrinsically R.E.M.-y vibe mak... More >

At last the pop album nostalgics are always bitching about, and it's an improvement ("Around the Sun," "Leaving New York"). (Grade - **)