Michael Stipe of R.E.M. is sporting an Ipod and man bag during the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Perhaps he downloaded some old R.E.M. for inspiration for the new albulm titled “Accelerate.”

R.E.M. Accelerate I was a huge R.E.M. fan all the way up to the “Losing My Religion” stage, but the mandolin got really old really fast for me. Then they announced a return to the guitar-driven past with 1994's Monster. I was excited, but ultimately disappointed and decided that the band had just moved into an area that wasn't for me. Now and than there'd be a song I liked,  but  not  really  as  an  R.E.M.  song. 

I missed the jangle of the guitar and the movement of the bass guitar around the drums as the backing vocals ran melodically through the  bathroom  down  the  hall  while  Stipe's lyrics mumbled and fell all over the place without  always  making  sense  even  when clear. Can you see where this is going? Yeah, you  can. 

The  old  R.E.M.  is  back  with Accelerate. Some of the songs might sound toomuch like their older material, but I just can't seem muster any venom for the fact that they might be stealing from themselves. What I love more than anything else is the production. It just plain soundslike their older stuff. It's as if they went back to the older recording facilities and used the older instruments and microphones. All that's missing is Bill Berry's drumming. It's close enough really, but I can imagine that I can hear the difference. 84/100.

Apple just announced that it's surpassed Wal-Mart to become the number one seller of music in the U.S. (And that's not just online folks.)  Then  there's  Netflix,  TiVo,  Dish, Cable, Podcasting, Online Streaming, Pirate Bay, KaZaaa, Xbox 360, PS3, GBA, PSP, Wii, etc. etc. So many outlets, so many formats... so much STUFF!  (Just don’t get a man bag to sport it.) As this column transitions into a multimedia review, I'm going to be all over the place.  Games,  movies,  some  music  and maybe even my current favorite bottle of beer or scotch. Spoilers will be avoided, games not always  completely  beaten  and  opinions always be my own and subject to change over time.  (My  Game/DVD/Multi  media  review continues on pg. 17.)

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