Well, the theme this past twelve, eighteen months or so seems to have been “hearing from old friends”, and now i hear these old friends are coming out with a new album that is a “return to form”. Also, hearteningly, it seems Michael is as disappointed in their last album as i was, or nearly so. Maybe he wasn't disgusted like i was. I’m one of the untold thousands of people with an “i met them before they were famous” story (yeah, i know) but it’s been interesting to follow their career! Has it really been 26 years? And see how they have managed wearing the heavy mantle of “multiplatinum multimedia important artist / celebrity” status.
Even to the point of appearing on The Simpsons. Right up there with al gore. And the counting crows... Ed. But was al gore ever on sesame street? I ask you. Anyway, I went through being a friend, to being a fan, to being formerly both, and have come to rest maybe as somebody who has a history with them but can just observe them calmly and perhaps appreciate what they are doing in an abstract sense. i mean, none of us is ever going to be quite the fist-pumping, screaming REM fans we were around about “lifes rich pageant”... and shit, i’m old, the last thing i was fist-pumping and screaming about was guided by voices, or maybe a good sandwich... but from everything i’ve heard so far, “accelerate” may actually be worthy of, yikes! Going out to the store and buying. Must do that... I am old school what can I say...