<body><![CDATA[If Democratic speech writers were selling this record, their slogan would be ΓÇ£ItΓÇÖs midday in AmericaΓÇ¥. REM are about to go on the Vote for Change tour, campaigning for John Kerry in the US presidential elections, and Around the Sun is, albeit obliquely, their State of the Union address. As a result, UK listeners may take a while tuning into its careworn, yet poignantly optimistic ballads. Songs such as Leaving New York, Electron Blue and I Wanted To Be Wrong swoon with regret, contrition and a ΓÇ£hurt deep down that has not been correctedΓÇ¥. As a lyricist, Michael Stipe experiences the usual liberal dilemma: how can you be critical without appearing unpatriotic? ThereΓÇÖs nothing as overt here as Automatic for the PeopleΓÇÖs Drive and Ignoreland (being a spokesman doesnΓÇÖt come easy), but the aim of Final Straw is unmistakable: ΓÇ£I canΓÇÖt believe where circumstance has thrown me / Then I turned my head away / If I look IΓÇÖm not sure that I could face you / Not again, not todayΓÇ¥. The classic REM sound is stripped back to acoustic piano figures and epic drumming (part programmed, part played by session musician Bill Rieflin), with Peter BuckΓÇÖs electric guitar often only a background fog. Whatever the electoral outcome, put money on mood-defining tracks such as The Boy in the Well being heard over end credits during the next series of The Sopranos. ItΓÇÖs thoroughly reflective stuff. Click <a href="asfunction:Tardis.webPageOpen,http://www.remhq.com"><b>here</b></a> to visit the official REM website. Click on Ghosts in the machine in the left-hand panel for Mark EdwardsΓÇÖs feature on how bands, REM among them, deal with the departure of one of their number.Michael Stipe picture<br>Andy Butterton/PA; other images Warner Records]]></body>
