REM, Around the Sun - While this is far from the best thing REM have ever done, Around the Sun has been unfairly treated by the music press. Sure, it's a bit slow, and sure, the rhythm and tempo seems to remain the same throughout much of the record, but its success is in its subtlety and its quiet emotions. On first listen, certainly, this seemed a bit of a bland offering, but, after a few plays, the sadness and passion of the lyrics start to show as do the more quiet twists and turns of the melodies. This record is a sad and yearning REM, unhappy with American politics and displaying a sense of longing and restlessness. It eschews some of the noisier sounds of recent albums for an almost alt.country feel in places which sometimes works (High Speed Train) and sometimes falls flat (Wanderlust). Overall, it's worth giving this album a few listens because you will find it growing on you.