Around The Sun
by R.E.M.
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 112
  3. Negative: 14 out of 112

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  1. stefano
    Oct 6, 2004
    5
    Dull and uninspired.
  2. thomasm
    Oct 6, 2004
    5
    quiet and peacefull, something for the background, no peaks, no lows
  3. michaels
    Feb 21, 2005
    4
    Don't hate the band; hate the album.
  4. IbanL
    Oct 5, 2006
    4
    As a huge R.E.M. fan, "Around The Sun" was such a disappointment. Though it is true that the departure of Berry in 1997 was a difficult moment, the other three members proved that they were able to get over that and continue producing good music (not nearly as good as in their peak, but good). The dark "Up" and the summery "Reveal" were both interesting records, with flaws, but with a As a huge R.E.M. fan, "Around The Sun" was such a disappointment. Though it is true that the departure of Berry in 1997 was a difficult moment, the other three members proved that they were able to get over that and continue producing good music (not nearly as good as in their peak, but good). The dark "Up" and the summery "Reveal" were both interesting records, with flaws, but with a general good impression. But this is definitely not the case of "Around The Sun". Certainly, I don't consider ATS to be a horrible record or a record I hate, but it is quite lifeless and offers very little to the listener. There are a few of interesting songs but nothing really stands out, while there are some big flaws. My feeling about this record is not positive, but I still have faith on R.E.M. and I hope the next record will go back to the rocker and better sound. After all, they're a great band.… Expand
  5. BenJ
    Oct 12, 2004
    4
    Either a compact disc or a sedative - sometimes it's hard to tell. This is marginally better than "Reveal", but that's really not saying much. This is really the sound of a once relevant band slipping in to dreary instrumentation and scrabbling around for a decent hook.
  6. Randeh
    Oct 14, 2004
    6
    Not as bad as the metascore suggests but nonetheless definitely not REM at their finest. Maybe its that its just too slow for me, but you get the feeling that Stipe really has become lost. Who knows, if you're tolerant enough to give this album a few listens maybe it really will become as good as they say, but thats a big if.
  7. V.Z.
    Oct 27, 2004
    4
    My girlfriend and I started to listen to the CD. It was boring. We decided to have sex. That was pretty cool.
  8. jules
    Dec 9, 2004
    5
    Many of the positive reviews here describe how I felt about "UP" - not immediately accessible but over time beautiful and interesting in a low key scattered kinda way. Also it was a first after Bill left and these living legends obviously needed time to adjust. "Reveal" showed them getting more upbeat and remembering melody, a fine thinking person's summer disc, but still...This Many of the positive reviews here describe how I felt about "UP" - not immediately accessible but over time beautiful and interesting in a low key scattered kinda way. Also it was a first after Bill left and these living legends obviously needed time to adjust. "Reveal" showed them getting more upbeat and remembering melody, a fine thinking person's summer disc, but still...This latest is sadly plain mediocre - not bad but average enough. Pretty and maudlin does not a decent album make. Where is this depth? I think fans are looking into the mirror of their expectations of a once hugely important band - complements to the depth and effort of these fans, but best look elsewhere for the profound and moving works these lads once turned out and made it look easy. It obviously isn't easy judging from this latest effort.… Expand
  9. bobc
    May 22, 2005
    5
    alot of mediocre material - they set the bar high and this one falls very short. great song - leaving ny. can't remember being this dissapointed with a new rem disc
  10. Daxr
    Feb 13, 2006
    6
    r.e.m. need to do what made them great. the last to albums have just sounded too clean production-wise. mumble, mix the vocals low, and tone down the studio sheen a little bit. then they can do whatever they want with organs, beeps, and blips, sequenced drums, etc. at least the songwriting on reveal was still pretty strong for the most part. here it's uniformly as weak as it's r.e.m. need to do what made them great. the last to albums have just sounded too clean production-wise. mumble, mix the vocals low, and tone down the studio sheen a little bit. then they can do whatever they want with organs, beeps, and blips, sequenced drums, etc. at least the songwriting on reveal was still pretty strong for the most part. here it's uniformly as weak as it's ever been at the lowest points in the past. this is the only r.e.m. album that has ever been even remotely disappointing. after bill left i planned on being disappointed with up, and while it had its weak points, it still had some of those truly great songs that you can still remember hearing for the first time. i thought reveal couldn't keep up, and while it didn't quite have the highs, it was a more solid effort overall. this just feels like a placeholder. just a bunch of songs, some decent, some boring, thrown onto a cd. whatever.… Expand
  11. SteveR
    Oct 13, 2004
    5
    Are Buck and Mills even on this album? It sounds like computer-generated R.E.M. with Stipe over the top. For an album full of love-hate songs and political statements it's suprisingly flat. It's hard to the buy the raw emotion of the lyrics when the songs sound this painstakingly over-produced. Too much studio tinkering always kills the passion. Unless you're Eno and Lanois.
  12. svenjolly
    Nov 25, 2010
    4
    This is a bad r.e.m. album. it's not a bad album period, but for r.e.m., a band which had previously never made albums that were less than solid and were usually incredibly unique listening experiences, it's a let-down. Nothing about this album is unique or original, either in the short term or long term. the album retains the electronics and technicalities of up and reveal, yet whereThis is a bad r.e.m. album. it's not a bad album period, but for r.e.m., a band which had previously never made albums that were less than solid and were usually incredibly unique listening experiences, it's a let-down. Nothing about this album is unique or original, either in the short term or long term. the album retains the electronics and technicalities of up and reveal, yet where those albums sounded rich and even somewhat organic, this one sounds stale and compressed. In the context of rock history, damn, this album sounds like it could've been a #1 record in 1988 (Dream of Life, anyone?). Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA and even the more recent The Rising also come to my mind. The running order of tracks on Around the Sun, that's a whole new problem. seriously, who decided that leaving new york qualified as the opening track for the album (unless it was for the sheer sake of 9/11 sympathy)? It's a solid ballad with very passionate vocals from Michael Stipe - although it could've been sped up a little. Electron Blue sounds much more like an opening track, even though it isn't very good. the outsiders is just as dull and uninspired, but the q-tip cameo feels completely out-of-place in an r.e.m. world and is uncomfortable to listen to. Make it All OK sounds really similar to the previous song, and, alas, so too does the next song Final Straw. Finally we get an eventful-sounding redeeming piece with I Wanted To Be Wrong, which is pleasant earcandy and great for relaxing. (When the drums kick in, it reminds me very much of their song 'Tongue' off of Monster). Wander Lust is another sub-par song with stipey choosing the most awkward notes vocally. The Boy In The Well is okay, but its Aftermath that steals the show on this album. Definitely one of the more upbeat tunes here, the melody is memorable and stipe's vocals and lyrics are highly emotional. A real keeper of a song, despite the nearly distracting overproduction which is a mainstay on this album. High Speed Train is creepy but, again, isn't very original in context of the album and not very r.e.m.-like. The Worst Joke Ever is pretty good, another minor highlight, with some of stipe's best singing on the album. The Ascent of Man is the sound of 50-year-old men trying to sound sexy. it's not very impressive. Finally, Around the Sun ends the album on a decidedly uneventful note. This is a monotonous album, in one of the worst ways possible. almost every single song is a ballad of some sort, and most of the songs are largely drum-less (still understandable at this point) and SLOW. So flow is, eh... Again, this has a lot to do with the production, which is dedicated to making the band sound as urban, industrial and U2-esque as possible. The lyrics as well are less obscure and more in line with the kind of lyrics Bono would write around this same time. R.E.M. are a pop band, for sure, but only by coincidence. They were huge in the late '80s and '90s because they made songs that were really darn catchy, not because they 'sounded' like everything else (their biggest hit was carried by a chorus-less tune carried by a mandolin, for god sakes!). With this album, they sound like the stereotypical kind of pop music, a brand just like any boy band in the market. The elements of the original R.E.M. are for sure in here (buck's chiming guitar, mills' backing vocals and bass), but they are buried and hard to locate in the heavy mix of glossy synthesizers. More than ever, the lack of enthusiasm (and bill berry) shows. It seems that, for the majority of this album, Michael Stipe's voice is the only saving grace. For the not serious R.E.M. fan, these tunes should do just fine, but for the real fans, we deserve a better collection of songs. Thank god the band understood that and released their huge comeback in 2008 with 'Accelerate' (still had some overproduction issues, but this time the songs were actually REALLY GOOD!). Verdict: The worst R.E.M. made so far. Dull, monotonous, and sorely lacking in the old-fashioned R.E.M. style. It already sounds incredibly dated. Don't buy the album, unless you're REALLY curious and a risk-taker. Highlights: Leaving New York, I Wanted to Be Wrong, Aftermath… Expand
  13. finulanu
    Jul 22, 2011
    4
    R.E.M.'s worst to date, despite quality material like "Leaving New York" sprinkling up occasionally. Most of these are just poorly written piano ballads that make me long for the days when an R.E.M. ballad meant "Perfect Circle," "Camera," "Wendell Gee" or most of Automatic for the People, not "I Wanted to Be Wrong" or "Boy in the Well."
  14. Batters
    Feb 23, 2022
    6
    Самая слабая работа группы. К сожалению, я здесь даже практически не слышу любимого Миллса, а песни не запоминаются от слова совсем. Да, есть несколько удачных, но не более того.

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed Album of 2004
52
#52 Most Shared Album of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 27
  3. Negative: 3 out of 27
  1. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    The first REM album to really disappoint. [2 Oct 2004, p.60]
  2. ShakingThrough.net
    56
    Its sporadic pockets of accessibility aside, it's difficult to listen to Around the Sun without hearing it as a holding pattern, or worse, a piece of product released simply to keep the R.E.M. brand out among the public.
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  3. Playlouder
    70
    R.E.M. still have the remarkable distinction of never once producing a bad album, but this is perhaps the biggest example yet of the group merely treading water, whereas once they majestically swam.
    Read full review
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