Completely and Utterly Blog-Worthy.....

A guest post (that I didn't tell him I was posting) from Dan Riley....

Hi wifey poo and SIL,

I wrote a music review. I don't have a blog so I'm sending it to you guys. (I basically write in legalese. Forgive me.)

The new R.E.M. album "Accelerate" is probably the greatest thing I've heard in a long time. I had given them up for washed out fifty year olds with their best years behind them... like when I was 11. This album is just great solid rock music and it's just perfect R.E.M. Every single song on this album is better than every single song since "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight." (I didn't even buy the last one thanks to iTunes giving me a heads up on how shitty it was.) Anyway, this album is their best since "Out of Time." Wait. It's better than "Out of Time." It has its own "Losing My Religion," "Orange Crush," and "End of the World as We Know It" (without the fast talking though). They're like "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" but all much much better written songs with even better guitars. Recorded in their home town of Athens, GA, the drums and bass thunder and thunder and pound out 3 minute song after 3 minute song, with powerful lyrics and Stipe's one-of-a-kind voice. When the bass stops pumping, the guitars whale and squeak with feedback and distortion. The slow parts on this album are few and far between but they are all either really tense or really beautiful. There's no slow introspective bullshit on this album. While that may have its time and place, it's not here. (No "Everybody Hurts" on this album). Also, it seems like because of their age they've developed a real classic sound. Before this album, R.E.M. had enough songs for 1 greatest hits album; now they can do a two-disc set... with every single song on this album as one of the discs. I listen to it over and over. I walk around with the dog listening to this. I don't even care if you like R.E.M. or not. Lesli, either download it or let me know if you want me to burn you one, I'll give it to you this weekend (thanks for coming by the way -- you're the best). I can't figure out what song is my favorite -- I can't go into them because they're just too good and unique. Just listen to it.

Love, Your significant other or brother-in-law