Around the Sun, released in 2004 through Warner (Bros.) Records, is the thirteenth studio album by American Alternative Rock group R.E.M.. Starting production the year after its predecessor, Reveal, the album was designed with the intention of being the band's statement for the state of the post-9/11 world, with lead singer Michael Stipe describing it as both "uncharted R.E.M. territory" and "primitive howling." This approach would be a marked contrast with the tranquil atmosphere of Reveal, and to many came off as a promise for a modernization of their approach on the highly politicized Document.
However, just as they were due to start work on the album, Warner (Bros.) Records decided to put together the Greatest Hits Album In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 and asked that the band help out with promoting it. As a result, two tracks from their starting sessions, "Bad Day" and "Animal", were put onto the compilation, and the band took a pause on recording to tour in support of it. The concerts were well-regarded, especially after retired drummer Bill Berry made a surprise appearance to play with the band in Raleigh, North Carolina, but by the time the trio got back to the studio with returning producer Pat McCarthy, things were not going so swell.
Exhaustion from touring had burnt out the band, and over the course of their tour, the George W. Bush administration declared war on Iraq. The public jingoism that surrounded the war had already resulted in backlash against both The Chicks and Madonna for speaking against it, leaving the normally outspoken R.E.M. feeling trapped and depressed. However, they still had an album to finish, and they pushed through the following sessions trying to put something presentable together. During this time, they recruited former Ministry drummer Bill Rieflin as a de-facto replacement for Berry, having previously relied on other session musicians and drum machines to fill the percussive void. Rieflin wouldn't be inducted as an official member of the band, but would remain with them on-stage and in the studio until their dissolution in 2011.
Despite their plans for a harder and angrier album with Around the Sun, ultimately the bleak emotional atmosphere surrounding the recording sessions resulted in a melancholic, downtempo sound that permeated the music from beginning to end, in essence carrying the electro-jangle approach of Reveal and the dour tone of Up to an even greater degree.
Around the Sun was supported by four singles: "Leaving New York", "Aftermath", "Electron Blue", and "Wanderlust".
Tracklist:
- "Leaving New York" (4:49)
- "Electron Blue" (4:12)
- "The Outsiders" (4:14)
- "Make It All Okay" (3:44)
- "Final Straw" (4:07)
- "I Wanted to Be Wrong" (4:35)
- "Wanderlust" (3:03)
- "Boy in the Well" (5:22)
- "Aftermath" (3:55)
- "High Speed Train" (5:02)
- "The Worst Joke Ever" (3:38)
- "The Ascent of Man" (4:07)
- "Around the Sun" (4:28)
You threw away the ballast and you troped your boat ashore:
- Big Applesauce: "Leaving New York" is reflective of Michael Stipe's perception of the titular city as his "adoptive hometown."
- Cerebus Syndrome: The album continues the electronic-tinged Jangle Pop of Reveal, but is far more dour and pessimistic than its predecessor.
- Chroma Key: The music video for "Aftermath" revolves around green-screening footage of the band atop camcorder footage, with various glitch effects added onto the former to highlight the artificiality of the visuals.
- Color Motifs: The album art, liner notes, disc tray, and CD label are all predominantly white, carrying on from Reveal's use of the color as a secondary motif.
- Concept Video: The video for "Leaving New York" directly adapts the central story of the song, the lyrics of which were allegorical for Michael Stipe's own experiences leaving his adopted hometown of New York City.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: The punchline of the joke in "The Worst Joke Ever" centers around a cat burglar slipping on an 8-ball and falling on his own knife.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Notably averted: for the first time, the band simply uses standard numbering on all multi-sided formats. They wouldn't revive their former side-naming practice until Collapse into Now in 2011.
- Lyrical Shoehorn: The chorus of "Leaving New York" has the grammatically odd line "leaving was never my proud" (probably meaning "pride", but that wouldn't slant-rhyme with "around" and "down").
- Performance Video: The music video for "Electron Blue" features footage of the band performing on a soundstage, filtered through various TV screens and video effects.
- Protest Song: Most of the album is written with the intent of protesting the George W. Bush and Dick Cheney administration, with "Final Straw" in particular being directed squarely at Bush.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Most of the album was written as a response to 9/11 and The War on Terror.
- Real Men Love Jesus: The narrator of "Make It All Okay" notes how "Jesus loves me," which is then used as a stepping stone into a confident "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Both "Make It All Okay" and "Final Straw" are written as ones towards the Bush administration.
- Shout-Out:
- "The Outsiders" is named after and bases itself on settings and characters from the book of the same name.
- "I Wanted to be Wrong" namedrops the film Westworld and its star, Yul Brynner.
- Sixth Ranger: This album marks the entrance of session drummer Bill Rieflin into the band's dynamic. While never considered an official member, he filled the retired Bill Berry's role as drummer both on-stage and in the studio until R.E.M.'s breakup in 2011 and additionally contributed bouzouki, keyboards and guitars, effectively acting as Berry's replacement.
- Stepford Smiler: The chorus of "Leaving New York" starts with the lines "You might have laughed if I told you / You might have hidden a frown."
- Stock Jokes: "The Worst Joke Ever" revolves around one, with the lyrics describing it as having been over-told to the extent where it's no longer funny by any stretch of the imagination.
- Stop and Go: Done on "The Outsiders" to separate Michael Stipe's sung vocals from Q-Tip's guest rap verse at the end.
- Take That!: "Final Straw" is a big one towards the George W. Bush administration.
- Title Track: One of only two instances of this trope in the band's discography, the other being Accelerate just after this.
- Uncommon Time: The chorus of "Wanderlust" alternates between 7/4 and 4/4.
- A Wild Rapper Appears!: Q-Tip provides a rap verse on "The Outsiders"; in live performances, Michael Stipe typically performed the rap himself.
- The X of Y: "The Ascent of Man"
