Around The Sun - R.E.M.
Around The Sun Image
Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 100 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: 'Sun' is the 13th studio disc for R.E.M., who are joined here by frequent collaborators Ken Stringfellow and Scott McCaughey. Q-Tip also guest raps on "The Outsiders."

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 27
  3. Negative: 3 out of 27
  1. Uncut
    80
    Often recalls 1992's Automatic For The People in its sobriety of purpose. [Nov 2004, p.100]
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  2. Under The Radar
    60
    The less a-political songs fall far short of REM's extremely high standards. [#8, p.111]
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  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    The first REM album to really disappoint. [2 Oct 2004, p.60]
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  4. Dot Music
    30
    Repeated plays just refuse to reveal hidden depths. There aren‘t any. “Around The Sun” is just a really poor album, probably the first one that this band has ever put out.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 70
  3. Negative: 9 out of 70
  1. Collingsj
    10
    a master piece
  2. JonasH.
    8
    I'm a general fan of a lot of REM's music, and I must admit I disagree this is one of their worst albums. Although they have let down their old-school rock style, it's still great.… Expand
  3. ricco94
    7
    Around The Sun is NOT Sh*t. OK, that's the worst album R.E.M. have ever made, but it's not so horrible as people says. The problem is the limp sound, but the songs are ok. Leaving New York and Aftermath are very good, and there other songs that don't sound bad (Electron Blue, Final Straw, ecc.)
    Always better than that garbage we must listen now.    … Expand
  4. finulanu
    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."… Expand

See all 70 User Reviews

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