 were reluctant to pin down the style of the new album so as not to create wayward expectations.The new material featured in the Dublin concerts demonstrated a much more stripped-down, guitar-driven sound than had been featured on the band's recent releases, and Mike Mills indicated that the shows gave a good indication of the band's direction.Stipe said his lyrics on "Accelerate" were inspired by the contemporary state of the nation, saying, "When the empire is going down the toilet, it's easy to write great, angry songs."