▁return ▁to ▁its ▁previous ▁sound , ▁gave ▁Acc eler ate ▁an ▁eight ▁out ▁of ▁ 1 0 ▁rating , ▁con cluding ▁" Acc eler ate ▁is ▁by ▁some ▁considerable ▁distance ▁R . E . M .' s ▁best ▁and ▁most ▁coh es ive ▁album ▁since ▁[ former ▁drum mer ] ▁Bill ▁Ber ry ▁left , ▁and ▁cru cially ▁echo es ▁a ▁time ▁when ▁they ▁made ▁their ▁best ▁music , ▁if ▁not ▁necessarily ▁their ▁biggest - s elling ." ▁Q ▁rev iewer ▁Keith ▁Camer on ▁wrote ▁that ▁unlike ▁Ar ound ▁the ▁Sun , ▁" Acc eler ate ▁is ▁the ▁sound ▁of ▁a ▁band ▁having ▁enjoyed ▁a ▁good ▁word ▁with ▁themselves — and ▁us ." ▁Camer on ▁described ▁the ▁album ' s ▁first ▁three ▁songs ▁as ▁" power ful ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁ 1 9 8 6 ' s ▁L if es ▁Rich ▁Page ant ," ▁but ▁commented ▁that ▁the ▁album ▁suff ers ▁through ▁a ▁" mid way ▁dip ▁that ▁aff lic ts ▁even ▁the ▁best ▁R . E . M . ▁album ." ▁ ▁Time ▁rev iewer ▁Josh ▁T yr ang iel ▁pra ised ▁guitar ist ▁Buck ' s ▁" res urg ence " ▁and ▁" prop uls ive ▁r iffs ," ▁but ▁also ▁wrote , ▁" R . E . M .' s ▁ 1 4 th ▁album ▁never ▁quite ▁generates ▁the ▁mo ody ▁atmos pher ics ▁of ▁their ▁first ▁ 1 0 ; ▁it ' s ▁a ▁little ▁hard ▁to ▁lose ▁yourself ▁in ▁something ▁that ▁doesn ' t ▁pause ▁long