REM: 'Supernatural Superserious'

It feels a little unfair to deride a band that have been making high-quality music as long as REM for losing their rock 'n' roll bite. Since their classic 1983 debut Murmur, they've given us 12 further studio albums, with record 14 - Accelerate - due next month. Along the way, they've topped the bill at pretty much every festival, headlined football stadiums and baseball grounds the world over and produced the greatest self-indulgent/heart-warming/suicide-inducing anthem of all time with 'Everybody Hurts'. Unfortunately, some time around 1998's Up, REM's energy levels started to flag. Around The Sun, the group's last album, showcased a band that had lost its mojo, sounding lethargic and placid.

Fortunately, it appears REM felt the same way, because 'Supernatural Superserious' pilfers liberally from the band's back catalogue to form their best single in nearly a decade. With hints of their '80s indie janglings, the gritty snarl of their Monster album and the melodic bounce of more recent material, the band sound like a bunch of young whippersnappers rather than wrinkle-defiant fortysomethings they are. Michael Stipe's lyrics are at their life-affirming best, ensuring 'Super' will sit comfortably alongside the hits on the group's next trek around the world's stadiums. While we'll have to wait for the full album to christen this a 'return to form', this single suggests we wouldn't be foolish to get our hopes up.