R.E.M. I.S. S.T.I.L.L. G.O.O.D.

Normally, I wouldn't get too deep into this discussion, because it has a way of rankling some people, but after casting about the web for worthy music news only to discover that Michael Jackson's death and American Idol are still the big talking points, it's kind of refreshing to see that R.E.M. is still on the scene. They have a new double live album, R.E.M. Live at the Olympia, which was recorded in Dublin as they were finishing up their triumphant return to rock form LP from last year, Accelerate. The album (the band's second double live set in recent years, following the not-that-killer R.E.M. Live) was recorded in between recording and touring, as they were beginning to wrap their minds around these new, fast songs as things to live on stage alongside their beloved old material. The tour eventually incorporated nine out of Accelerate's 11 songs per night, and unlike most bands with heroic catalogs, R.E.M.'s show did not derail when they whipped out the new stuff. It was a glorious sight to see.