R.E.M. will release the first live album of its 25-plus year career in October, offering a 2-CD/1 DVD package that captures a Feb. 27, 2005 performance in Dublin, Ireland.

That's great news for fans, and clips from the trailer viewable on the new site dedicated to the release indicate that it is an energetic show, but part of me can't help but wish the band would focus on its forthcoming studio album a bit more. Over the past few years, everything about R.E.M. has been about taking a look back. Sure, when you hit the 25th anniversary mark and get inducted into various halls of fame, that's a natural reaction, but R.E.M. feels like a potentially still vital band, and if that's the case, it should spend as much time looking forward as back.

All of this seems to be a lingering hangover caused by Bill Berry's departure. Since his 1997 exit, the remaining trio has managed just three studio albums. While I recently spun all three and found they held up better than expected (or rather, that two of them did; no amount of time is going to make me grow fond of more than a couple of songs on Around the Sun), none seem to fully tap into the band's talents.; This becomes all the more apparent when listening to the recent best-of collections, And I Feel Fine, which summarized the IRS years, and In Time, which culled the best from the band's Warner Brothers tenure. This new set, simply called R.E.M. Live, is another look back of sorts. The 22-song set list leans heavily on material from Around the Sun, but does offer a smattering of older tracks as well.

The band has released dozens of live tracks over the years as B-sides, iTunes features and, of course, as part of live concert DVDs, so there is no shortage of documentation of its shows (never mind the volumes of bootlegs available). Why this show from this tour? Who knows. If this wasn't the first such document, it would be no puzzler; as the first live album from a band known for its live shows, however, it's a strange choice.

Here's hoping these multiple opportunities to look back will help the band to relearn what it does best. I'm not expecting a complete return to the jangling guitars and inscrutable vocals of old, but it would be nice if the group found a way to better play to its strengths.

Labels: music, R.E.M.