As my new copy of Accelerate spins, I must admit I find myself warming to it. The ambitious marketing juggernaut unleashed by the band hasn't hurt, as hearing these songs in a number of different contexts over the past couple of weeks -- and more so in the last two days -- has endeared them to me. Yes, it's a copy of sorts of the band's past work, with all of the requisite loss of quality inherent in duplication, but it has hooked me in ways the post-Bill Berry discs have not. That said, I'm not reversing my earlier judgment that it only bests Around the Sun in ranking of the band's 14 albums. It's more fun and immediate than Up or Reveal, but it's not a better piece of art. Simply a better product.

For those hoping to catch up and dive in, you can see the band perform three songs live on this morning's "Today" show here:

"Losing My Religion"
"Supernatural Superserious"
"Hollow Man"

They also are the subject of the latest Take Away Show. You can see individual songs here:

"Until the Day Is Done"
"Living Well Is the Best Revenge"
"On the Fly" (previously unreleased track)
"Houston"
"Sing for the Submarine"

The Take Away team also filmed the video for "Supernatural Superserious," which has its own web site where you can view several acoustic performances of the song as the band and crew roam through Athens, Ga.

Labels: music, R.E.M.