If you’re passionate about music, as I am, you tend to view time spent listening to a band as a sort of bizarre relationship, whether it be a casual flirtation or a full blown romance. Just so long as it doesn’t turn into a case of stalking, all is fair.

I’ve been following R.E.M. for over two decades now, since the night I stumbled upon their first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman (when they played “South Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” before it even had a name). From that day on, I was hooked, slavishly devoted to the Georgian quartet’s effortless melodies and Peter Buck’s chiming, Byrd-ish guitar textures.

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It’s so hard for a young, unknown band to get some exposure these days. Thankfully, there’s the Colbert Bump, the inevitable rise in popularity one receives after appearing on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

The latest recipients of this prestigious honour are R.E.M., currently flogging their latest studio project, Accelerate.

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