R.E.M. news - yay

Umm dude I believe REM still have time left to "break up when the drummer dies."

Also: is it just me, or has Stipe's voice progressed kind of backwards? He spent his youth being husky and mumbly, and slowly converted into bleaty projection and clarity -- it's hard to imagine him now getting back at the vocal tone of those early songs.

("Progressed backwards" meaning over his life span, of course -- it seems like aging usually makes people more soft and husky.)

Umm dude I believe REM still have time left to "break up when the drummer dies."

Gee, you'd think I was making a joke or something.

Heavens! ;)

Sorry! He had that whole brain-aneurysm thing, I thought maybe you thought he died then!

I saw Zombie Bill Berry play on the Monster tour and didn't notice a difference

You know what's weird? Really weird? Right now I find myself wishing R.E.M. made another album that sounded exactly like Monster. If you think about, in all this time since 1994 not a single band has made an album that sounded like that (vox amp + digital delay as the main instrument).

no, there have plenty of shitty albums since 1994 duder

we don't need more shitty albums

haven't their past couple tours been pretty tragic affairs, scissors kick notwithstanding? i mean, they did that one where they took all those requests...and they played the liacouras center at temple u. i'd go if they played the tower again tho.

i think i saw the last three u.s. tours and they've all been great!

R.E.M. could have been the college rock Led Zeppelin if they just broke up when the drummer died. Instead they're the college rock Stones, right down to OMG THEY DID PARACHUTE WOMAN.

otm

for some reason it didn't surprise me that they hadn't played harbourcoat since 1985. then i realized that i last saw them in 1985.

http://remhq.com/news_story.php?id=1225

10. 15. 10
COLLAPSE INTO NOW
The band's new record, slated for a spring 2011 release, will be titled COLLAPSE INTO NOW. BBC6Music first reported the title following a conversation with Bertis who was in Manchester earlier this week for In The City, a music business conference.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Y'all, that album title is complete ass. But I'm still cautiously optimistic about the music contained within.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/bzzagent-bzzscapes-prod/collapse-into-cool--lrg.png

Since their titles are often thematically relevant to the album, what will "Collapse Into Now" signify? Are they conceding to commercial reality by duetting with Rihanna?

Their ability to write a tune has dropped off, unfortunately. The last album had all the LRP/Document sound but no tunes. Has anyone ever grilled Stipe on his use of lyric stand...even now? The Dublin shows notwithstanding their setlists recently have been ass given the back catalogue.

Yeah, I liked Accelerate for a number of listens but I only find myself going back to a handful of songs now. The bridges in particular are really rote. God that new title is awful. Cautiously optimistic in spite of everything.

1. “Discoverer”
2. “All The Best”
3. “Uberlin”
4. “Oh My Heart”
5. “It Happened Today” (featuring Eddie Vedder)
6. “Every Day Is Yours To Win”
7. “Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter” (featuring Peaches and Lenny Kaye)
8. “Walk It Back”
9. “Mine Smell Like Honey”
10. “That Someone Is You”
11. “Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I”
12. “Blue” (featuring Patti Smith)

That's the tracklist for Collapse Into Now. http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2010/11/24/rem-collapse-into-now-tracklist-new-album/

Track 7 is a joke right?

9. “Mine Smell Like Honey”

.. what do yourn smell like?

'Mine Smell Like Honey' was the one that made me think this might be a joke. This is probably going to terrible but I'm still strangely looking forward to it, especially the Patti Smith collaboration.

I suspect I'll be wishing Stipe would go back to being a mumbler before this is all over.

Also people need to stop letting Jacknife Lee produce things.

Oh, I liked his prod/remix of Badly Drawn Boy's "Born Again" more than the original. But they didn't release it beyond promo.

Thought for a second that said "featuring Danny Kaye" and thought Stipe was getting into some Natalie/Nat King Cole duet-with-a-zombie shit.

well it does say 'featuring peaches' so you're still right

It's peaches the tinned fruit not the singer Peaches.

Read it as "(featuring Peaches and Lenny Beige)" myself.

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/30/article-1269972408037-08EF542C000005DC-731652_636x300.jpg

I hear the song features an interpolation of the Stranglers song. Plus Lenny Kaye.

you can get the opening track at remhq.com -- sounds ok? kinda has an all tomorrow's parties piano thing going on.

thanks, tyler. with a heavy heart and depressingly low expectations, i'm going to listen now.

I like Monster so this new track isn't half bad. they seem to have the classic middle aged rocker problem with thinking hooks are better than they actually are but the guitars sound nice. And the overall sound isn't nearly as horrible as those overcompressed Accelerate tracks.

How long did it take you guys to get your email? I'm still waiting, 15 minutes later.

i got the email within minutes.

it's still the same dreadful producer as on the last album, no?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uMf-JxR5mQ

did they get confused about which old-in-the-way alt-dinosaur they are and accidentally make a bloated throwback to 1983 U2?

thx!

Okay, I'm surprisingly WAY into this.

Guessing true believers will find it worth comparing to Green

This song is terrible. Too many guitars and Stipe needs to sing less or be buried in the mix more. The new Duran Duran album is great though.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

they're utterly lost. and for me, there was a time -- not that long ago -- that this band could do no wrong whatsoever.

The new Duran Duran album is great though.

I've never been a big fan, but I can tell they're at least trying to be good again.

This song is terrible.

RONG-O

yeah definitely didn't sound terrible to me. kinda stadium rock REM, but pretty good.

there was a time -- not that long ago -- that this band could do no wrong whatsoever.

I've always loved the Eponymous album but their proper albums never struck me as being without flaws. In fact, I think Murmur kind of sucks, and I've yet to find one that I like cover to cover. Any recommendations?

I agree with the Green thing mentioned before...kind of a Green/Monster hybrid-type song. I like the guitar sound a lot.

It's kinda like they took the hooks and organ out of "Turn You Inside Out"

xp Cover-to-cover, my favorite is probably Green.

I think Murmur kind of sucks
crazy talk!

totally meh

and yeah res gotta b trollin)

natch

they never really stopped being an incredible live band imo. live versions of "walk unafraid" really cook, they're the reason its still one of my favorite r.e.m. songs

Clearly it was of interest to a lot of people or it wouldn't have been compiled and released. Unfortunately for me, I don't care to hear anything live from REM after 1991. Country Feedback being the exception, so good shout on that 7min version. I am very happy others are excited. It's good to be excited.

I could do without a couple of the Around the Sun tracks, but that's about it. Live versions of the 1998-2004 stuff have generally been better versions.

a seven minute "country feedback" from 1998 is not going to suck

Is it the Neil Young one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CERhzm6t7I

https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/05/michael-stipe-new-songs-webster-hall-video-performance/

The fact that he's doing something is brilliant news. It'd be a shame if he'd let that great voice of his go to waste.

Producer Marc Urselli posted this seven weeks ago on his Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwhxx9GHL2U/?hl=en

I love my musical life: yesterday I was in Oslo listening to extreme metal today I’m in New York City recording the mesmerizing #BillFrisell @billfrisellsmusic at @eastsidesoundstudios with the revolutionary producer @willnerh #HalWillner doing to overdubs for #MichaelStipe of #REM

No more info though...

Up vinyl preorders are presumably coming this week (maybe even Tuesday morning). FINALLY