REM Complete new album.

[Guest Angry Baboon]

Aaron Mandel reports:

R.E.M. have taken a page from Michael Moore-- but it's not out of the Unkempt One's script binder, just his calendar. Much as Moore is strategically hoping to put Fahrenheit 9/11 DVDs into circulation a few weeks before this November's presidential election, R.E.M.'s return to new release bins everywhere will take place this October, with a record owing much of its inspiration to political outrage, according to Rolling Stone.

The album is still untitled (as most R.E.M. projects have remained until the last minute), but otherwise nearly complete. Tracks that have been rumored for inclusion at one time or another include "Electron Blue", "Aftermath", "Magnetic North", "Around the Sun", "From a Train", "Make It All OK", "On the Fly", "The Outsiders", "I Wanted to Be Wrong" and "Weatherman". However, the only confirmed tracks at the moment appear to be: "Leaving New York", "Wanderlust", "I'm Gonna DJ" and "Final Straw". That last song has already reached listener ears in an earlier form as part of an online anti-war benefit, but has now been "fleshed out." Yeah, I tried to halt a nation's unstoppable, bloodthirsty rush to battle with a rough draft once, and it totally didn't work. Learn from history, guys.

Stipe calls "Wanderlust" a pop song, adding, "There's been a lot of pop music in 2004 that's really seductive, and you don't have to think all that much about it. I'm all for that." We bet. But Stipe says that politics, from the 1999 WTO riots in Seattle to America's ongoing war in Iraq, left a big mark on his writing process, with results he calls "pretty hard-core, and fairly political."

"As an American, I feel like the angriest pacifist in the world," Stipe told Rolling Stone, "and I don't think I'm alone in that." R.E.M. will reportedly play a series of pro-Kerry benefits between now and November, but locations and dates for those shows are unknown. However, someone might want to inform Stipe that Kerry voted for the Iraq war-- before he voted against it!

This will be the first album that Stipe, Buck and Mills have recorded with their new full-time drummer, William Rieflin. Rieflin is a veteran of bands like Ministry, Lard, Revolting Cocks-- stop us when we get to any band that's ever used a mandolin-- Pigface, KMFDM, Swans, and Nine Inch Nails. His recorded debut with R.E.M. was last year's single "Bad Day", a political rocker we're guessing the new album will have a lot in common with.

Meh. They haven't made a decent album since AFTP, so I'm not expecting anything amazing. I miss Bill Berry as well "Bad Day" was fairly good, but then remember that there were demo recordings of it circulating in 1986. "Animal", however was crap.

I'll probably buy it 'cause it's REM. But be dissapointed.

Still, at least we have Bjork's new album to look forward to

[Summers]

I'll buy it, definately, simply because it is REM, but I agree with you about their newer stuff. I like Bad Day.. but you're right about Animal.

[thatshortguy]

"Up" had some excellent moments, but the album as a whole felt like it was lacking something.

Interesting move in getting Rifelin to hit the skins. I hope he brings some power to the rhythms, which could help the sound evolve without drastically changing.

[Herr Matzat]

i love REM, the only sad thing about them as that the fanbase is so not doing annything at concerts (the music was great, but i felt like sitting on a couch whatching a dvd becfause the only stuff that happend around me was people looking at me in discuss because i was tring to dance and sing along, the wirrdest thing is that i seemed to be the only one that knew the songs from before automatic for the people...)

[TheArsenal]

I just bought their G.H.!!

Now if they release new material then another G.H. album will be along in a year or so. They are after my money. They don't care about me.

[fineintent]

I've been listening to Green a lot lately - I doubt they'll top it, but they can have a good try. I'm looking forward to this...