R.E.M. sind zurück im Studio!
R.E.M. Recording in Portland with Tucker Martine!
Okay, take a deep breath. Now read the headline once again. It’s rare that I get starstruck in a city like Portland that’s, in reality, a pretty small place, but this news is just too exciting not to share. Last week, R.E.M.—one of the best rock bands of all-time, the most consistent act of the 1980s, and a huge personal favorite—were in town lay down the foundation for what might become its 15th studio album.
Better yet, the band is working with producer Tucker Martine, who’s been at the helm of some of my favorite records (Laura Gibson’s Beasts of Seasons, Thao’s We Brave Bee Stings And All) the last few years. I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon in March hanging out in Martine’s home studio, and I know that he’s also a huge R.E.M. fan. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime, really. I dropped Martine a line and here’s what he said:
„Yes, it’s true—the band is in town fleshing out songs for their next record. We are tracking at Jackpot. It might just be demos but hopefully we’ll get something good enough for the next record but the band is working quickly, definitely putting feeling over precision and it sounds amazing. It’s all pretty low key and under the radar but I can confirm that they are in town kicking around ideas for the next record. I’m delighted to be taking part.“
R.E.M.’s last effort was 2008’s Accelerate, a sort of underrated return to form after two pretty mediocre (okay, Around the Sun kind sucks, but it’s still Michael Stipe singing) records. It was also the band’s biggest rock push to date, an updated version of its classic jangle-rock sound with a bit more distortion and pep in Peter Buck’s classic Rickenbacker guitar. I’m not sure how the band got in touch with Martine, but Buck is in Portland quite a bit these days, playing with the Minus 5 and stopping to catch a show every once in a while. How exciting! More updates on the project coming later this week.
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Until you risk it you don't know what it is.