I could go to this...

I really don't want to see Modest Mouse ever again in their current iteration.

It's unlikely I will go to this.

Do it. A fantastic venue (obvs.) and I flew out for both the '99 and '03 REM shows there. Considering the Twin Cities got skipped again (I know, I know, we had Vote for Change but the ATS tour bypassed us) I'll probably go out there again. Maybe Vancouver, though. I dunno. I usually get fanclub seats for two different shows, so not sure how to allocate them this time around.

READ THIS EARLY WORD ON ACCELERATE:

http://perpetua.tumblr.com/post/25020780

I am pitched goosed excited now.

yeah, uhm, these tickets need to go on sale already.

or they need to announce sasquatch already and have my prediction come true.

Ugh, that sounds terrible actually. Over-compressed mall rock?

This needs to leak already. Promo copies are out. I can't help but falling for all this "return to form" hype. Really want to hear this record.
First single is streaming on pitchfork

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/forkcas...rserious-stream

I really like the bass line and the harmonies. Pretty much I really like mike mills on this. The guitar is kinda generic though.

Well, at least all the hype for Mike Mills harmonies being back is accurate so far.

I like this. It's not earth-shattering, but it's a really good number. Especially after the last two discs.

Very promising.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gn9egbhq2XU

Trailer for the album.

R.E.M. Headquarters
February 6th
Athens, GA

HELLO FROM R.E.M. HQ!

On Monday, February 11th, we will announce details of R.E.M.'s forthcoming European
tour on remhq.com. On that same day we will also e-mail fan club members with details
of an exclusive Fan Club ticket pre-sale which will take place on Tuesday, February 12th,
at 9:00AM (GMT).

PLEASE HAVE YOUR PASSWORD READY

To participate in the Fan Club pre-sale, members will need their e-mail address and
password.

Please take this opportunity to make sure you have your Fan Club password handy. If
you are not sure of your password, please visit http://remtickets.sandbag.uk.com/ to
retrieve it.

Stay tuned for tour and presale details coming your way on Monday, February 11th!

having signed up for the fan club like a month ago, i haven't gotten that email. should i contact someone about that or just let it go? i mean, i went to the link and i logged in there, no problem.

still...i want my emails!

Is the presale for the North American tour or the European tour? The email leaves it pretty vague.

Just heard now on 'XRT. If it's generic guitar, at least it is the crunchy kind of guitar we haven't heard from Buck in ages. It's also cool to hear Stipe's voice unreverbed in the foreground for once. Really not a bad tune, I'm itching for more.

Agreed. Good vocals by Stipe and excellent bass by Mills. Guitar playing is OK, and I like the drums, too. Overall, it's a likable song.

you must have been a member of the fan club for at least 2 months to be eligible

srsly?

i joost keeding!

i figured as much

anyway, yeah, i want my presale info and tickets and gargh

The intro bears a very strong resemblance to What's the frequency Kenneth.
Don't get me wrong I really do like the song it's instantly better then anything on Around the Sun i'm just finding the guitar to be a little Meh. The melodic bass line more then makes up for that though.

It's a very fun song in a way they haven't been for many years. Mills backing vocals are great and really make the song. His bass playing is melodic, too. The in-your-face production sounds a bit digital, but I like it. Bill Reiflin's drumming is also very good.

ive heard it. if you likke the single youll be very happy. im happy with the record.

sorry, but this is still disappointing stuff to me... i've loved REM since Life's Rich Pageant, i'm a fan, but this is exactly the kind of song that they used to rail against.

Stipe's lyircs are weak, why can't he write esoteric vague lyrics anymore? he isn't even singing, he's just sing-speaking through out the whole song. Buck's guitar has no personality at all. come on, the opening riff is the ubiquitous louie-louie type rock riff that has been used thousands of times. boring shit...

the only redeeming quality for me is finally hearing Mills sing again. that, to me, was always the sound of REM, Stipe and Mills.

disappointing stuff...

I hope they do, because I plan on seeing them when they play Toronto.

predictably bad.

i find it hilarious that anyone expected anything more.from these codgers.

New track reminds me of In Rainbows.

Happy to hear Mills again...and I'm open to the possibility that it will grow on me within the context of the album...that said, it's not sounding very promising. The bass line is cool, but I was really hoping for some of the raw, yearning sound of Hi-Fi.

This is not good.

Catchy little number. The bridge is terrible, though.




k

I like it. The lyrics aren't its strong suit, but I like the sound of the song. Mills is the star of the track. His vocals sound fucking great and the bass playng is very cool. So glad the tempo is a lot more upbeat than the last couple albums.

Kessler's right about the bridge. Otherwise, I really like this song though there's nothing I can say here that hasn't been said already. I'm just glad R.E.M. can still make me feel like a dorky fanboy again every couple of years.

I was thinking the same thing this track is way to dirgey in a Machina sort of way.

It's a fun little track.

From NY Magazine.

Talk about deluded

http://www.murmurs.com/forum/poll.php?do=s...amp;pollid=3480

Everything about this song seems calculated and safe. Didn't blow me away.

Wow, you're turning into Montana.

By pointing out that the response on the REM fan board is over the top? Not really.

Who would be surprised that Murmurs (or any fan board) is over the top? hahaha

As someone who has been fairly active over there for about a decade, however, you have no idea just how over the top that board can get. I bet I actually venture into the band part of the board about twice a year apart from during tours or around releases. There's some cool people over there, but most all stay out of the band section as well.

Same as most fan boards, I did expect a positive response but wow @ that.

not really digging the new single. yes mills is great on it but the song didnt really go anywhere.
as bad as the last few albums were, the singles from them were great, hopefully the album is a lot better

Not far from the mark. OMG! The R.E.M. board overwhelmingly likes their new single!! Stop the presses!!

this song is like seeing that hot and popular girl in high school years later +50 lbs in tracksuit pants and three kids in tow.

utterly sad and begs the question 'why?'

I think it's fair to say that the single is "good" in light of the band's last 5 or 6 artrocities. I mean, really, they could've put something out akin to an Office b-side and I'd've probably said "sounds good." Because comparatively speaking, it would !!!




k

i'm with Kessler... just think of what our first tastes of the last 2-3 albums have been?

this isn't a great song, but it's a sign of better things to come it seems (certainly better than the last 2 records, which is all i'm hoping for, anything above that is a bonus).

first singles are often not even that indicative of the actual record, and rarely the best song on the album.

Terrible post. You could say that if you thought the song was slow and plodding--hell, I said something like that myself when I heard how "Final Straw" lost some intensity from the song released before Around the Sun to the song on Around the Sun. This track is nothing great, but it is a likable, energetic tune.

can we dig up the old thread on Around the Sun? Is that in our archives? I bet the same people defended that one early on.

It's highly unlikely if solace and kessler were on the board in '04, they were among the few defending Around the Sun. I certainly wasn't, either. I am pretty sure that album didn't make it in the top 100 albums that year on this board.

It's just one song. I don't think anyone is saying it's as good as "Radio Free Europe," "Fall on Me," or "E-Bow the Letter."

I still think theres alot to love on ATS.
Of course, I really dig that "chamber pop" sound that they did so well on Up.

I prefer this sound tho.

i've probably listened to the last 2 albums less than 10x total between them

neither had anything redeeming for me.
last time i cared about REM was Hi-Fi

like i said, i'm keeping expectations pretty low for this record, but that song makes me want to hear the full thing, which is a good thing.

78.33% of respondents to the poll 'love it' despite the poor selection of choices in the poll it's a above overwhelming, that's almost cult like devotion.

i bet if there were choices of:

Amazing
Great
Good
Average
Eh.
Blah
Awful

you'd get a bit better representation, that poll was kinda silly