REM Going Old School On New Record

REM are recording an "old school” record according to a former touring band member.

Ken Stringfellow, who plays in the band The Posies and the last version of Big Star, revealed that REM had completed the recording of their as-yet-untitled fifteenth album and that it sounded like an early-era version of the band once more.

"It’s sounding really great, very old-school,” he said. "The first track had vocals which were mixed super low which I couldn’t understand and I was like, ‘Yes, a return to form.’ Mike was on about pushing the vocals up and I was like, ‘No, don’t do it.’”
"It’s really quite beautiful, some of the recordings were a little bit dark and had just the kind of murk that you would hear on an old R.E.M. record. I thought that was a great thing to bring back.”

The Jacknife Lee produced album is due for release later this year or early in 2011, with the band due to tour the album next year.