R.E.M. Begin Work On New Album

R.E.M. are back in the studio working on the follow-up to their 2008 album Accelerate. We know they’re working on the album because Michael Stipe has kindly posted two, behind the scenes video clips on their official website – Remhq.com. The clips provide a very brief look at Athens, GA band in the process of recording their 15th studio record with producer Jacknife Lee.

Check below to watch the R.E.M. studio clips.

Nice thing about the clips is that fans can hear a smidgen of the new music R.E.M. is toying around with in the studio. The creative process in all its glory.

Producer Jacknife Lee worked on Accelerate, but as is with each upcoming R.E.M. album, the discussion among fans revolves around where the band is headed musically. Are they going back to Automatic for the People/Monster style R.E.M., or perhaps they say screw it and decide to dust-off Life’s Rich Pageant era R.E.M.? Or, perhaps, they take it to the next level – whatever that is.

Either way, it’ll be nice to have some new R.E.M. to check out, hopefully sometime in 2010. A few months back the band released Live at the Olympia, 39 songs captured over five nights at the intimate Dublin theatre, where the band played to tweak new songs (that would eventually end up on Accelerate) and revisit early tunes for an updated spin.