Brooklyn Vegan — Former REM frontman Michael Stipe dropped out of the University of Georgia (he was an art major) when R.E.M. took off, but has been focusing once again on art since the band split in 2011. He's back at a... more info

Stereogum — Line & Circle have always attracted comparisons to early R.E.M. “Wounded Desire,” from the LA band’s new self-titled EP, affirms those comparisons not just in terms of style but quality. On the other hand, There’s a certain point where a band... more info

Stereogum — This has been a great year for R.E.M. super-fans, as the band has begun to really clear their vault of material. We’ve already gotten the vinyl set cataloging both of their MTV Unplugged performances, as well as a massive rarities release, and now ... more info

Stereogum — There aren’t a lot of bands that have a trajectory remotely like R.E.M.’s. After years of crafting perhaps the purest embodiment of ’80s college rock and developing a fervent cult following, they found breakthrough commercial success as that de... more info

LargeHeartedBoy — The Guardian shared a preview of Haruki Murakami's illustrated The Strange Library. Stereogum listed the best cover songs performed by R.E.M. The Book Report is a new literary video series featuring Michael Schaub and Janet Potter. Treble listed esse... more info

Stereogum — From the looks of the R.E.M. setlist site remtimeline.com, early R.E.M. gigs were glorified bar-band hootenannies. Before they’d written Murmur and Chronic Town, the band cut their teeth seemingly as philistines, playing sloppy, drunken versions of... more info

The Telegraph — Counting Crows channel Lynyrd Skynyrd and REM in their best collection of songs since their debut, says Helen Brown more info

Brooklyn Vegan — The ongoing Simpsons "Greatest Guest Stars" action figure line is adding Aerosmith, Tom Jones, Weird Al Yankovic, Elvis Costello, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin to the growing collection. This "fourth wave" of characters will be available in October, and ... more info

Stereogum — Ever since R.E.M. broke up a few years ago, Michael Stipe has had some free time, and he’s become something of a man-about-town in New York: showing up on Colbert, making speeches at awards ceremonies, writing music for films. For his latest endeav... more info

Stereogum — For the 25th anniversary of The Simpsons, the merchandising machine behind the show has been going all out with an FXX marathon, Hollywood Bowl concerts, cosmetics, and the release of collectible figures of various guest stars. Today The National Ent... more info