Brooklyn Vegan — Kim & Thurston in Brooklyn - 8/12/11 (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin) SPIN reports the unfortunate news:If the demise of R.E.M. didn't put the final nail in the '90s alternative-rock dream, this news sure will: Sonic Youth super-couple Kim Gordon... more info

KEXP Seattle — The recent announcement from R.E.M. that they’re calling it quits after approximately 100 years of being one of the biggest bands in the universe seemed like as good a reason as any to go digging around the vinyl stacks and seeing what juicy debate... more info

Guardian Music — The band T-shirt is a phenomenon that not only gives teenagers a sense of belonging, as Jude Rogers discovered – it's also about adults holding on to the passions of youthMy first was REM. It was white, loose, and had a chequerboard on the front. I... more info

NME - The Daily Download — Tribes - 'Halfway Home' Tribes: spilling out of Camden bars with their ramshackle riffs, livers of 60-year-olds, snow-spangled nostrils and nipple-exposing rips in their clothes… The band whose early singles sounded as though they were recorded in ... more info

The Vinyl Villain — Many others will have commented elsewhere far more eloquently than I'm capable of.  Others will have dissected the career in a critical way and analysed them record-by-record arguing why the break-up has come a few years too late.  Me?  Well, I wa... more info

Here Comes The Flood — Highlights of the Bridge School Benefit Concerts will be released on October 24th on Reprise celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the event that was founded by Neil Young. Most of the tracks are previously unreleased. The Brian Wilson led all-star r... more info

411 Mania — A look at one of the most influential American bands from the past 30 years more info

Guardian Music — Now you can hear REM's earliest tapesOn 15 April 1981, a year after they formed, REM visited Drive-In studio in North Carolina to record demo tracks. After a day's work, the result was the Cassette Set, a tape featuring three songs: Sitting Still, Wh... more info

Pop Candy — Greetings, guys! It's a lovely day for blogging, which is why I'll be doing it at The Bean in a few hours. more info

411 Mania — Six tracks from 1981… more info