Mercury News, California — Harrington: R.E.M., PJ Harvey, Civil Wars delivered year's best records more info

Guardian Music — Pitbull shouts, Ed Sheeran strums, and everything comes with a gloomwobbleIt takes a few years' distance to look back on a year and define what it really sounded like, but the three front-running noises for 2011 are Pitbull shouting about being in th... more info

ContactMusic — R E M star Michael Stipe has ruled out a run for political office now hes no longer the frontman for one of the worlds top bands - because he lacks the ability to compromise Fans have been keen to know what his next line will be following R E M s spl... more info

Mercury News, California — Looking to give the gift of music this holiday season? Here are some particularly tuneful options for 2011: "Elvis Is Back! more info

DrownedInSound — A week of DiS, as a playlist...you should probably have the gist of what this weekly digest is by now. Won't bore you, click here to open the playlist in Spotify and amongst the blathering below you'll find links to the best bits of this week... ... more info

411 Mania — From Kanye West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne and Radiohead's King of Limbs to R.E.M.'s Collapse Into Now and more, 411's Christopher Bell counts down the 10 most disappointing albums of 2011! Check out the full article to see which albums made the l... more info

ContactMusic — R E M were not creatively out of gas when they split The Man on the Moon rockers bass player Mike Mills says their acrimonious split in September has seen them finish on a creative high and he is glad he will remain friends with ex-bandmat... more info

LargeHeartedBoy — CBC Radio interviews Stephen King about his new novel 11/22/63. R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and Michael Stipe talk to the Daily Beast about the band's decision to break up. The List of Online Year-End 2011 Music Lists was updated yesterday with... more info

ContactMusic — Recently-retired rockers R E M fought to ensure their split remained a secret before their big announcement in September 11 because they didnt want the news leaking on the internet The rockers shocked the music world in September 11 by declaring th..... more info

ContactMusic — R E M had been planning their split since 2008 The Losing My Religion rockers - Peter Buck Mike Mills and Michael Stipe - first thought about the end of the group while touring their album Accelerator in 2008 almost three years before they of... more info