After releasing her stunning covers for Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun” and Taylor Swift’s “I’m Only Me When I’m With You,” Soccer Mommy is back with the full Karaoke Night EP. Comprised of cover tracks, the EP is a culmination of the artist’s, aka Sophie Allison’s, favorite songs from her most personal influences. Now, you can also hear her relaxing indie covers of “Here” by Pavement, “Dagger” by Slowdive, and “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. Check out the full EP below. The artist says, “All the covers on Karaoke Night are from artists that have inspired me throughout my… Read more »
After 31 years together, R.E.M. have announced that they are calling it quits. The legacy they leave behind includes 15 albums, over 25 millions albums sold worldwide, and a 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In July 2007, R.E.M. booked five nights of shows at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre and dubbed the performances as a “working rehearsal” as they tested out new tunes in front of small crowds of die-hards. Many of the songs from the concerts ended up on R.E.M.’s 2008 album Accelerate, and now the highlights from the five shows will be featured on the upcoming double-disc set Live at the Olympia, due out Oct. 27. In addition to the 39 tracks from the show, a deluxe version of Olympia will feature concert and backstage footage from French director Vincent Moon. A sampling of… Read more »
A pair of the biggest bands in rock, Radiohead and R.E.M., hit the studio recently to begin work on their next albums. While both groups are in the beginning stages of writing and recording, they offered up some early details in a series of interviews. Radiohead have reconvened with longtime producer Nigel Godrich to start work on the follow-up of 2007’s In Rainbows. The band is reportedly in the early stages of recording, according to bassist Colin Greenwood. “It was very noisy and chaotic and really fun. It’s at the stage where we’ve got the big Lego box out and… Read more »
Nobody would ever confuse R.E.M. for Metallica, but the guitars have definitely been turned up for the Georgia group’s 14th studio album, “Accelerate.” The follow-up to 2004’s “Around the Sun” is due in stores April 1 via Warner Bros. Nearly all the material was tested out during a summer run in Dublin, although manager Bertis Downs said a few of those songs didn’t make the cut, and a couple of album tunes were held back from live airings. Mostly gone is the drowsy vibe of “Around the Sun,” which was a commercial and critical disappointment. New tunes such as “Living… Read more »
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame swung open its doors Monday night to the latest batch of acts ticketed for music immortality, with the Georgia alt-rock icons and the dysfunctional Pasadena party band leading the way. They were joined by ’70s punk pioneer Patti Smith, ’60s girl group the Ronettes and the first hip-hop act to crash the party, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The 22nd annual induction ceremony–which per tradition was held at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel–felt like an I Love the ’80 special, thanks to its two biggest inductees. R.E.M. received a warm introduction… Read more »
REM frontman Michael Stipe was joined by bassist Mike Mills over the weekend for a surprise appearance at live music venue the Zodiac. Both rock stars took to the intimate stage Sunday night (Jan 7) to perform a two-track encore following a set by the Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3. In front of an ecstatic crowd, Stipe and Mills played “Electrolite” and a brand new, unreleased track. Earlier in the night, a sell-out crowd had seen REM guitarist Peter Buck and Minus 5 members Scott McCaughey & Bill Rieflin playing in Robin Hichcock’s alternative pop outfit. Robyn Hitchcock &… Read more »
Rock bands Van Halen and R.E.M. have made the cut for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with punk poet Patti Smith, pioneering rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and 1960s girl group the Ronettes, organizers said on Monday. They will be honored at a black-tie ceremony in New York on March 12, the main fund-raiser for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. Inductees are chosen by music industry insiders from a short-list of acts who become eligible for consideration 25 years after their first recording. Those who did not make the… Read more »
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro – Greeting members of the rock band R.E.M. in his Belgrade office, Serbia’s President Boris Tadic said he’s a fan and requested that his favorite song, “Orange Crush,” be played at their concert Friday. Youthful and soft-spoken, Tadic, 46, is at the helm of a democratic leadership striving to open the troubled Balkan republic to the West after years of ostracism and isolation during the rule of Yugoslavia’s ex-President Slobodan Milosevic. Bringing world-famous artists to the country is part of that effort, said Nebojsa Krstic, head of Tadic’s press team. Krstic said Tadic has been a fan of… Read more »
R.E.M.’s July 19, 2003, concert at Bowling Green in Weisbaden, Germany, is captured in its entirety on the DVD “Perfect Square,” due March 16 from Warner Bros. The 23-song set sports such performance rarities as “Maps and Legends” from the 1985 album “Fables of the Reconstruction” and the ancient non-album track “Permanent Vacation.” Prior to the 2003 tour, the former had not been played live since 1989, while the latter hadn’t been unearthed since 1984. Also featured are “Bad Day” and “Animal,” the two new songs included on the recent best-of “In Time,” plus such R.E.M. favorites as “The One… Read more »
