Two members of the American trio R.E.M, have returned to the studio to record what they call skeletal tracks.
Guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills have recorded several tracks on a tape that they will give to singer Michael Stripe for his approval.
Buck explained to Pitchfork that he wants this album to be different from their last stripped-down album, Accelerate. "This record, I want it to be broader; I think Michael [Stipe] is into that. So there are some really pretty acoustic things, some really total noisy rock, and some kind of poppy stuff," explained the musician.
Producer Jackknife Lee will most likely work again with R.E.M. Tucker Martine, who produced the Decemberists’ Hazards of Love, also helped Buck and Mills record the first demos.