[Cover photo credit to Anton Corbjin]
Craft Recordings is bringing us more R.E.M. with vinyl reissues for two long out-of-print titles from the second half of the band’s career: 2004’s Around the Sun and 2011’s Collapse Into Now. Around the Sun includes such highlights as “Leaving New York,” “Aftermath,” “Electron Blue,” and “Wanderlust,” plus “The Outsiders.” Collapse Into Now, which marks the band’s 15th and final studio album, includes the singles “Überlin,” “Oh My Heart” and “It Happened Today.”
Arriving July 14th, 2023 and available for pre-order, both albums were cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Records Pressing.
Additionally, fans can find limited editions exclusively at REMHQ.com: the 2-LP Around the Sun will be available on an Opaque White color variant, while the 1-LP Collapse Into Now can be found in Milky Clear vinyl.
R.E.M. was formed in 1980 by Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), and Bill Berry (drums). An influential force in the Post-Punk college scene, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and multi-Grammy Award winners rose to become critically acclaimed via albums such as Out of Time (1991), Automatic for the People (1992), and Monster (1994).
Not long after the release of their album, Accelerate (2008), the members of R.E.M. collectively decided to conclude their time together with one final album. Produced by Jacknife Lee (The Cars, Taylor Swift, U2), Collapse Into Now was recorded over the course of a year in Berlin, New Orleans, and Nashville. For their 15th studio effort, the band took a broader approach to their writing, allowing for “an expansive collection of songs that spoke to universal themes.”
While the band chose not to tour behind the album, they partnered with a variety of prominent filmmakers and artists (including Sam Taylor-Wood, Jim Herbert, and James Franco), who directed music videos for each track.
