I’ve been pretty quiet on the subject of R.E.M.’s final album: the forty-track, quasi-greatest-hits compilation Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011. At first, I didn’t really want to deal with the fact that this beloved band of mine was splitting. They have been the direct line through my musical history, and I honestly still feel pretty weird about contemplating a future without new R.E.M. in it.
But for the moment, we’ve got NPR to thank for a preview of the forthcoming release. You can hear the whole thing, including new tracks “A Month of Saturdays,” “We All Go Back To Where We Belong,” and “Hallelujah,” over at their First Listen series site. For my own part, I’ve made a video mix of some of my favorite moments in R.E.M. history, and you can find that below: