Noted R.E.M. singer and frontman Michael Stipe has at long last returned to the music scene with some new material. And while he's not necessarily singing, the release still merits a wee bit of celebration from fans.
Stipe just dropped an instrumental piece that he put together to accompany bonus footage from the film The Cold Lands, directed by longtime friend and collaborator Tom Gilroy, which is now available to stream. The score is Stipe's first piece of original music since R.E.M. disbanded back in 2011, despite his "Rio Grande" duet with Courtney Love on last year's Son of Rogue's Gallery compilation.
In a recent interview with Salon's David Daley, Stipe discusses the instrumental piece alongside Gilroy, saying, "This is not what people want to hear from me." Clearly, he realizes the heavy desire fans of his have to hear new music, but the artist goes on to say, "But that's what I want to offer," referring to the instrumental piece.
And regardless of his recognized voice, Stipe claims he never had any intention of singing on this tune. "If there was a singer, it wouldn't have been me. I would have found someone. That's not just being ornery. It's just that I don't want to do it right now.
Surely, the birth of this new project leads to the question of whether or not Stipe will continue to create more new music. To this, he answers, "I don't know. Let's put a giant parenthesis around that. I love music. I think it's an immensely moving form for me, but how do I apply that to where I am now?"
Watch the trailer for The Cold Lands and listen to Stipe's score at Salon.
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