Michael Stipe appeared on American TV last week singing The Rest Of Ever, a brand new song from a solo album that is apparently going to be out by the end of the year. In the clip below Michael performs it with the house band, as is the norm on US chat shows- Louis Cato and The Great Big Joy Machine- so the recorded version may be a little different but the song sounds pretty good, Stipe is in good voice, and it is good to hear him singing again.
In the interview section he talked about recording the sound of a tree and singing along to it in the style of a sea shanty. Difficult to tell how serious he was being but I'm always in favour of the spirit of experimentalism and playfulness.
Back in 2020 Michael sang with Big Red Machine, a duo consisting of Aaron Dessner of The National and Bon Iver's Jason Vernon. The recording was done during lockdown and that period inspired Stipe's lyrics. 'No time for dancing... no time for love like now'. Low key, pattering drums, pianos, strings, and Michael Stipe's very specific timbre and phrasing.
The year before Michael released his first solo single via his own website, a quite startling song, very much a break from the R.E.M. alt- guitar sound that people might have expected and been hoping for. Juddering synths and tambourine, drones and keys, Stipe's voice on top, a little like a warmer but fragile version of Suicide.
In coming up with a solo album, a definitive Stipe solo musical statement, he's been taking his time and genuinely doesn't seem to have been in any rush to make music since R.E.M. called it a day back in 2011 but gradually we seem to be getting closer to the day we get a Michael Stipe solo album.
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