Free Album Streaming: New CDs from The Bees, Los Campesinos!, & Jonathan Coulton; R.E.M.'s New Anthology; & More

The latest album by The Bees (a.k.a. A Band of Bees) is one of the new releases streaming this week.

I'm not familiar with many of the new albums that are available for online streaming this week, but there is one 800-pound gorilla in the batch: R.E.M.'s two-disc, sprawling career retrospective with the equally sprawling title, "Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982 - 2011."It sounds pretty much like a greatest-hits album with some non-hit album tracks, along with three new songs recorded after the release of the band's last album, "Collapse Into Now."

As NPR's Tom Moon notes in his commentary at the KCRW website, "the narrative of 'Part Lies' leans a bit too heavily on R.E.M.'s latter-day attempts to rock.... If the goal is to savor R.E.M.'s spectacular creative peaks and fierce experiments, know that, as [Michael] Stipe himself said, you can't get there from here. Part Lies only tells part of the story—the truth lies within the original albums."

Also streaming this week is the latest from the Welsh seven-piece band Los Campesinos!, who have two shows next week in New York (Bowery Ballroom on Nov. 16th; Music Hall of Williamsburg the next night)... the "new" album from the British group A Band of Bees (known simply as The Bees everywhere but the U.S.), which came out in 2010 but is just being released stateside Nov. 7th... and the latest collection from singer-songwriter (and former computer programmer) Jonathan Coulton, which features humor-laced tunes like "Je Suis Rick Springfield" and an ode to "rockin' 'The Stache.'"

Folk fans will be happy to see the pioneering singer-songwriter Judy Collins returning with a new album, "Bohemian," which includes cover tunes and original compositions.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011" by R.E.M. (streaming until Nov. 15th)
"Hello Sadness" by Los Campesinos! (streaming until Nov. 15th)
(both also streaming at NPR First Listen)

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Every Step's a Yes" by The Bees (A Band of Bees)
"Young Statues" by Young Statues
"Bear" by Bear & Moose
"Mannequin Men" by Mannequin Men

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Every Waking Moment" by The Dear & Departed
"Bohemian" by Judy Collins
"Never Out of Time" by Camille Bloom
"Porcelain" by Edward Rogers
"Artificial Heart" by Jonathan Coulton

R.E.M. Calls It Quits After 31 Years

Above: Video for "UBerlin" from R.E.M.'s latest (and last) album, "Collapse Into Now."

R.E.M., one of the most enduring and successful rock bands of all time, announced today that it was disbanding with a brief, simple statement on its website. Each of the three band members later added his own short reflection on the decision to end the band. (The R.E.M. breakup announcement now also includes a statement from its record label, Warner Bros.)

The initial announcement:
"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." R.E.M.

R.E.M. was one of a number of rock bands coming out of Athens, Georgia in the early '80s. With its jangly guitars and mysterious, usually indecipherable lyrics it became a favorite on the college-rock circuit from its first release, the EP "Chronic Town." Amazingly the band had the same lineup its entire existence, except for the departure of drummer Bill Berry in 1995, who left after suffering a brain aneurysm on stage during the "Monster" tour.

I've been a fan of R.E.M. from the time I first heard of them in 1980. I bought "Chronic Town" and the band's follow-up full-length, "Murmur," and saw them live when they played at Maxwell's in Hoboken in 1981 (back when Michael Stipe still had a full head of hair). I remember them putting on a great show, but I honestly don't remember a lot of details about the night. Had I known R.E.M. would become so famous and have such a long career, I would have brought a notebook with me and taken notes.


Above: R.E.M. performing "Radio Free Europe" on David Letterman in 1983, its first national appearance.

Although I bought nearly ever new album R.E.M. put out, I only saw them live a couple of times after that first concert at Maxwell's, the most recent time being November 2004 at Madison Square Garden. When they came out with a new album a couple of years later, they did one show at the Garden that soon sold out, and never scheduled another one.

The statements by the band members make it clear that they are parting as friends, so if there's any consolation for fans like me, it's that they may reunite for a concert sometime in the future. In the meantime, thanks for all the great music.

Hear New R.E.M. Song "Day Is Done," with Video

R.E.M. has a new song, "Day Is Done," and it has been made into a video that is being used to promote Anderson Cooper's CNN environmental documentary, "Planet In Peril." The video features images and film clips from the documentary with the R.E.M. song playing in the background

You can hear the song and view the video of the song with the documentary images here.

"Day Is Done" will be on the new R.E.M. album, which will be coming out in 2008.