REM is heading to Miami to finish new album

NEW YORK (REM Fans Website) - The alternative rock group R.E.M. is heading to Miami for the final phase of recording and mixing its next studio album.

A message posted on the band's Web site by manager Bertis Downs said R.E.M. has already worked in Vancouver and the Bahamas on the album, which is expected to be distributed in the fall by Warner Bros.

They are making a very cool record with a lot of things that sound nothing like them, plenty of things that do, and a strong sense of melody throughout (and no reggae or overtly island mon tings that I hear,) Downs reported. If you are already an R.E.M. fan, we cannot imagine you not liking this one; if you aren't a fan, maybe you will be when you hear it.

R.E.M. is planning an extensive tour in the fall, including visiting cities the group has never played during its 20-plus-year career.