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Oct 07, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Michael Stipe

Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has shared his first ever solo song, “Your Capricious Soul.” It is available to download for 77 cents (or more if you’d like) from www.michaelstipe.com, with all proceeds for the next year going to the climate change organization Extinction Rebellion. Check out the song below, via a video directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.

Stipe had this to say about the song in a press release: “I took a long break from music, and I wanted to jump back in. I love ‘Your Capricious Soul’ - it’s my first solo work. I want to add my voice to this exciting shift in consciousness. Extinction Rebellion gave me the incentive to push the release and not wait. Our relationship to the environment has been a lifelong concern and I now feel hopeful-optimistic, even. I believe we can bring the kind of change needed to improve our beautiful planet Earth, our standing and our place on it.”

R.E.M. are also releasing a 25th anniversary deluxe box set reissue of their 1994 album Monster on November 1 via Craft Recordings. Previously R.E.M. shared a new remix of the album’s single “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” by original producer Scott Litt. Then they shared another bonus track from the reissue, “Revolution 4-21 (Demo).” The Monster reissue comes in a six-disc set that includes the original album, a disc of demos, the whole album remixed, two live concerts, and a Blu-ray featuring all the album’s music videos and the Road Movie concert film. It’s also available in other CD, LP, and digital configurations.

R.E.M. also recently shared a previously unreleased song, “Fascinating,” to benefit Bahamas hurricane relief efforts by Mercy Corps. The song was recorded in Nassau, Bahamas in 2004 for their Around the Sun album (released later that year), but it didn’t make the cut. You can stream it or download it from Bandcamp for a donation of $2.00 or more. Hurricane Dorian caused much destruction in Bahamas’ northwest islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco in early September. “Fascinating” was one of our Songs of the Week.

Your Capricious Soul - Michael Stipe from JMSPROJ on Vimeo.

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