R.E.M. -- which is singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills -- are counting down the time to the release of Accelerate, their 14th studio album, on a website, www.ninetynights.com. The site, which launched on January 1st, features a new high-definition video snippet each day that can be downloaded then edited, embedded, or manipulated however the user wishes. Each snippet is being posted in high-resolution HD format and available for download for a period of 24 hours before being archived on the site as a low-resolution stream. The clips were shot by noted French filmmaker Vincent Moon, who has worked with Arcade Fire, The Shins and The National among other artists.

In what is set to be an active year for the band, R.E.M. will be touring North America this May and June in support of Accelerate. The band will be joined by support acts Modest Mouse and The National. R.E.M. will headline the Langerado Music Festival on March 8th at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in South Florida, and will also perform at Stubb's Bar-B-Que on March 12th during the annual South-by-Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX.

Accelerate, R.E.M.'s 14th studio album, was recorded in Vancouver, Canada, Dublin, Ireland and Athens, Georgia, last spring with Grammy Award-winning producer Jacknife Lee, who is noted for his work with U2 (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), as well as Snow Patrol, Bloc Party and Kasabian. In October 2007, the band released a live CD/DVD -- the first ever of their 27-year career, entitled R.E.M. Live.

One of rock's best-selling and most critically acclaimed bands, the multiple Grammy-winning trio, along with original drummer Bill Berry, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2007.

R.E.M. tour dates with Modest Mouse & The National:
May
23 Vancouver - Deer Lake Park
29 Los Angeles - Hollywood Bowl
31 Berkeley - The Greek theater
June
03 Denver - Red Rocks Amphitheater
06 Chicago - United Center
08 Toronto - Molson Amphitheater
10 Raleigh - Walnut Creek Amphitheater
11 Washington, DC - Merriweather Post Pavilion
13 Boston - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
14 Long Island - Jones Beach Theater
18 Philadelphia - Mann Center for the Performing Arts
19 New York City - TBA
21 Atlanta - Lakewood Amphitheater