Friday a Wry Day for Music News

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R.E.M.

R.E.M. are putting the finishing touches on their new album with producer Jacknife Lee, their first since 2004. “Working rehearsal” shows in Dublin pointed towards a more straightforward, guitar-based sound on the new material, which Mike Mills confirmed to Billboard magazine, saying the band is using fewer overdubs and keyboards. The as-yet-unnamed album is set for release in 2008.

U2 are totally copying them! Their new album, also their first since 2004, is being rehearsed, according to producer Daniel Lanois, and set for a 2008 release as well. Lanois said Brian Eno is also involved in both writing and producing the material; some of the band’s best albums, including The Unforgettable Fire and Achtung Baby, were produced by this duo, although their most recent album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, was mainly produced by Steve Lillywhite.

Will Apple announce the arrival of the Beatles catalog to the iTunes music service on Wednesday, September 5th, at their “special event” in San Francisco? The ads say “The Beat Goes On,” and Ringo’s solo work was added to iTunes today.

The sad Amy Winehouse saga gets slightly sadder: Bookmaker Ladbrokes has lowered the singer’s odds to win the UK Mercury Music Prize, for which she was the frontrunner. Bat For Lashes‘ Fur and Gold is now the favorite, with 9-4 odds, compared to Winehouse’s 11-4.