R.E.M. working on 13th studio album

According to this article (dated 6 Sep 2002), R.E.M. are at work on their thirteenth studio album, which they plan to release next year.

We're writing zillions of songs and pieces of songs, and patching them all together," says singer Michael Stipe. "Themes are starting to emerge, and it sounds like it's taking off from the last couple of records into unchartered R.E.M. territory. Kind of primitive and howling. For me, a very exciting trip.

While fans wait for the record to move toward completion, R.E.M. plan to re-release Reveal and Automatic for the People in DVD audio format on October 15th. That's today. Nice. Both DVDs will feature behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the albums.