Songs You Need To Hear: R.E.M., “Discoverer”

“Hey baby, this is not a challenge,” R.E.M.’s first single in two years begins. “It just means that I love you as much as I always said I did.”

Musically, “Discoverer” has what can be referred to as “that R.E.M. sound.” Astute listeners may find snatches of “Turn You Inside-Out” and “Believe” in its shifting, minor-key melody.

And the lyrics are plenty strange. “I wake up dreaming saffron, turmeric and brass,” sings frontman (and noted foodie) Michael Stipe, cryptically.  We can’t wait to see what else the band has been cooking up. Collapse Into Now, the band’s 15th studio album, drops March 8.