Yes, I’m back. I thought about posting the last few days, but figured today would be a better time to kick off 2008 with these two pieces of great news.

Michael Stipe turns 48 today. I generally don’t do hero worship, but I think Michael (along with his bandmates) is one of the few people I would honestly say I look up to because of his entertainment accomplishments. Few people turn a phrase like JMS, and he does it with a curious mix of modesty, braggadocio, insight and naivety.

We’ll get another dose of that in just a few months as the band has announced – kind of subtly – that the new album will be called Accelerate and will come out on April 1. No joke.

The first news of the name and confirmation of the release date Stipe has previously mentioned came in a magazine article (the March 31 release date mention in the piece is for Europe). The band’s Web site then posted a story mentioning the article and directing people to Wikipedia for more info.

That’s just the start of the coyness behind the news. The band has set up a site called Ninety Nights where a short video clip is revealed each day. The third day included the Seney-Stovall Chapel in Athens where the band did some of the recording for Accelerate. You also hear Stipe’s voice on that clip. The fouurth day included n image of a door ot a recording studio with loud guitar sounds playing. Yes, I think we can trust that this album will rock like the band promises.

Again, though, all we’re waiting for is real tour news.