It seems that one hell of a comeback album, a jaw dropping tour (chock full of rarities), a re-issue, a mini EP, and a live album wasn’t enough for the Athens, GA trio, otherwise known as R.E.M. Because simply put, they’re back in the studio hitting the ol’ instruments and fiddling about with the buttons. Don’t believe us? Well, check out this photo posted on remhq.com last week:

See the snazzy silhouette in the back? Ponder and speculate all you want, but any fool would know that profile from a mile away. It’s Phil Specter! No, no… it’s obviously Michael Stipe. Right? Right? Duh. Well, if they think they can knock out something on par with 2008′s Accelerate, then by all means, deliver us the goods, guys!

Who else thinks 2010 is going to be a great year?