Peter Buck is upfront about R.E.M.

Michael Stipe

is the vocal and visual centerpiece of

R.E.M.

But it's guitarist and tunesmith

Peter Buck

who's been doing most of the talking with the press - and lots of behind-the-scenes planning - for the group's current album and tour, which lands 'em at the Mann Wednesday with noteworthy support acts

Modest Mouse

and the

National

.

"Just seems right for me to do this. Michael's spends so much time doing the cover art and videos," mused Buck in our recent chat.

That's cool with me. Buck's one of the most genuine, into-the-music guys in the biz.

For years after R.E.M. broke out (in 1980) of Athens, Ga., with its edgy, jangly, end-of-the-world (and you know it) collegiate rock, Buck was still hanging in and working at a local record store when he was home, to feed his passion for new sounds.

He's still a music-store regular, judging by the enthusiastic remarks he shared about recent disc discoveries, including "long lost Howling Wolf stuff just out on the Dust To Digital label" and "psychedelic funk stuff recorded in the '70s in Greece and Turkey that's never been pressed out of the countries until now."

Buck also gets my vote for never sitting on his duff between R.E.M. projects. He records and tours as a sideman to the whimsically surreal British bloke Robyn Hitchcock (who, by the way, makes solo stops on July 13 at John & Peter's in New Hope, and July 17 at World Cafe Live), and grooves in the quirky, instrumentally minded Minus Five band.

"I'm not one of those guys who stays around the house much," Buck said. "I'm just lucky I know people I can collaborate with that are super-talented."

But what's up with R.E.M.?

Sure seems like the band members are on a crusade to recapture the energy and excitement of their youth on the new album, the aptly named "Accelerate," which rocks out hard, fast and dirty with lots of status-quo-challenging tunes.

The set has won the best reviews and sales R.E.M.'s enjoyed in a long time. A week after its April 1, debut, "Accelerate" opened at No. 2 on the Billboard charts in the United States and in first place through much of Europe, where Buck said "the band's actually bigger."

Q: What inspired this disc? Was there any pressure on you guys from the label to bring home a hit?

A: Actually the pressure came from me. I was the one who wasn't happy with the process. I like to work quickly, very decisively, which the other guys aren't into.

I don't like hanging around the studio a long time, and we proved conclusively with the last album [2004's poorly received "Around the Sun"] that approach doesn't work. So this time the idea was show up, be focused and spend a small amount of time there.

It was a liberating experience. We went in and - boom. It was more focused than anything else we've done in the last 15 years. And the emphasis on fast songs was on me. Last time, I wrote a lot of slow stuff that Michael and Mike [bassist Mike Mills] gravitated to. I had fast things, also, that no one was interested in. This time I decided I won't show them any slow songs. So this was all we had to work with.

Q: I was knocked out that the whole thing clocked in at a slash-and-burn 35 minutes. It reminded me of the vinyl-album age, when you had maybe 18 minutes of music on each side of an LP. But every note was perfect, and you were left hungry for more. Were you thinking about that creative period before the dawning of the overly indulgent, 74-minute CD?

A: Absolutely. There are some big albums of the CD age when I couldn't tell you what the last 15 minutes are. I'd get 40 minutes into it, and I'd lose interest. I'd been talking about this a lot with Michael and Mike and also with Robyn [Hitchcock].

After we finished this album, Robyn called and asked how short it was, then said, "Ooh, it's the new benchmark." He was impressed we could squeeze 11 songs in there.

But look at "With the Beatles" - the first album I ever bought. It was 28 minutes. Today, a disc that length doesn't even qualify as an album in some countries.

Q: Can you talk some about the tracks that really jumped out for me? What's with the seance vibe of "Supernatural"? I'm also into "Living Well Is the Best Revenge"- a great kickoff with a killer guitar line from you - "I'm the DJ" and "Till the Day Is Done."

A: Yeah, there's definitely a seance vision in "Supernatural," but it's also about the agony of growing up. "Living Well" deals with self-righteous anger, about living in these times and who runs the world. You can also take it personally, as the thoughts of someone who's feeling underestimated by the fans. And it's also an adrenaline-filled rush. First time we played it, I said, "We could open the set with this every day and I'd be happy."

"I'm the DJ" has been around since the last tour. It's that kind of "the world is a mess, but yee-haw" song. "Till the Day is Done" is maybe the most meaningful song to me. It captures something that's real. It's what people think of when they think of R.E.M.

Q: Another thing that some think about with your band is that $80 million deal R.E.M. got when you re-signed with Warner Brothers in 1996, maybe the last super deal any label handed out before the ceiling started falling in. Do you ever feel guilt pangs about taking the money?

A: Not at all. We made them boatloads of millions before we got a big contract. Honestly, every contract is so slanted to the record company. We get paid at most 20 percent of list price, and they own the music in perpetuity. And the whole business is really predicated on not paying bands.

We had an auditor look over the books a few years ago. He said, "I've done literally a thousand audits and never did one when there wasn't a substantial amount of money owed the artist." I do feel bad about the chaos and reduction that our label and every label has gone through. Fortunately, there are still some good people there.

Q: I enjoyed watching the new DVD of the Robyn Hitchcock documentary/performance film "Sex, Food, Death . . . and Insects," which shows you guys recording, performing and riding the bus together. How does that kind of touring compare with the first-class R.E.M. experience?

A: We're not on a bus but in a van, my friend. I'm really glad I get to do both kinds of touring. I love his music obviously, as do Scott and Bill [veteran R.E.M. sidemen and Minus Five players Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin, who flesh out Hitchcock's band]. And it's great being able to see people face to face.

But it's a harder life. We carry our own equipment. We're five guys in a van who get back sore and strained. It's a real way to go about it. Playing a club is as real as it gets. Sometimes reality isn't always the best thing on earth, though.

I'm committed to touring with R.E.M. until at least the end of the year. We may go to South America after that. Then I'll be getting back with Robyn. The guy is so prolific. I think he's got two albums with us playing, in the can, just waiting to be released and played live. *

Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue, 7 p.m. Wednesday, $35, $39.50 and $65, 215-893-1999, www.manncenter.org.