New R.E.M. album in the works?

It was just this March that R.E.M. released their latest album, Collapse Into Now. Already Michael Stipe has posted a message on www.xojane.com that he's in an Athens, Georgia recording studio working on a new R.E.M. album. Collapse Into Now was their last album of their contract with Warner Brothers, so this may be signaling a self-released record, according to speculations on the Rolling Stone website.