Also discussed on Colbert : R.E.M. reunions, sea shanties, and a tree that sounds like Daft Punk Michael Stipe on Colbert (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS) On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night, Michael Stipe returned to the studio to chat and perform an unreleased song called “The Rest of Ever.” The track is set to appear on his debut solo album, which, he revealed, is coming at the end of this year. Watch the performance and the pair’s conversation below. From an assessment of Stipe’s fecund beard, the two moved on to the subject of ship captains and sea shanties. It turns out that Stipe is writing one—with some typically zany lyrics—as part of a song about a tree that hears itself for the first time, via a MIDI recording. “My friend recorded a tree in my backyard in Georgia and played it back to itself,” he elaborated. “It sounds like Daft Punk.” OK! They also discussed the legacy of R.E.M.…