Community Trolls was the group name of a short-lived musical duo between Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Matthew Sweet. In 1983, they collaborated as part of the Athens, Georgia music scene, writing and recording three songs together. One of the compositions, "Tainted Obligation", was nearly released on a compilation album in 1986, and later appeared on bootlegs; it was released officially in 2002. Another Community Trolls' song, "Six Stock Answers", appeared in an unreleased indie film featuring Stipe, Sweet and some of their friends.

Community Trolls, who may have at times included additional band members, performed in public at least twice. By sometime in 1984, however, Sweet began distancing himself from the Athens music scene, and in 1985 he got a record deal and moved to New York. While some people accused him of using his Athens music connections to get ahead and then desert the scene, R.E.M. did not hold any hard feelings towards him.

As a teenager in Lincoln, Nebraska, Sweet was a big fan of Mitch Easter. Easter produced R.E.M.'s first single, the Hib-Tone version of "Radio Free Europe". Sweet loved its B-side, "Sitting Still", and became a fan of the band. When R.E.M. performed in Lincoln in September 1982, Sweet went to the show. At that point R.E.M. were still relatively unknown, so there was almost nobody at the concert. Sweet met the band and gave Michael Stipe a tape of songs he had been working on. R.E.M. was from Athens, Georgia, which was becoming famous for its vibrant music scene. Sweet had also read about Athens in New York Rocker magazine.

R.E.M. put Sweet in touch with Easter, who wrote Sweet a number of long letters, and suggested he move to Athens after graduating from high school. Meanwhile, Stipe really liked Sweet's tape, and he also played it for his sister, Lynda, and friend Linda Hopper, who were both in the band Oh-OK. All three sent Sweet postcards saying he should come perform in Athens, with Lynda and Linda inviting him to open for Oh-OK there. Sweet told his parents that he wanted to study at the University of Georgia, in Athens. Within weeks of moving there, he had become a member of Oh-OK, who recorded their EP Furthermore What in August 1983 with him on board. While a member of Oh-OK, Sweet also began collaborating with Michael Stipe as the band Community Trolls.

...
Wikipedia